Farewell, Nancy

A melancholy song of parting, as a sailor about to set sail around the world says goodbye to his sweetheart. She offers to accompany him on his voyage,dressing up as a ‘little seaboy’, but the sailor – knowing the harsh conditions at sea – gently but unequivocally refuses. He promises her that they will bereunited upon his return in the spring. The melody is written in the natural minor scale starting on E, also known as E aeolian mode.

Selected from Folk Roots for Violin. In this and timeless collection, Hywel Davies presents fresh arrangements of traditional British folk tunes as well as complementary, folk-inspired compositions of his own.