Green Ways is a set of three short atmospheric piano works composed by John Ireland in 1937; the individual titles are The Cherry Tree, Cypress and The Palm and May. They were written when the composer was 57, and are among the last pieces he wrote for piano. Green Ways sets out to depict in music quotations from A. E. Housman (with whom he had a close affinity), William Shakespeare and Thomas Nashe, and is full of typical Ireland lyricism and flowing harmonies. The Cherry Tree The Cherry Tree is prefixed with the last stanza from Loveliest of Trees, the second poem in the collection A Shropshire Lad (1896) by A. E. Housman: And since to look at things in bloom Fifty springs are little room, About the woodlands I will go To see the cherry hung with snow. The piece is very rich in colour and tone and is in a very resonant D major all the way through, except for the central section that is not key-signatured. The tempo marking is = 120, though it is common practice to slow this down to 104108, allowing a more comfortable ride but losing none of the richness. The notes lie comfortably under the hands (a common characteristic with much of Ireland's piano works - for example, his Piano Concerto in E-flat major is an ideal work for the gifted pianist with smaller hands) once one becomes used to the colourful harmonies. This is a popular piece among pianists due to the opportunities to show a personal response to the music. Good legato fingering and confident flutter pedalling is required to bring out the tones, and a good balance between the voices must be adhered to. The piece carries a dedication to Herbert S. Brown and appeared in the 1999-2000 Associated Board Grade 8 syllabus for the piano. Cypress Cypress is prefixed with the following line from Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, sung by the Clown in Duke Orsino's palace (Act II, Scene IV): Come away, come away, death, And in sad cypress let me be laid. The main motif for this work is the soft mournful notes in the left hand and the start and the end. Over this, a light chanting can be heard that is reminiscent of a funeral song or lament. The piece reaches a climax in the middle with rising and descending chromatics played between a