Simply Sung

Simply Sung
-temporarily out of print as of Feb '06

Folk Songs Arranged in Three Parts for Young Singers

Contents

Wade in the Water (Spiritual)

3

My Good Old Man (American Folk Song)

6

Kol Dodi (Sara Levi Tanai)

8

There's a little wheel a-turnin' in my heart (Spiritual)

10

Dodi Li (Hebrew Melody)

12

Shoo Fly (American Folk Song)

13

Shenandoah (American Shanty)

14

The Ole Ark's a- moverin' (spiritual)

16

Shine like a star in the morning (spiritual)

18

The Boll Weevil

20

My Good Old Man is taken from 150 American Folksongs by P. Erdei and K Kom1os. Copyright 1974 by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., Reprinted by permission.

Preface

The arrangements in this collection are intended to provide materials through which young singers can develop vocal independence, or the ability to maintain a vocal part in a texture of two or more voices without the aid of an instrument There seems to be a gap between the skills developed in singing rounds, canons or partner songs and the demands of holding an inner part These arrangements employ techniques which I have used with children in an attempt to bridge this developmental gap. They can provide alternatives to singing rounds in preparing part-singing, but I hope they will also assist teachers in meeting the special needs of those individuals who do not succeed readily in part-singing.

While these pieces can be presented in any order, they are arranged in a sequence which is suggested to be hierarchical in terms of the techniques employed and the skills required. In general, they move from polyphonic toward homophonic textures, and from unisons, octaves and fifths toward tertian harmonies. They are suggested for the music classroom and for beginning treble choirs. The range of the lower voice is narrow enough to accommodate the limitations of a boy's changing voice and children who have had minimal vocal experience.

While instrumental accompaniments enhance the musical experiences in choirs and classrooms, especially if the children are playing the instruments as they do in Orff-Schulwerk, no program should be without unaccompanied vocal experiences. By exposing children to independent unison and part-singing without instruments they will discover their own voices as a means of joyful music-making which will be with them for life.

Mary Goetze
December, 1981,
Bloomington, Indiana.

'Simply Sung' is a collection of a cappella arrangements for classroom use through which young singers can develop the ability to maintain a vocal part in a texture of two or more voices. Suitable for the classroom and for beginning treble choirs.

Mary Goetze is Professor of Music at the Indiana University School of Music where she teacher music education courses and directs an ensemble that specializes in the recreation of vocal music from outside the Western art tradition. Her professional interests are multicultural music education, children's choirs and children's vocal development. She is active as a composer, arranger, conductor and workshop clinician.

About the Supplements to Music For Children

In his speech given at the opening of the Orff Institute in Salzburg on 25 October 1963, Carl Orff said: 'Every phase of Schulwerk will always provide stimulation for new independent growth, therefore it is never conclusive and settled, but always developing, always growing, always flowing.' This ongoing evolution is demonstrated through all Orff-Schulwerk publications by Schott since the initial Musik für Kinder volumes, with the American Edition reflecting the development of Orff-Schulwerk in the United States. The American Edition Volumes 1-3 contain a wide variety of materials that represent the ideas of many Schulwerk teachers. The supplements to the American Edition focus on singular topics or themes, and provide more thorough coverage of subjects relevant to music and movement education in the United States.

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