Blithe Bells

A free ramble by Percy Grainger on Bach's aria "Sheep may graze in safety when a goodly shepherd watches o'er them" (from the Secular Cantata "Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd"). The ramble is coloured by the thought that Bach, in writing the melody in thirds that opens and closes the number, may have aimed at giving a hint of the sound of sheep bells.