DORSET COMPOSER - RICK BIRLEY
  • HOME [and contact form]
  • CONCERT
  • Rick Birley biography
  • Compositions [Orchestral works]
    • Peterloo
    • Bishops & Clerks >
      • The Flow
      • These Distracted Times
      • The Rechabite
      • Sunset Island
    • Chamber Symphony [No.1] in Five Movements
    • Symphony No.2 ["little bird"]
    • Hebrew Songs of Love, Faith & Survival
    • Piano Concerto
    • Symphonic Suite for Piano & Orchestra
    • Tanquam Sponsus [piano & orchestra]
    • Spanish Folksongs
    • Chansons de France
    • A Dorset Rhapsody
    • Call to Remembrance - a meditation on The Last Post
    • Nursery Rhymes Kaleidoscope
    • Latin Primer
    • Olympian Glories
    • Sar-planina - a Macedonian folksong
    • Marat/Sade Suite >
      • Marat/Sade notes
    • Maverick
    • Variations on a Plainsong
    • Eight Orchestral Studies
    • Christmas Exultation
    • Romney Facets
    • A Little English Folksong Suite/ The Ploughboy
    • English Folksong Suite No.2
    • Movement for String Orchestra "magnas inter opes inops"
    • Lord of the Dance
    • Sea Song
    • Greensleeves
  • Piano Music (solo & 2-piano)
    • Piano Sonata
    • Toccata: "On the Edge"
    • March Wind
    • Donegal - a choral fantasy transcribed for piano
    • Butterfly in the Breeze
    • Variations on a Plainsong - piano transcription
    • Ten Preludes for Piano
    • Carol Preludes [piano]
    • Salutation Carol Prelude [piano]
    • Preludes [piano] >
      • 3 Preludes for Piano
    • Papillons
    • Spanish Folksongs [2 piano version]
    • Marat/Sade Suite [2-piano transcription]
    • Drink Old England Dry: a Folksong Frolic for Busy Fingers
    • Nursery Rhymes Kaleidoscope [2-piano transcription]
    • Minimalism
  • Compositions [Vocal]
    • Edges
    • Seven Folksong Ballads
    • Hardy Songs
  • Choral Music
    • Advent Carol Succession >
      • Advent Carol Succession notes
    • Songs of Time
    • Fern Hill
    • Universal Truth
    • The Virgin's Song
    • Nine Welsh Folksong Arrangements
    • The Jackdaw of Rheims
    • The Birds’ Mass
    • Three Motets
    • My Love in her Attire
    • Gaudete, gaudete!
    • Three Hardy Settings for unaccompanied choir
    • The Cuckoo
    • In Vernali Tempore
    • The Willow Song
    • Dance to your Daddy
    • Drill, Ye Terriers, Drill
    • Carol: I Sing of a Maiden
  • Compositions [chamber/instrumental]
    • Quintet "magnas inter opes inops"
    • String Quartet No.1
    • String Quartet No.2
    • Austerity
    • Your Presence [piano/violin]
    • in memoriam G B
    • Past Tense
    • "Conversing with a Silent Marsh Harrier" for string quintet
    • Five Folksong Arrangements (for the Crucible)
    • Latin Primer [Septet]
    • Latin Primer [violin/piano]
    • Variations on a Plainsong - original version for solo clarinet
    • Blaydon Races
    • Folksong Dance Suite for Cello & Piano
    • Dance to Your Daddy [piano]
    • Grazioso (guitar solo)
    • Dorset Suite (guitar duo)
    • Sonatina for Violin & Piano [1979]
    • the Cuckoo - 'cello & chamber orchestra
    • The Phoenix
  • Compositions [jazz/light]
    • Funked-up Bach
    • Basement Jazz
    • Too Darn Hot
  • A Dorset Affair
  • Compositions [Pastiche]
    • La Ronde
    • Zartom: Symphony
    • Hornby: Exultate Jubilate
  • The case for a National Rehearsal Orchestra for New Music
  • ARTWORK
    • Gallery - Room 1 Life Underwater
    • Gallery - Room 2 Life around us
    • Gallery - Room 3 [flowers]
    • Gallery - Room 4 [SEASCAPES & LANDSCAPE]S + Mika]
    • Rogues gallery....
    • Pembrokeshire scenes i
    • Pembrokeshire scenes ii
    • Durham 'prints'
    • Picture Dorchester....
    • Italy October 2010
    • Paris
    • Prague
  • Miscellaneous art works
  • Poems
    • We English - a historical rhyme
    • Touching His Face
    • Commanded Time
    • Master of my Fate?
    • Alas, poor Ludo!
    • New Co-op Party Anthem
  • Rick Birley Blog
    • Hobie Adventure Island >
      • Maiden Voyage 12.iii.11
  • Miscellaneous
    • Maverick
  • Compositions [Miscellaneous]
    • Music Hall for Westfield
    • 60th birthday concert: May 24th 2014 Orchestral Concert

Nine Welsh Folksong Arrangements

​





​These Welsh folksongs are freely arranged and are dedicated to my bother D

I originally composed a set for unaccompanied SATB in 1997 – here the set is expanded (April/May 2010)

Soprano & Tenor soli, SATB & Octet [picc/fl – cl/bass cl – bsn/contra – 2 horns – tpt – vln & cello]

There are nine Welsh folksongs used in this piece:

1.      The Grey Cuckoo

2.      There’s my love in the orchard yonder

3.      Titroom, tatroom

4.      I wandered through the churchyard, sighing

5.      The sea-cob of Malltraeth

6.      The Mother-in-law’s Plaint

7.      The Kind Old Man

8.      My dear one is slender

9.      Farewell to thee, my homeland dear

The English translations are by D. Vaughan Thomas

The original a capella settings were written for a memorial concert for Roger Thomas, the founder of Rowan Cottage, a man with a compassionate vision. This took place on Sunday 2nd March in the United Church, sung by a selection of the Occasional Singers.

