Rhyme Time
Recalling one’s childhood days
Program Notes
While looking through music and trying to decide what might be appropriate themes for our March and May concerts, I came across a number of pieces with nursery rhymes as lyrics. The more I looked the more I found; in fact, more than I could use in one concert. From those, I found adequate music for a concert that would be totally different from the first two of the season. This music will allow concert goers to release their ”inner child” and be sent back to their own childhoods when many of these lyrics would have been commonplace. It is also a chance for concert goers to bring their young children or their grandchildren. Above all, I wanted this concert to be fun – fun for the singers and fun for the audience.
A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term date only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. From the mid-16th century nursery rhymes began to be recorded in English plays, and most popular rhymes dates from the 17th and 18th centuries. The first English collections, Tommy Thumb’s Song Book and a sequel, Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book, were published by Mary Cooper in 1744. Later Thomas Carnan used the term Mother Goose for nursery rhymes and in 1780 published a compilation called Mother Goose’s Melody or Sonnets for the Cradle. Thirty days hath September and Pat-a-cake are two of the oldest known nursery rhymes.
Not all the pieces in this concert fall into what we would call nursery rhymes. Some, which are usually longer, relate more to later childhood and are more poems than rhymes.
James Hawn, Artistic Director
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Five Nursery Rhymes by Ralph Hunter includes Humpty Dumpty, Little Bo-Peep, Little Jack Horner, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and Old King Cole. Each one is very short and has its own distinctive style. Four of the five have piano accompaniment.
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Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary by David Heck, Jr. uses a gentle rolling beat to convey the gentleness of Mary and the peacefulness of her garden. After each verse the words “silver bells” and “cockle shells” begin a refrain with each of the four voices entering one after the other. The refrain becomes a bit more elaborate as the piece proceeds.
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Two for the Price of One arranged by Andrew Carter is just that – a conflation of two folk-songs: There Was an Old Man and This Old Man. Initially the two tunes are both sung individually, but then are pitted one against the other in various combinations throughout the rest of the piece.
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Five Childhood Lyrics is a choral composition by John Rutter, who sets five texts, poems and nursery rhymes, for four vocal parts. Rutter composed the work for the London Concord Singers who first performed them in 1973.
The first song is based on Monday’s Child, a fortune-telling song and nursery rhyme and has a tranquil and peaceful quality about it.
The text of the second song is The Owl and the Pussycat, a nonsense-poem by Edward Lear that was published in 1871. This piece is fast and alternates the text among the voices, often with ahs accompanying a melodic line. The whole feel of the piece is one of lightness and fleetfulness. Listen for the women’s voices as they soar over the men’s voices with the beginning of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March.
The third song is based on a Robert Louis Stevenson poem called Windy Nights. With alternating rhythms there is a constant “gallop, gallop, galloping about” throughout the piece; in fact, there are only 13 bars that do not have this rhythmic motif.
The text for fourth song is Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, a nursery rhyme and evening prayer. The whole piece has a prayerful quality to it. The text is primarily sung by a solo voice while the four vocal parts accompany with a hum.
The fifth song uses the nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence. There is a catchy rhythmic phrase that underscores most of what happens in this piece. It is sung at breakneck speed and brings the whole set to a rollicking conclusion.
These five pieces are a kind of homage to the world of children. Rutter says that he chose rhymes and verses that he remembered from his childhood. This set has been described as “delightful compositions” with “the energy and sharp-witted invention that characterize these youthful pieces.”
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Craig Carnahan has chosen songs from The Wind in the Willows and composed a set of pieces called Toadlibet. These three pieces are for SSA and piano. The three are Incredible Mister Toad, Duck’s Ditty, and Toad’s Last Little Song. These are delightful playful pieces. Listen for snippets of familiar old tunes that are sprinkled throughout.
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Bo-Peep, arranged by Ward Gardner, is based on a traditional air and a fugue by Pachelbel. The short rhyme is first presented homophonically by the four voices. That is followed by the text sung in fugal form, starting with the sopranos, then the altos, then the tenors and finally the basses. After that the theme jumps from voice to voice and ends with a series of “baa”s.
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Jabberwocky first appeared in Through the Looking Glass (1871), the sequel to Alice in Wonderland.
