Greensleeves/What Child is This?- Has an odd origin. While they have the same melody, lyrically Greensleeves is the a love song and What Child is This?- is a song about the birth of Christ.
The song/melody of Greensleeves is thought to be written possibly by King Henry the 8th for his lover Anne Boleyn however some music scholars dispute this as the song structure is more influenced from an Italian compositional style that didn’t reach England shores until well after Henry’s death.
A more salacious interpretation of Greensleeves is that of a promiscuous woman or prostitute. The green sleeves or green gown representing possible sexual intercourse outdoors. (I’m sure most people don’t even think about this when they hear the tune today because so much time has passed since then and the holidays have assigned it a new meaning.)
It wasn’t until 300 years later that this ancient tune was set to the Christmas lyrics of What Child is This?- by William Chatterton Dix and published in 1871. This popular carol centers around the birth of baby Jesus and the wonder of the shepherds as they visit the manger.
Musically the song is in E minor with a haunting and soulful melody.
Listen to Greensleeves/What Child is This? -on Spotify HERE
Listen to Greensleeves/What Child is This? -on Pandora Radio HERE
Listen to Greensleeves/What Child is This? -on Apple Music HERE
Want to learn how to play Greensleeves/What Child is This?- on your piano or keyboard? Sheet Music available HERE
