| Description |
Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842 - 1900) composed incidental music to a production of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII in 1877. Among the pieces was a song, for tenor or baritone, chorus, and orchestra, King Henry’s song, which became popular among singers up through the present time. It is sometimes known as “Youth Must Needs Have Dalliance” or “Pastime With Good Company.” It is based upon a song written by King Henry VIII of England (1491 - 1547), the lyrics slightly changed and set to a new melody. I heard it often on the radio when I was in high school, but less often during the next years. The present version is a piano reduction transposed to D major from the original key of F major. Two features of Sullivan’s composition, the tonic drone and the presence of parallel fifths occur in the original orchestral score, and are preserved in the piano reduction. |