What Child is This? (Greensleeves)

The poem, “What Child is this?” by the English writer William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898), first appeared in the privately printed pamphlet, “Christmas Carols & Christmas Customs,” circa 1870. The pairing of Dix's poem with the traditional English folk song melody, “Greensleeves,” is thought to have been the work of the English composer, organist, and choirmaster Sir John Stainer (1840-1901), who had written a harmonized setting of the tune. For generations since, it has been one of the best-loved Christmas carols.