This well-known concert hall arrangement of Fantasia on Greensleeves appeared five years after the premiere of Vaughan Williams' Shakespearean opera Sir John in Love, wherein the short piece served as an entr'acte. Greaves' arrangement for strings, harp and two flutes expanded the intermezzo by adding a middle section based on the Norfolk folk song "Lovely Joan," which Vaughan Williams had collected in 1908 and which he used elsewhere in the 1929 opera. A wistful descending cadence from solo flute with harp arpeggio introduces the well-known melody, with strummed chords from the harp, suggesting a lute accompaniment, and high strings tremolando above the tune. In the middle section, the two flutes play an intertwining duet on "Lovely Joan" before the return of Greensleeves. A shimmering cadence from the strings and harp brings the work to a glowing conclusion.



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