Cecilia McDowall - A Fancy of Folksongs

This delightful choral work brings together arrangements of four well-loved folksongs: 'Green Bushes', 'The Rambling Sailor', 'The Crystal Spring', and 'O, No John!'. A joyful celebration of youthful love and courtship, A Fancy of Folksongs bears all the hallmarks of Cecilia McDowall's appealing and popular style: rhythmic vitality, occasional astringent harmonies, and strong melodies, all brought together to create a distinctive and fresh sound. A Fancy of Folksongs can be accompanied by piano or harp (harp part available separately), and it is sure to be an instant hit with all lovers of McDowall's music. Vocal scores and harp part are available on sale and on hire/rental.

Contents 1. Green Bushes

Contents 1. Green Bushes (mixed voices) 5 2. The Rambling Sailor (male voices) 16 3. The Crystal Spring (upper voices) 21 4. O No, John! (mixed voices) 25 Instrumentation The accompaniment of this work exists in two versions: 1. For piano The piano accompaniment is provided in the vocal score. 2. For harp The harp accompaniment is available to purchase separately from the publisher (978-0-19-336875-0). Composer’s note George Vass, conductor of the City of Canterbury Chamber Choir, suggested that I write a suite of English folksong arrangements for mixed voices, and I selected these four delightful songs because each one, in its own way, offered a joyful celebration of youthful love. The theme of love and courtship is at the heart of A Fancy of Folksongs, and I wanted the title to reflect this. In the world of folksong the word ‘fancy’ features frequently in the vocabulary of young lovers. For me, it calls to mind Elizabethan times, when courtship rituals were the fashion, and when the Fancy (or Fantasy) was a popular musical form. I originally wrote A Fancy of Folksongs for SATB and harp, but I have now revised it so that it may also be performed with piano accompaniment. A Fancy of Folksongs was first performed in July 2003 by the City of Canterbury Chamber Choir with Sally Pryce (harp), conducted by George Vass. It has been recorded on Dutton Epoch CDLX 7146. Duration: c.12 minutes

AFancyofFolksongs 1.GreenBushes trad.English arr.CECILIAMcDOWALL PIANO Andante grazioso h. = 54 mf espress. con Ped. f 8 S. mf As I was a - walk - ing one morn - ing in spring, For to hear the birds A. T./B. mf As unis. mf As mf I I was was a a - walk - ing one - walk - ing one morn - ing in spring, morn - ing in spring, For to For to hear hear the the birds birds 14 whis - tle and the night - in - gales sing, for online perusal only sing. whis - tle and the night - in - gales sing. whis - tle. SEMI-CHORUS or SOLO f nonchalant *(whistle) f *Alternatively,thiscouldbeplayedonarecorder. ©GeminiPublications2004,assignedtoOxfordUniversityPress2010 OXFORDUNIVERSITYPRESS,MUSICDEPARTMENT,GREATCLARENDONSTREET,OXFORDOX26DP TheMoralRightsoftheArrangerhavebeenasserted.PhotocopyingthiscopyrightmaterialisILLEGAL. PrintedinGreatBritain