In this video, Brendan Hogan (Musiah Inventor) plays Greensleeves (Part 1 of 2). This particular piece is Lesson #116 on the Musiah Piano Syllabus.
This piece is a well-known folk tune, though some people believe it was originally composed by King Henry VIII of England (the one who bumped off several of his wives).
While there is much scholarly debate on whether Greensleeves was or was not written by Henry VIII, it is interesting that there is relatively little about the origin of the title, “Greensleeves”.
As an Irishman, Brendan’s personal theory is that it is derived in part from the Gaelic word “Sliabh” (pronounced Slee-av) which means ‘mountain’. So "Greensleeves" could refer to green mountains.
The main challenge this piece presents for students is that it is fairly quick and the hands move around quite a bit.
Note: Brendan has posted a number of videos like this one to demonstrate some of the more advanced pieces on the Musiah syllabus. In the future, these videos will gradually be replaced by student videos as more videos from advanced students are received.
