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With its haunting melody, and the romantic myth that it was written by #HenryVIII as a love song for #AnneBoleyn, Greensleeves has remained popular over the centuries and today, is probably the best known of all #Tudor #songs.

However there is no proven connection to Henry VIII, and the earliest mention of the broadside ballad called #Greensleeves was not until September 1580, (some 33 years after his death). It was an immediate hit, and a number of imitations and parodies were produced in the following months and years.

Our recording uses the text from 'A Handful of Pleasant Delights', 1584 - the earliest surviving source. There are many verses, some of which contain lovely descriptions of #Elizabethan clothing and other aspects of #MaterialCulture

Richard de Winter: baritone
Robin Jeffrey: lute
Alison Kinder: bass viol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pej-PqWDJ4U&ab_channel=Passamezzo

#earlymusic #earlymodern #costume #fashionhistory #histodon #histodons #tudors @earlymusic
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