| The Blue Bird | |
|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:The_Blue_Bird_page_1.jpg) First page of The Blue Bird | |
| Opus | 119, No. 3 |
| Form | Partsong |
| Text | poem by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge |
| Melody | Charles Villiers Stanford |
| Composed | 1910 |
| Publisher | Stainer & Bell |
| Scoring | SAATB |
The Blue Bird is a partsong (Op. 119 No. 3) composed by Charles Villiers Stanford in 1910. It is set to the words of L'Oiseau Bleu, a poem by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge, which depicts a bluebird in flight over a lake. It is written for SAATB choir: soprano, divided altos, tenor and bass. "The Blue Bird" is the third of Stanford's Eight Part Songs which are all settings of texts by Coleridge. It was widely performed by choral societies in England during Stanford's life and is considered one of the best English partsongs ever written. It has been recorded by ensembles including The Cambridge Singers, Oxford Camerata, Tenebrae, and the Gabrieli Consort.