Page from score of "Woodman! Spare That Tree!"
“Woodman! Spare That Tree!" is a parlor song for voice and piano in F major and has a modified strophic form due to the different ending at the conclusion of the third verse. The work is in 4/4 time and is marked as “quasi legato” and andante. The piano accompaniment utilizes a series of triplet figures in order to create a 12/8 feeling. At the end of the final verse, eighth notes and quarter rests are used as dramatic additions such as in measures 23-26. This deviation from the previous pattern creates rhythmic instability, which helps to build intensity.
The vocal line begins with a lilting, dotted rhythm while the subsequent phrase uses a quarter note followed by straight eighth notes. This melody is paired with a primarily syllabic text setting. The melody is primarily conjunct with disjunct motion occurring near the ends of phrases and at dramatic moments in the text. An example of this can be found in the first system of page 5. At the words “Axe shall harm”, the previously conjunct motion suddenly becomes disjunct when the melody jumps from an F, down to a C, and then up to an A.