Re: One Song to the tune of Another...

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
 Kate Gladstone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> >> certain songs can be sung to the tune of Greensleeves, and the lyrics 
> >> of Greensleeves can likewise be sung to their tunes. The secret, of 
> >> course, is that Greensleeves is in iambic pentameter.
> 
> Hmmm?
> 
> "aLAS, my LOVE, you DO me WRONG ... " -
> Four beats, not five, to each line of the song
> Mean that the syllables follow along
> In iambic tetra- NOT pentameter!

And pretty irregular tetrameter at that; the last line ("and who but 
Lady Greensleeves" in the chorus and the corresponding line in each 
verse) is missing a beat.

The "Greensleeves" tune fits lots of things because it doesn't have a 
strongly deliniated beat, not because its meter matches lots of lyrics 
-- but its meter is a very nice match for "Jabberwocky"!

-- 
Gary McGath         http://www.mcgath.com
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