The Sprig of Thyme – A Suite of Traditional Folk Songs

• The Bold Grenadier – English
• The Keel Row – Northumbrian
• The Willow Tree – Hampshire
• The Sprig of Thyme – Lincolnshire
• Down by the Sally Gardens – Irish
• The Cuckoo – English
• I Know Where I'm Going – Irish
• Willow Song – English
• O Can Ye Sew Cushions? – English
• The Miller of Dee – English
• Afton Water – Scottish/Burns

John Rutter's The Sprig of Thyme brings together eleven traditional songs in a sequence that moves effortlessly between humour, romance, nostalgia and melancholy. Rather than treating the melodies as museum pieces, Rutter gives them new life through richly coloured choral settings and an accompaniment that can range from piano to chamber orchestra.

The collection opens with The Bold Grenadier, a vigorous English song with a distinctly military character, before moving into The Keel Row, a lively Northumbrian song associated with the keel boats that carried coal along the River Tyne. The mood then becomes more reflective with The Willow Tree, a Hampshire song of separation and longing.

The title song, The Sprig of Thyme, is an English love song in which the herb becomes a poignant symbol of love and remembrance. It is followed by Down by the Sally Gardens, the familiar Irish song whose words derive from the poetry of W. B. Yeats. Rutter's setting allows the melody's wistful character to emerge with particular clarity.

The central part of the suite introduces contrasting colours and characters. The Cuckoo brings a lighter, more playful quality, while I Know Where I'm Going offers one of the collection's most memorable expressions of steadfast love. Willow Song returns to a darker and more haunting atmosphere, before O Can Ye Sew Cushions provides a tender lullaby-like interlude.

The final two songs broaden the emotional range once again. The Miller of Dee is full of good humour and carefree energy, while Afton Water, the setting of Robert Burns's famous text, brings the cycle to a gentle and lyrical conclusion.

One of the pleasures of The Sprig of Thyme is the way Rutter allows each melody to retain its individual identity. There is no attempt to disguise the folk origins of the material. Instead, he surrounds familiar tunes with imaginative harmonies, changing textures and instrumental colours. Sometimes the accompaniment comments on the words; at other times it simply provides an atmospheric backdrop for the voices.

The result is both accessible and sophisticated: music that can be enjoyed immediately for its beautiful melodies and vibrant colours, while rewarding closer listening to Rutter's craft as an arranger. The suite is also a celebration of a musical tradition that was already becoming increasingly distant from everyday life when Rutter assembled these settings. His treatment of these songs gives them a fresh contemporary voice while preserving their distinctive character.

The changing character of the folk melodies Listen to how dramatically the atmosphere changes from one song to the next – from the swagger of The Bold Grenadier and The Miller of Dee to the tenderness of O Can Ye Sew Cushions?

Rutter's choral textures Notice how Rutter varies the relationship between the vocal parts. Sometimes the melody is presented clearly and directly; elsewhere, individual voices weave around one another to create a richer texture.

The instrumental colours The accompaniment is much more than a background. Woodwind, harp and strings add distinctive colours and frequently underline the character of individual songs. Rutter's published orchestration includes flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, harp and strings.

Words and music working together Listen for moments where the accompaniment reflects the meaning or mood of the words – particularly in songs dealing with love, separation, memory and loss.

The contrast between simplicity and sophistication Many of the melodies sound wonderfully straightforward. Listen beneath that apparent simplicity to Rutter's harmonic choices and the subtle changes of texture that give each setting its character.