“It was written by Charles Dodgson under his famous pseudonym, Lewis Carroll. The ultimate satire of heroic narrative poetry in English literature, it foreshadows a major trend in 20th century writing in its eerie and evocative use of nonsense words. This setting emphasizes the mock-heroic aspects of the poem, and it is a parody on the musical devices and attitudes of large, traditional choral works.”
Several chorus members are encouraged to play percussion instruments, again with deadly seriousness.
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Six Nursery Rhymes in Modern Style is by J. H. Loughlin. The six rhymes are Mother Hubbard, Hey! Diddle Diddle, Miss Muffet, Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty, and Hickory Dickory Dock. Each of these six rhymes is very short and very distinctive in nature. They are all accompanied by piano.
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Grandfather’s Clock was written by Henry Clay Work in 1876. The song is told from a grandchild’s perspective. The clock is purchased on the morning of the grandfather’s birth and works perfectly for 90 years, requiring to be wound only once a week.
“The clock seems to know the good and bad events in the grandfather’s life; it rings 24 chimes when the grandfather brings home his bride, and near his death it rings an alarm, which the family recognizes as a sign that grandfather is near death. After he dies, the clock suddenly stops, and never works again.”
Set for TTBB voices, the main text is accompanied by the “tick tock” and the “bohng” of the clock itself.
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Ah, vous dirais-je Maman is the first of a three-movement piece entitled Au féminin pluriel. Composed by Canadian David Scott Lytle, it was commissioned by Modulation, a women’s chamber choir from Montreal.
“The title preceded the composition and was inspired by a family discussion about French grammar. The expression ‘au féminin pluriel’ refers to the agreement in gender (feminine) and number (plural) often required in French between nouns, adjectives, and verbs, but the term also evokes the image of a group of women.”
The text of this piece combines playground skipping rhymes (comptines) with short utterances typical of young girls. The singers of Modulation provided the utterances through a collective exercise guided by the composer, and the text and rhythm of the comptines came from the six-year-old daughter of a chorister. It is sung in French and is set for four-part SSAA choir with a flamboyant piano accompaniment.
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Hi, Ho Nobody Home has words and music (based on an old English round) by Ray Charles. Basically homophonic throughout, the piece makes use of chromaticism and effective sound imagery. Despite misfortune, the speaker is determined to be happy and “go merrily along.” The round was traditionally sung by English Christmas carollers. When the house they approached had nobody home, this would be their song of stubborn determination as they trudged on to the next home, hoping for some delicious rewards.
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Variations on “This Old Man” is by Edmonton composer John Hooper. The piece starts with a solo tenor voice “playing” with the tune. This is then followed by a series of variations on that tune, variations that change the meter of the tune, that elongate and elaborate the melody, that has the melody accompanied by a vocal jazz sound, or has the melody sung softly and staccato, all of this leading up to a big climax and then ending in a whisper.
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Little Miss Muffet is composed by Havelock Nelson, with apologies to Rossini. If you have ever heard a Rossini overture, you will know the format that he almost always uses. There is an introductory theme, usually with ornamentation and alternating between legato and phrases full of rests, then a faster more decorative section followed by the gradual build, crescendo, and rhythmic drive that hurtles the piece to its conclusion. This is exactly what this piece strives to imitate in short!
Text and Translations
Ralph Hunter (1921-2002): Five Nursery Rhymes
1. Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men,
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
2. Little Bo-Peep
Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And doesn’t know where to find them.
Leave them alone and they’ll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.
3. Little Jack Horner
Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner,
Eating his Christmas pie.
He put in his thumb, and pulled out a plum,
And said, “What a good boy am I.”
4. Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went,
Everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go.
5. Old King Cole
Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
David Heck Jr. (1941-2021): Mary, Mary Quite Contrary
Mary, Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row.
Andrew Carter (b. 1939): Two For The Price of One
1. There was an old man
There was an old man called Michael Finnegan
He grew whiskers on his chinnegan
The wind came along and blew them in again
Poor old Michael Finnegan.
There was an old man named Michael Finnegan
He kicked up an awful dinnegan
Because they said he must not singegan
Poor old Michael Finnegan.
