VIOLIN BEGINNER MUSIC

FOLK MUSIC FOR THE VIOLIN LEARNER

Halamus Publishing - Archived Articles - #22, January, 2004

HomeHalamus Publishing Home Page Violin Music Books"Folksongs for the Violin", Parts 1-4 Music Theory Books"The Violinist's Theory Notebook" Parts 1-2 NewsletterSubscribe to our Free Monthly Newsletter on Aspects of Folk Music ArchiveNewsletter Archive for Back Copies of the Newsletter OrderGo Here to Order your Book/s, and select your method of payment Links and StockistsVisit a few other interesting Websites DownloadsDownload FREE Wallcharts FAQFrequently Asked Questions Site MapAn easy to follow map of the Halamus Publishing Website

FOLK MUSIC VIOLIN

The Articles from the Monthly Newsletters

Written by

M. Lesley Halamek

January, 2004:–

Cumulative Songs

Two very well-known cumulative songs are:

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" (Partridge in a Pear Tree), and

"I'll Sing Thee One Ho" (Green Grow the Rushes Ho).

Both were devised as coded messages to the faithful, at times of different religious persecutions in England, in centuries past.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was a code for the Catholic liturgy, and
"I'll Sing Thee One Ho" was a code for Puritan worship.

However... Neither of these songs is featured this month.

January is summer holiday month in Australia, and anyway, the weather here is usually too hot and steamy for anything but frivolity...

...This month we visit the Farmyard...for ONE cumulative song, and two songs where the singers are virtually free to add as many verses as they wish, on the same theme.

Q: What is a Cumulative Song?

A: A Cumulative Song is a song which accumulates additional information with each verse, so that each verse includes the contents of the previous verse, added on to the new content.

SONGS:

"Old MacDonald Had A Farm" – a universal favourite

"The Barnyard Song" – USA (Kentucky), and

"The Farmyard" – England

The Traditional Melodies "Old MacDonald Had A Farm",
"The Barnyard Song" (Kentucky), and "The Farmyard" (England)
are on
Page 23, Part 1: 'Discovering the Violin',
Page 43, Part 2: 'The Violin in Major Keys', and
Page 5, Part 3: 'Third Position, Modes, and Pentatones' (respectively) of

"Folksongs for the Violin"
(A Graded Selection of Melodies for Beginners of All Ages).

Details on the MUSIC PAGE

Old MacDonald Had A Farm

I remember an old Disney cartoon, where Donald Duck's nephews were at an International Scout Jamboree, and round the campfire they all sang 'Old MacDonald had a Farm', in unison, and each in his own language.

Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o
And on his farm he had a cow
Ee i ee i oh
With a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there
Here a moo, there a moo
Everywhere a moo-moo
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o

Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o
And on his farm he had some sheep
Ee i ee i o
With a baa-baa here and a baa-baa there
Here a baa, there a baa
Everywhere a baa-baa
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o

Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o
And on his farm he had a pig
Ee i ee i o
With an oink-oink here and an oink-oink there
Here an oink, there an oink
Everywhere an oink-oink
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o

Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o
And on his farm he had a dog
Ee i ee i oh
With a woof-woof here and a woof-woof there
Here a woof, there a woof
Everywhere a woof-woof
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o

Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o
And on his farm he had a cat
Ee i ee i oh
With a meow-meow here and a meow-meow there
Here a meow, there a meow
Everywhere a meow-meow
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o

Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o
And on his farm he had a donkey
Ee i ee i oh
With a hee-haw here and a hee-haw there
Here a hee, there a haw
Everywhere a hee-haw
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o

Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o
And on his farm he had some hens
Ee i ee i o
With a cluck-cluck here and a cluck-cluck there
Here a cluck, there a cluck
Everywhere a cluck-cluck
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o

Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o
And on his farm he had some ducks
Ee i ee i o
With a quack-quack here and a quack-quack there
Here a quack, there a quack
Everywhere a quack-quack
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o

Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o
And on his farm he had some turkeys
Ee i ee i o
With a gobble-gobble here and a gobble-gobble there
Here a gobble, there a gobble
Everywhere a gobble-gobble
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o

etc.

This traditional song from Kentucky is very well-known, because Aaron Copeland (1900-1990) made an arrangement of it in his "Old American Songs".

The Barnyard Song

Children's nonsense song

I bought me a cat
My cat pleased me
I fed my cat under yonder tree
My cat says fiddle eye fee.

