Peter Bloesch Listen

Choral ~ General ~ with Keyboard



“My Heart Is Like a Singing Bird”

(An original setting of the poem by Christina Rossetti)



SOUND CLIP   /   WATCH VIDEO ON VIMEO   /   SCORE SAMPLE

SCORING:  SATB (some divisi), acc. by piano

DURATION:  ca. 2:30   —   DIFFICULTY:  3/5   —   PAGES IN PDF SCORE:  13

HOW TO PLACE AN ORDER   —   PDF:  $55 (for all the copies you need)



DESCRIPTION

This poem by Christina Rossetti expresses her ecstatic feelings of love, and my original music seeks to capture her sense of boundless joy.

TEXT INFO

My Heart Is Like a Singing Bird

Words by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)
Note:  Rossetti originally titled the poem “A Birthday.”

Complete text:

My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
Whose boughs are bent with thickest fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;   ["halcyon" = tranquil]
My heart is gladder than all these
Because my love is come to me.

Raise me a dais of silk and down;   ["dais" = a platform for a seat of honor]
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;   ["vair" = fur used to trim robes]
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me.

My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
Whose boughs are bent with thickest fruit.
My heart is gladder than all these
Because my love is come to me!

Watch video below!