There was an old man named Michael Finnegan
He went fishing with a pinnegan
Caught a fish but dropped it innegan
Poor old Michael Finnegan.
There was an old man named Michael Finnegan
Climbed a tree and barked his shinnegan
Took off several yards of skinnegan,
Poor old Michael Finnegan.
There was an old man named Michael Finnegan
He grew fat and then grew thinnegan
Then he died and had to beginnegan
Poor old Michael Finnegan.
2. This old man
This old man, he played one,
He played nick nack on my drum,
Chorus:
With a nick-nack paddy-whack, give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played two,
He played nick nack on my shoe,
Chorus
This old man, he played three,
He played nick nack on my knee,
Chorus
This old man, he played four,
He played nick nack on my door,
Chorus
This old man, he played five,
He played nick nack on my hive,
Chorus
John Rutter (b. 1945): Five Childhood Lyrics
1. Monday’s Child
Words: Traditional
Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for his living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.
2. The Owl and the Pussycat
Words: Edward Lear (1812-1888)
The owl and the pussycat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The owl looked up to the stars above
And sang to a small guitar,
“O lovely pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are, you are, you are,
What a beautiful Pussy you are.”
Pussy said to the Owl “You elegant fowl,
How charmingly sweet you sing.
O let us be married, too long we have tarried;
But what shall we do for a ring?”
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows,
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose, his nose, his nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
“Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling your ring?”
Said the Piggy, “I will”
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon.
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
3. Windy Nights
Words: R.L. Stevenson (1850-1894)
Whenever the moon and stars are set,
Whenever the wind is high,
All night long in the dark and wet,
A man goes riding by.
Late in the night when the fires are out,
Why does he gallop and gallop about?
Whenever the trees are crying aloud,
And ships are tossed at sea,
By, on the highway, low and loud,
By at the gallop goes he.
By at the gallop he goes, and then
By he comes back at the gallop again.
4. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Words: Traditional
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
Bless the bed that I lie on.
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head;
One to watch, and one to pray;
And two to bear my soul away.
5. Sing a Song of Sixpence
Words and melody: Traditional
Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Wasn’t that a dainty dish to set before the king?
The king was in his counting house, counting out his money.
The queen was in the parlour, eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden, hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose.
Craig Carnahan (b. 1951): Toadibet
(4 Songs from “The Wind in the Willows” - 1984)
1. The Incredible Mr. Toad
The world has held great heroes,
As history books have showed;
But never a name to go down in fame
Compared with that of Toad!
The clever men at Oxford
Know all that there is to be knowed;
But they, none of them,
Know one half as much as intelligent Mister Toad!
The animals sat in the Ark and cried,
Their tears in torrents flowed.
Who was it said, “There’s land a head?”
Encouraging Mister Toad!
The army all saluted as they marched along the road,
Was it the King or Kitchener?
No, no, no, no.
It was Mister Toad!
The Queen and her ladies-in-waiting
Sat in the window and sewed.
She cried, “Look! Who is that? Who is that handsome man?”
They answered, “Mister Toad.”
2. Duck’s Ditty
All along the back water,
Through the rushes tall,
Ducks are a-dabbling,
Up tails all!
Ducks’ tails, drakes’ tails,
Yellow feet a-quiver,
Yellow bills all out of sight,
Busy in the river.
Slushy gree under growth
Where the roach swim,
Here we keep our larder,
Cool and full and dim.
High in the blue above,
Swifts whirl and call;
We a down a-dabbling,
Up tails all!
Every one for what he likes!
We like to be,
Heads down, tails up,
Dabbling free!
3. Toad’s Last Little Song
The Toad came home!
Chorus:
There was panic in the parlor and howling in the hall.
There was crying in the cowshed and shrieking in the stall.
There was smashing in of window and crashing in of door,
There was chivying of weasels that fainted on the floor.
When the Toad came home!
Bang! Go the drums!
The trumpeters are tooting.
Bang! Go the drums!
And the soldiers all salute!
Bank! Go the drums!
And the cannon they are shooting,
And the motorcars are hooting.
Bang! Go the drums!
