Choral Music

If I Had a Ribbon Bow

Starting in 2006, I began an effort to improve my music teaching. The first step was to commit to earning a Masters of Education. Fortunately, at that time, there existed a unique, world class Masters in Music Education program at a small, Catholic university in Oakland, California. I enrolled at Holy Names University in 2004 and received my degree in 2006. For a decade after, I remained active in the HNU community, singing in the Chamber Choir and helping to update the technology.

The program focused on the teaching philosophy of Zoltán Kodály, a Hungarian composer with a deep interest in the musical education of children. A significant component of the Kodály “method’ is the use of folk songs in the curriculum. Several times I challenged myself to compose interesting, challenging arrangements of what I thought were interesting, perhaps under-appreciated American folk songs.

“If (Ef…) I Had a Ribbon Bow” was first recorded by Maxine Sullivan, in 1937 the song later covered by Fairport Convention.

My arrangement plays on a minor/major chord that works beautifully with the modal melody. Interestingly, I don’t think the the guest clinician (from Hungary) liked the piece at all. I still remember her shaking her ahead. She was particularly confused by the use of the word “Lord”, which she thought should only be used in a religious context. Following the performance I had quite a few members of the choir approach me to tell me how much they enjoyed the piece.

Variations on Old Joe Clark

The assignment was to compose an arrangement of a well-known folk song. I always liked Old Joe Clark, partly because of the lyrics, but mostly it is the awesome opening notes of the melody. My variations are not meant to be performed as a concert piece. The variations are simply meant to demonstrate what can be done with such cool song. The piece has only been performed once, by a Middle School choir from Palo Alto, California. There is no surviving recording. What I posted in a synthesized version using vocal sounds from EastWest Sounds Composer Cloud.

00:00: THE TUNE I thought is was important to make sure that the listeners could hear the beauty of the song with no distractions. No harmony. Because the tune is centered around a tritone, it sometimes sounds major, and other times Mixolydian. In this first version, it seems mixolydian at first, but amjor in the second half.

00:42: JOE’S WALTZ: A deceptively tricky piece that changes the mode of the song. I secretly hope that someday I will hear the waltz performed by a professional choir.

01:53: THE ANGELS CALL OLD JOE CLARK: There are at least 75 versions of verses to Old Joe Clark. This is one of my favorites. It lent itself so well to the slower tempo and minimal counterpoint. The lyrics place Joe Clark as someone who either enslaved the singer, or kept him in prison. On reflection, I think the “angels” in the variation are too nice for such an evil man.

02:56: A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR JOE: I just had fun writing a hymn based on “A Mighty Fortress is our God.”

03: 57 :SWINGLE: No doubt about it…this may be one the most difficult pieces I have written. It’s not that it’s not singable, it’s just that the choir needs such a level of focus to make it work. So, I only have a synthesized version. Alas… The word “Swingle” refers to the “Swingles” an awesome vocal group formed in 1962.

05:14 :Tragedy: Almost every version of OJC is tragic. While this variation has its share of sadness, it also has a nice touch of redemption.

06:22 Hoedown: I don’t remember where the idea for the hoedown came from, but it sure was a lot of fun to write.