No. 1 - Introduction, Opening Chorus, Song and Madrigal

from "Haddon Hall"
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Words by Sydney Grundy
Sequenced by Colin Johnson

By Arthur Sullivan
Generated by NoteWorthy Composer

[Men:] Ye stately homes of England,
So simple yet so grand;
Long may ye stand and flourish,
Types of our English land!
[Ladies:] Ye stately homes of England,
Such mansions only grew
Where virtue reigned from cot to throne,
And man and wife were true.
[All:] Ye stately homes of England,
Long may your towers stand;
Types of the life of man and wife,
Types of our English land!
Types of the life of man and wife,
Types of our English land!

[Chorus:] Today, it is a festal time!
The bridegroom comes today,
And we are here to sing a rhyme
To speed him on his way.
[Ladies:] Today, our mistress, ever dear,
Doth plight her virgin troth;
[All:] And we are all fore-gathered here
To sing, God bless them both!
Today, it is a festal time!
The bridegroom comes today,
And we are here to sing a rhyme
To speed him on his way.
We are all fore-gathered here
To sing, God bless them both!

[Dorcas:] But midst our jubilation
Comes the echo of a sigh;
Its full signification
Ye will gather by-and-bye.
Now, lend me your attention
While I tell you all a tale,
Anent a dainty dormouse
And an unattractive snail.
[Chorus:] A dainty dormouse!
An unattractive snail!
[Dorcas:] 'Twas a dear little dormouse-
A little mousemaid!
Her papa and mamma
She had always obeyed.
Pit-a-pat went her heart,
And her cheek grew pale,
When commanded to marry
A stupid old snail.
"Oh, father, I cannot!"
"But, daughter, thou must;
For he has a house,
And we haven't a crust!"
The snail he was ugly,
The snail he was black;
But for all that he carried
A house on his back.
Said the wily old dormouse,
"When thou art his bride,
He will lend us his house,
And we'll all live inside!"
[All:] "Oh, father, I cannot!"
"But, daughter, thou must;
For he has a house
And we haven't a crust!"
"For he has a house
And we haven't a crust!"

[Dorcas:] A gallant young squirrel
Sat perched on a tree,
And he thought to himself,
There's a good wife for me!
On the eve of the wedding
He said to the mouse,
"Wilt thou marry a squirrel
Who hasn't a house?"
"Oh, squirrel, I cannot!"
"But, dormouse, thou must,
Her heart to a squirrel
A dormouse may trust."
The squirrel was handsome,
They plighted their vows,
And the squirrel ran off
With the little dormouse.
And I'm sure if you ever
Set eyes on a snail,
You will all sympathize
With the dormouse's wail.
[All:] "Oh, father, I cannot!
Don't tell me I must;
Though he has a house
And we haven't a crust!"
"Though he has a house
And we haven't a crust!"
[Chorus:] But who is the dormouse
And who, who is the snail?

Hail to the Lord of Haddon!
And thee, his silver bride!
And to thy daughter, fairest flower
Of all the country side!

[Girls:] Nor violet, lily,
Nor bluebell we bring,
To garland thy pathway
With fragrance of spring.
No beauty of blossom
That dies in a day
Can speak an affection
That blossoms alway.
And never a chaplet
Our hearts could entwine
Could tell the devotion
That ever is thine.
[All:] In lieu of the lily
And bonny bluebell,
We lay on thine altar,
We lay on thine altar
True love's immortelles.

[Dorothy:] Dear playmates of childhood,
Right welcome are you!
More fragrant than lily
A love that is true.
[Lady Vernon]: Like flower amaranthine
Whose blossoms ne'er fade,
It blooms in the sunshine
And blooms in the shade.
[Both:] Right welcome are you,
welcome, welcome are you.
[Chorus:] In lieu of the lily
And bonny bluebell,
We lay on thine altar
True love's immortelles.
[Sir George, Lady Vernon & Dorothy:] Oh, welcome!
[Chorus:] Nor violet,
[Sir George, Lady Vernon & Dorothy:] Oh, welcome!
[Chorus:] nor lily,
[Sir George, Lady Vernon & Dorothy:] Oh, welcome!
[Chorus:] But lay on thine altar
True love's immortelles.

[Sir George:] Welcome, I bid ye welcome, one and all!
Let youth and beauty keep their merry May;
For all too soon the leaves of autumn fall,
And evening shadows quench the laughing day.

When the budding bloom of May
Paints the hedgerows red and white,
Gather then your garlands gay;
Earth was made for man's delight!
[Lady Vernon:] May is playtime-
[Dorothy:] June is hay time-
[Sir George:] Seize the day time-
[All three:] Fa la la!
Carol now the birds of spring!
Let our hearts in chorus sing!
[Chorus:] Ere the golden day is pale,
Dawns the silver orb of light;
Sweetly trills the nightingale,
"Earth was made for man's delight!"
Fa la la la!
Fa la la la la la la la!
Fa la la la!
"Earth was made for man's delight!"

[Sir George:] When the leaves of autumn sigh,
"Nearer death and further birth!"
Time enough for hearts to cry,
"Man was only made for earth!"
[Lady Vernon:] Youth is pleasant-
[Dorothy:] Grasp the present-
[Sir George:] Moons are crescent-
[All three:] Fa la la!
Time enough for hearts to sigh!
Now the noonday sun is high!
[Chorus:] Day in cloth of gold is gay,
Robe of silver wears the night;
All creation seems to say,
"Earth was made for man's delight!"
Fa la la la!
Fa la la la la la la la!
Fa la la la!
"Earth was made for man's delight!"

Karaoke version compiled by Colin Johnson

Introduction
Soft karaoke
Words
Dorcas
Dorothy
Lady Vernon
Sir George
Sopranos
Contraltos
Tenors
Basses
Right Hand
Left Hand
Karaoke Track