Chorus
Ward Gardner: Bo-Peep
Based on the Traditional air and a Fugue by Pachelbel
Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And can’t tell where to find them;
Leave them alone, and they’ll come home,
And bring their tails behind them.
Sam Pottle (1934-1978): Jabberwocky
Words by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson AKA Lewis Caroll (1832-1898)
- from Through the Looking Glass (1871)
‘Twas brillig and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves
And mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the teeth that catch!
Beware the jubjubb bird and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock with eyes of flame
Came whiffling through the tulgeywood,
And burbled as it came.
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooy, callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
‘Twas brillig and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves
And mome raths outgrabe.
J.H. Loughlin (b. 1931): Six Nursery Rhymes in Modern Style
1. Mother Hubbard
Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard
To fetch the poor doggie a bone.
But when she got there the cupboard was bare,
And the poor doggie got none!
2. Hey Diddle Diddle
Hey diddle diddle!
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
3. Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet,
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey.
Along came a big spider and sat down beside,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
4. Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water,
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
5. Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men,
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
6. Hickory Dickory Dock
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory Dickory Dock.
Henry C. Work (1832-1884): Grandfather’s Clock
Arr. Ralph Hunter and Robert Shaw
My grandfather's clock was too large for the shelf
So it stood ninety years on the floor.
It was taller by half than the old man himself
Though it weighed not a pennyweight more.
It was bought on the morn' of the day that he was born
And was always his treasure and pride.
But it stopped, short never to go again
When the old man died.
Ninety years without slumbering
His life seconds numbering.
It stopped, short never to go again
When the old man died.
My grandfather said that of those he could hire
Not a servant so faithful he found,
For it wasted no time and had but one desire
At the close of each week to be wound.
And it kept in its place, not a frown upon its face
And its hands never hung by its side.
But it stopped short, never to go again
When the old man died.
It rang and alarmed in the dead of the night,
An alarm that for years had been dumb.
And we knew that his spirit was pluming for flight,
That his hour for departure had come.
Still the clock kept the time with a soft and muffled chime
As we silently stood by his side.
But it stopped short, never to go again
When the old man died.
Ninety years without slumbering
His life seconds numbering.
It stopped short, never to go again
When the old man died.
David Scott Lytle: Ah, vous dirais-je Maman
from Au féminin pluriel
French Text:
Rentr’ p’tit Pierre, rentr’ p’tit Paul,
deux petits moineaux sont sur une corde.
L’un s’appelle p’tit Pierre, l’autre s’appelle p’tit Paul.
Sort p’tit Pierre, sort p’tit Paul.
Crème à la glace, limonade sucrée,
dis-moi le nom de ton cavalier.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P !
Qui veut jouer avec moi ? Pas moi !
C’est moi la première ! C’est à moi !
Moi aussi ! Donn’ le moi !
T’es pu mon amie !
Les mois de l’année sont
janvier, février, mars, avril,
mai, juin, juillet, août,
septembre, octobre, novembre, décembre.
Maman, prends-moi. Maman, berce-moi.
Maman, regarde, Maman. Je t’aime.
Maman, il faut que je te dise un secret.
Maman, ne le dis pas à Papa !
Je m’en vais à Paris pour rejoindre mon amie.
Dos à dos, face à face,
donnez-vous la main et changer d’place.
Regarde-moi, j’l’fais toute seule.
J’suis capable…j’pas capable !
Maman, regarde là-bas sur l’mur.
Maman, j’ai peur…y’a une grosse araignée.
La vois-tu ? Si grosse, si noire, si laide !
Je t’aime comme les feuilles d’automne.
Je t’aime gros comme cents éléphants.
Viens voir mon bobo. Viens voir mon caca.
Viens voir mon dessin. Viens te coucher avec moi.
Viens voir ma chambre rose. Viens m’essuyer !
Est-ce que je suis la plus belle ? Pourquoi suis-je une fille ?
Qu’est-ce que je mets ce matin ?
As-tu un cadeau pour moi ?
J’ai perdu ma poupée. J’ai fait une grosse tache.
J’ai une robe en dentelle.
Etc.
English Translation:
In little Peter, in little Paul,
two little sparrows sitting on a line.
One’s little Peter, the other’s little Paul.
