Small Lemon Tree for SATB and Strings

Small Lemon Tree is a folk song from Epirus, a small, mountainous province in northwestern Greece. The title, "Small Lemon Tree", has a symbolic meaning, for, as the juice of the lemon is sour, so is the love of the one portrayed in the song. A simple emotional appeal is achieved through the simplest of musical means—a melody of only four pitches, constantly repeated. Greek folk songs are traditionally accompanied by violin, clarinet, and lute.