I bought me a duck
My duck pleased me
I fed my duck under yonder tree
My duck says "Quaa, quaa"
My cat says fiddle eye fee.

I bought me a goose
My goose pleased me
I fed my goose under yonder tree
My goose says "Quaw, quaw"
My duck says "Quaa, quaa"
My cat says fiddle eye fee.

I bought me a hen
My hen pleased me
I fed my hen under yonder tree
My hen says "Shinny shack, shimmy shack"
My goose says "Quaw, quaw"
My duck says "Quaa, quaa"
My cat says fiddle eye fee.

I bought me a pig
My pig pleased me
I fed my pig under yonder tree
My pig says "Griffey, griffey"
My hen says "Shinny shack, shimmy shack"
My goose says "Quaw, quaw"
My duck says "Quaa, quaa"
My cat says fiddle eye fee.

I bought me a cow
My cow pleased me
I fed my cow under yonder tree
My cow says "Baw, baw"
My pig says "Griffey, griffey"
My hen says "Shinny shack, shimmy shack"
My goose says "Quaw, quaw"
My duck says "Quaa, quaa"
My cat says fiddle eye fee.

I bought me a horse
My horse pleased me
I fed my horse under yonder tree
My horse says "Neigh, Neigh"
My cow says "Baw, baw"
My pig says "Griffey, griffey"
My hen says "Shinny shack, shimmy shack"
My goose says "Quaw, quaw"
My duck says "Quaa, quaa"
My cat says fiddle eye fee.

I bought me a wife
My wife pleased me
I fed my wife under yonder tree
My wife says "Honey, honey"
My horse says "Neigh, Neigh"
My cow says "Baw, baw"
My pig says "Griffey, griffey"
My hen says "Shinny shack, shimmy shack"
My goose says "Quaw, quaw"
My duck says "Quaa, quaa"
My cat says fiddle eye fee.

The Farmyard

This song I remember from my own schooldays, in the dim, distant past...

1. Up was I on my father's farm
on a May-day morning early,
Feeding of my father's cows
on a May-day morning early;
With a moo, moo here and a moo, moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo, here a pretty moo.
Six pretty maids come and gang along o' me
To the merry green fields and the Farmyard.

2. Up was I on my father's farm
on a May-day morning early,
Feeding of my father's goats
on a May-day morning early;
With a nan, nan here and a nan, nan there,
Here a nan, there a nan, here a pretty nan.
Six pretty maids come and gang along o' me
To the merry green fields and the Farmyard.

3. Up was I on my father's farm
on a May-day morning early,
Feeding of my father's sheep
on a May-day morning early;
With a baa, baa here and a baa, baa there,
Here a baa, there a baa, here a pretty baa.
Six pretty maids come and gang along o' me
To the merry green fields and the Farmyard.

4. Up was I on my father's farm
on a May-day morning early,
Feeding of my father's hens
on a May-day morning early;
With a cluck, cluck here and a cluck, cluck there,
Here a cluck, there a cluck, here a pretty cluck.
Six pretty maids come and gang along o' me
To the merry green fields and the Farmyard.

5. Up was I on my father's farm
on a May-day morning early,
Feeding of my father's pigs
on a May-day morning early;
With a grunt, grunt here and a grunt, grunt there,
Here a grunt, there a grunt, here a pretty grunt.
Six pretty maids come and gang along o' me
To the merry green fields and the Farmyard.

6. Up was I on my father's farm
on a May-day morning early,
Feeding of my father's ducks
on a May-day morning early;
With a quack, quack here and a quack, quack there,
Here a quack, there a quack, here a pretty quack.
Six pretty maids come and gang along o' me
To the merry green fields and the Farmyard.

Return to ARCHIVE

Read More Archived Articles HERE

Halamus Publishing
(ABN 66 307 146 656)
P.O.Box 286, Kenthurst,
NSW, 2156 AUSTRALIA
Phone: (02) 9654 9013
(+612 9654 9013)
Fax: (02) 9654 8413;
Email: Halamus Publishing

Home | Violin Music Books | Music Theory Books | Newsletter | Order

Links and Stockists | FAQ | Newsletter Archive

Graphics by: http://www.linkwaregraphics.com/music/

View Shopping Cart / Checkout

CCNow logo

Order With
Credit Card

Order Without
a Credit Card

Website by Halamus Publishing.