[Everyone]1 suddenly burst out singing;
And I was filed with such delight
As prisoned birds must find in freedom,
Winging wildly across the white 
Orchards and dark-green fields; on -- on -- and out of sight.

Everyone's voice was suddenly lifted;
And beauty came like the setting sun:
My heart was shaken with tears; and horror 
Drifted away. ... O but Everyone 
Was a bird; and the song was wordless; the [singing]2 will never be done.

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View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Dougherty, Wells: "ev'ryone", throughout
² Dougherty: "song"

Text Authorship:

• by Siegfried Lorraine Sassoon (1886 - 1967), "Everyone sang", appears in Picture-Show, no. 34, first published 1919 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Joel Balzun (b. 1990), "Everyone was a bird", 2017/2019 [ TTBB chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Celius Dougherty (1902 - 1986), "Everyone sang", 1948 [ voice and piano ], G. Schirmer/Hal Leonard [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Clara Edwards (1887 - 1974), "Everyone sang", published <<1940 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "Everyone sang" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by William Henry Harris, Sir (1883 - 1973), "Everyone sang", published 1938 [ tenor, SA chorus, and orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Jake Heggie (b. 1961), "Everyone sang", 1998 [ baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Herbert Horrocks , "Everyone sang", published 1955 [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Craig Sellar Lang (1891? - 1971), "Everyone suddenly burst out singing", published 1936 [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Beatrice Laufer (b. 1922), "Everyone sang", published 1925 [ SATB chorus a cappella? ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Leonard Rafter (1912 - 1964), "Everyone sang", published c1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Keith Roberts , "Everyone sang" [ women's chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Jasper Rooper (1898 - ?), "Everyone sang" [ SATB chorus, string quartet, and double flute or double piccolo ], from Bird Songs and Lovers [sung text not yet checked]
• by Cyril Bradley Rootham (1875 - 1938), "Everyone sang", published 1920 [ high voice and piano ], from Three Song-Pictures [sung text not yet checked]
• by Paul Siskind , "Everyone suddenly burst out singing", 1995 [ mixed chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Rick Sowash (b. 1950), "Everyone sang", 1976 [ SSATB chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Greta Tomlins (1912 - 1972), "Everyone sang", published 1959 [ SATB chorus a cappella (or with piano) ], from Song of Happiness [sung text not yet checked]
• by May Sabeston Walker , "Everyone sang", published c1939 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Howard Wells , "Everyone sang", published 1967 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Dorothy Isabel Williams (b. 1912), "Everyone sang", 1963 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Peter Willsher , "Everyone suddenly burst out singing", 1976 [ SATB chorus ], Boosey & Hawkes [sung text not yet checked]

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 73