Out little Peter, out little Paul.
Ice cream, lemonade,
tell me who you’re sweet on.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P!
Who wants to play with me? Not me!
I’m first! That’s mine!
Me too! Give it to me!
You’re not my friend any more!
The months of the year are
January, February, March, April,
May, June, July, August,
September, October, November, December.
Mommy, hold me. Mommy, rock me.
Mommy, look Mommy. I love you.
Mommy, I have to tell you a secret,
but don’t tell Daddy!
I’m going to Paris to meet my friend,
back-to-back, face-to-face,
take my hand and let’s change place.
Look at me, I can do it myself.
I know I can…it’s too hard!
Look Mommy, over there on the wall.
Mommy, I’m scared…there’s a big spider.
Do you see it? Its big and black and ugly!
I love you as much as leaves in the fall.
My love is big as a hundred elephants.
Come see my cut. Come see my caca.
Come see my drawing. Come sleep with me.
Come see my pink room. Come wipe me!
Am I the prettiest? How come I’m a girl?
What should I wear today?
Do you have a present for me?
I lost my doll. I spilled something.
I’ve got a dress with lace.
Etc.
Ray Charles: Hi, Ho Nobody Home
Hi, ho nobody home,
no eat no drink, nor money have I none
Still I will go merrily along.
Hi, ho nobody home,
no friend or kin have I beneath the sun,
Still I will sing a happy song.
My spirit’s high, my fortune’s low
But do I cry?
Oh no, no, no!
I have the sky, I have the earth;
Between them I have made my berth, so
Hi, ho nobody home,
No place to bed, to lay a weary head
Still I will go merrily along.
Anybody home.
Hi, ho nobody home,
no eat no drink, nor money have I none
Still I will go merrily along.
Hi ho.
John Hooper: Variations on “This Old Man”
This old man, he played one,
He played knick knack on my drum,
Chorus:
With a knick-knack paddy-whack, give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played two,
He played knick knack on my shoe,
Chorus
This old man, he played three,
He played knick knack on my knee,
Chorus
This old man, he played four,
He played knick knack on my door,
Chorus
This old man, he played five,
He played knick knack on my hive,
Chorus
This old man, he played six,
He played knick knack on my sticks,
Chorus
This old man, he played seven,
He played knick knack up in heaven,
Chorus
This old man, he played eight,
He played knick knack on my gate,
Chorus
This old man, he played nine,
He played knick knack on my spine,
Chorus
This old man, he played ten,
He played knick knack once again,
Chorus
Havelock Nelson (1917-1996): Little Miss Muffet
(with apologies to Rossini)
Little Miss Muffet,
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey.
Along came a big spider and sat down beside,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
Artist Information
James Hawn, Director
Photo Credit: Amy Violet Photography
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James Hawn, Director of Music since 2003, has been active with the Saskatoon Chamber Singers for most of its history, and has been involved with singing and choirs for as long he can remember. Prior to his current appointment as Director, he was a long-time member of the bass section, and served as the choir’s president for ten years. James has also been actively involved in national and provincial choral organizations for over twenty-five years. He is a member of the Saskatchewan Choral Federation (SCF) and Choral Canada and has served for a number of years on both organizations’ boards. In 2006 he was presented with the SCF’s Pro Musica Award, which recognizes “exemplary service to choral music in Saskatchewan.” James was an English language arts teacher for thirty- two years with the Saskatoon Public Board of Education. During that time he also taught music, was involved in choral and church music, musicals, and drama both in the school system and in the community.
Connor Elias, Collaborative Pianist
Photo Credit: Rebecca Fisher
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Connor Elias is a pianist from Martensville, Saskatchewan. He holds a Bachelor of Music Honours from the University of Saskatchewan, as well as an ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Connor has many influences and include his teacher Bonnie Nicholson. Throughout his undergrad, Connor has received various accolades at provincial and national music festivals, including second in the 2023 Saskatchewan Concerto Competition and third in the 2022 Canada West for piano solo. Apart from piano, Connor is involved as a chorister in the Greystone Singers, conducted by Dr. Jennifer Lang. He enjoys teaching his wonderful piano students, laughing with friends, and spending time with his family.