Karen Bidwell kindly lent some Welsh folksongs for me to find those in this collection

The expanded version was written for the Occasional Singers, for their Summer concert in St James, Kingston, on June 5th 2010, with soloists Abbi Temple & Henrik Lagercrantz

  • HOME [and contact form]
  • CONCERT
  • Rick Birley biography
  • Compositions [Orchestral works]
    • Peterloo
    • Bishops & Clerks >
      • The Flow
      • These Distracted Times
      • The Rechabite
      • Sunset Island
    • Chamber Symphony [No.1] in Five Movements
    • Symphony No.2 ["little bird"]
    • Hebrew Songs of Love, Faith & Survival
    • Piano Concerto
    • Symphonic Suite for Piano & Orchestra
    • Tanquam Sponsus [piano & orchestra]
    • Spanish Folksongs
    • Chansons de France
    • A Dorset Rhapsody
    • Call to Remembrance - a meditation on The Last Post
    • Nursery Rhymes Kaleidoscope
    • Latin Primer
    • Olympian Glories
    • Sar-planina - a Macedonian folksong
    • Marat/Sade Suite >
      • Marat/Sade notes
    • Maverick
    • Variations on a Plainsong
    • Eight Orchestral Studies
    • Christmas Exultation
    • Romney Facets
    • A Little English Folksong Suite/ The Ploughboy
    • English Folksong Suite No.2
    • Movement for String Orchestra "magnas inter opes inops"
    • Lord of the Dance
    • Sea Song
    • Greensleeves
  • Piano Music (solo & 2-piano)
    • Piano Sonata
    • Toccata: "On the Edge"
    • March Wind
    • Donegal - a choral fantasy transcribed for piano
    • Butterfly in the Breeze
    • Variations on a Plainsong - piano transcription
    • Ten Preludes for Piano
    • Carol Preludes [piano]
    • Salutation Carol Prelude [piano]
    • Preludes [piano] >
      • 3 Preludes for Piano
    • Papillons
    • Spanish Folksongs [2 piano version]
    • Marat/Sade Suite [2-piano transcription]
    • Drink Old England Dry: a Folksong Frolic for Busy Fingers
    • Nursery Rhymes Kaleidoscope [2-piano transcription]
    • Minimalism
  • Compositions [Vocal]
    • Edges
    • Seven Folksong Ballads
    • Hardy Songs
  • Choral Music
    • Advent Carol Succession >
      • Advent Carol Succession notes
    • Songs of Time
    • Fern Hill
    • Universal Truth
    • The Virgin's Song
    • Nine Welsh Folksong Arrangements
    • The Jackdaw of Rheims
    • The Birds’ Mass
    • Three Motets
    • My Love in her Attire
    • Gaudete, gaudete!
    • Three Hardy Settings for unaccompanied choir
    • The Cuckoo
    • In Vernali Tempore
    • The Willow Song
    • Dance to your Daddy
    • Drill, Ye Terriers, Drill
    • Carol: I Sing of a Maiden
  • Compositions [chamber/instrumental]
    • Quintet "magnas inter opes inops"
    • String Quartet No.1
    • String Quartet No.2
    • Austerity
    • Your Presence [piano/violin]
    • in memoriam G B
    • Past Tense
    • "Conversing with a Silent Marsh Harrier" for string quintet
    • Five Folksong Arrangements (for the Crucible)
    • Latin Primer [Septet]
    • Latin Primer [violin/piano]
    • Variations on a Plainsong - original version for solo clarinet
    • Blaydon Races
    • Folksong Dance Suite for Cello & Piano
    • Dance to Your Daddy [piano]
    • Grazioso (guitar solo)
    • Dorset Suite (guitar duo)
    • Sonatina for Violin & Piano [1979]
    • the Cuckoo - 'cello & chamber orchestra
    • The Phoenix
  • Compositions [jazz/light]
    • Funked-up Bach
    • Basement Jazz
    • Too Darn Hot
  • A Dorset Affair
  • Compositions [Pastiche]
    • La Ronde
    • Zartom: Symphony
    • Hornby: Exultate Jubilate
  • The case for a National Rehearsal Orchestra for New Music
  • ARTWORK
    • Gallery - Room 1 Life Underwater
    • Gallery - Room 2 Life around us
    • Gallery - Room 3 [flowers]
    • Gallery - Room 4 [SEASCAPES & LANDSCAPE]S + Mika]
    • Rogues gallery....
    • Pembrokeshire scenes i
    • Pembrokeshire scenes ii
    • Durham 'prints'
    • Picture Dorchester....
    • Italy October 2010
    • Paris
    • Prague
  • Miscellaneous art works
  • Poems
    • We English - a historical rhyme
    • Touching His Face
    • Commanded Time
    • Master of my Fate?
    • Alas, poor Ludo!
    • New Co-op Party Anthem
  • Rick Birley Blog
    • Hobie Adventure Island >
      • Maiden Voyage 12.iii.11
  • Miscellaneous
    • Maverick
  • Compositions [Miscellaneous]
    • Music Hall for Westfield
    • 60th birthday concert: May 24th 2014 Orchestral Concert