Benjamin Britten - W.B. Yeats - Down by the Salley Gardens: 3 Clear & Legible Scores
"Down by the Salley Gardens" is a traditional Irish folk song based on a poem by W.B. Yeats.
The melody is often associated with the old air "The Maids of Mourne Shore."
This version likely represents a modern arrangement.
Britten's "Down by the Salley Gardens" is a lyrical art song for voice and piano,
part of his 1943 cycle "Folksong Arrangements". It adapts the Irish traditional melody
associated with Yeats' poem about lost love and regret, blending folk simplicity with
Britten's characteristic harmonic subtlety.
This beloved air combines a traditional Irish melody with lyrics adapted from W.B. Yeats' 1889 poem "The Song of Wandering Aengus", creating a haunting meditation on lost love. The "Salley Gardens" refer to willow trees (saileach in Irish) commonly found near waterways.
Based on a poem by W.B. Yeats "The Sally Gardens", this folk song became popular through oral tradition in Ireland.
Traditional Irish air paired with Yeats' 1889 poem about lost love and youthful wisdom, later popularized in folk revival movements.
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