How stands the glass around? - Anonymous

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"A favourite song of General Wolfe, allegedly sung by him at Québec the night before his death. But the legend relies on an inexact reading of the description in Krifft's "Siege of Québec, a sonata" (c. 1797): "A favorite song of General Wolfe's & sung the evening before the engagement wherein he was killed". The present harmonization is that of Krifft, who completed "The siege of Quebec" after the majority had been composed by Kotzwara, before his untimely death from erotic asphyxiation (Kotwara's "Battle of Prague" was a favourite of Jane Austen). The song appears first in a ballad opera of 1729 called "The Patron" (I have not seen this source) and bears more than a passing resemblance to an Act Tune by Jeremiah Clarke associated with the play "A wife for any man", 1696."

◈ Genre / Form → Glees

♯ Key G minor

⁄ Time Signature 4/4

♬ Voicing → SSSAB

◆ Difficulty

Elementary

↕ Range B-2 – G5

¶ Language → English

Measures 21

Texture mixed texture

Parts 5

Instruments SSSAB

Pages 1

CPDL # 47589

Editor Andrew Sims

Posted 2017-11-20

License CPDL License

♫Pitch Ranges

D4 – G5

A3 – D5

B-2 – D4

¶Lyrics / Text

:::''1.'' :How stands the glass around? :For shame ye take no care, my boys! :How stands the glass around? :Let mirth and wine abound. :The trumpets sound, :the colours they are flying boys :To fight, kill or wound. :May we still be found, :Content with our hard fare, my boys, :On the cold, cold ground. :::''2.'' :Why, soldiers, why, :Should we be melancholy, boys? :Why, soldiers, why? :Whose business is to die! :What sighing? Fie! :Damn fear, drink on, be jolly, boys. :'Tis he, you or I. :Cold, hot, wet or dry, :We're always bound to follow, boys, :And scorn to fly. :::''3.'' :'Tis but in vain, :(I mean not to upbraid you, boys), :'Tis but in vain :For soldiers to complain. :Should next campaign :Send us to Him who made us, boys, :We're free from pain. :But should we remain, :A bottle and kind landlady :Cures all again.

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