Tears Idle Tears From 'Songs From The Princess'

The intertwining of women’s voices in Gustav Holst’s Tears, Idle Tears will lend an elevated atmosphere to any performance, giving this secular piece an almost sacred character. It was written for a cappella female chorus (SSAA) in 1905 as the 3rd movement of the 5-movement suite ‘Songs From The Princess’, which was based on 5 thematic short poem’s from the British poet Tennyson’s long narrative poem, ‘The Princess’ (1847). Performance time is approximately 2 minutes.

As an experienced instrumentalist and orchestra member, English composer, arranger and teacher Gustav Holst understood music from the standpoint of his players and madesure that, however challenging, their parts were always practicable – a compositional characteristic still well received and appreciated by performers and audiences today.