a challenge to the reader
Turning this music into an ‘Elizabethan Song in Three Parts’ is only a dull but necessary procedure to prepare the ground for the second part of this triplet which is headed: ‘Adults Only’. Before moving on to “The Art of Ralph Vaughan Williams-Part 2”, all puzzle-enthousiasts amongst my audience are invited to explain its title from the structure of O Mistress Mine. Please keep in mind that ‘structure’ is about the poem’s construction; so study the design rather than the text. Which contains several matching words anyway. There is no reward but the challenge of testing your analytic powers on the visual crack in the most tricky crossword from four centuries.
As a preparation, less difficult alternative, or maybe just as a hint, I recommend you to find out what exactly unites the seemingly haphazard selection from Copland’s ten ‘Old American Songs’. You are welcome to post your solution to this problem, but why should you bother? There is no reward.
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Go to part 2 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – back to the previous chapter
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FIVE OLD AMERICAN SONGS; a cycle taken from Aaron Copland
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I
The Boatmen’s dance
Minstrel Song – 1848
High row the boatmen row,
Floatin’ down the river the Ohio.
The boatmen dance, the boatmen sing,
The boatmen up to everything.
And when the boatmen gets on shore,
He spends his cash and works for more.
Then dance the boatmen dance,
O dance all night ‘til broad daylight
And go home with the gals in the mornin’.
High row the boatmen row,
Floatin’ down the river the Ohio.
I went on board the other day
To see what the boatmen had to say.
Then I let my passion loose,
And they cram me in the callaboose.
O dance the boatmen dance,
O dance all night ‘til broad daylight
And go home with the gals in the mornin’.
High row the boatmen row,
Floatin’ down the river the Ohio.
The boatman is a thrifty man,
There’s none can do as the boatman can.
I never see a pretty gal in my life,
But that she was a boatman’s wife.
O dance the boatmen dance,
O dance all night ‘til broad daylight
And go home with the gals in the mornin’.
High row the boatmen row,
Floatin’ down the river the Ohio.
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II
The little horses
lullaby
Hush you bye, don’t you cry,
Go to sleepy little baby.
When you wake, you shall have
All the pretty little horses.
Blacks and bays, dapples and grays,
Coach and sixa little horses.–
Hush you bye, don’t you cry,
Go to sleepy little baby.
When you wake, you’ll have sweet cake
And all the pretty little horses.
A brown and a gray and a black and a bay
Coach and sixa little horses.
Hush you bye, don’t you cry,
Oh you pretty little baby.
Go to sleepy little baby,
Oh you pretty little baby.
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III
Zion’s walls
revivalist song
Come fathers and mothers,
Come sisters and brothers, come.
Join us in singing the praises of Zion.
O fathers don’t you feel determined
To meet within the walls of Zion,
We’ll shout and go round the walls of Zion.
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.IV
At the river
Hymn tune
Shall we gather by the river,
Where bright angelfeet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God.
Yes we’ll gather by the river,
The beautifull, the beautifull river.
Gather with the saints by the river
That flows by the throne of God.
Soon we’ll reach the shining river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease.
Soon our happy harts will quiver
With the melody of peace.
Yes we’ll gather by the river,
The beautifull, the beautifull river.
Gather with the saints by the river
That flows by the throne of God.
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V
Ching-a-ring chaw
Minstrel song
Ching-a-ring-a-ring ching ching,
Hoa ding-a-ding kum larkee,
Ching-a-ring-a-ring ching ching,
Hoa ding kum larkee.
Brothers gather round,
Listen to the story,
‘Bout the promised land,
An’ the promised glory.
You don’ need to fear,
If you have no money,
You don’ need none there,
To buy you milk and honey.
There you’ll ride in style,
Coach with four white horses,
There you’re evenin’ meal,
Has one two three four courses.
Ching-a-ring-a-ring ching ching,
Hoa ding-a-ding kum larkee,
Ching-a-ring-a-ring ching ching,
Hoa ding kum larkee.
Nights we all will dance,
To the harp and fiddle,
Waltz and jigg and prance,
“Cast down on the middle.
“When the mornin’ comes,
All with grand and splendor,
Stand out in the sun,
And hear the holy thunder.
Brothers hear me out,
The Promised Land is comin’,
Dance and sing and shout,
I hear them harps astrummin’.
Ching-a-ring ching ching,
Ching-a-ring ching ching,
Ching-a-ring-a, ching-a-ring-a
Ring ching ching ching chaw.