My goose says, Quaw, quaw, My duck says, Quaa, quaa, I bought me a goose, my goose pleased me. The song affords the soloist the opportunity to impersonate the various animals and the accompaniment simulates barnyard sounds of the cat, duck, goose, hen, pig, horse and cow. “I Bought Me a Cat” is a whimsical children’s song in the style of “old MacDonald,” with a verse repeating and adding a new animal with each iteration (the last “animal” being a wife!). Copland uses solo flute and oboe along with reflective and tender string writing to convey the sadness of lost love and death. This proved very successful, yielding both “Long Time Ago” and “The Boatmen’s Dance.” “Long Time Ago” is a minstrel song with words attributed to George Pope in 1837, possibly adapted from John Cole (1833), and music by Charles Edward Horn. When searching for songs to set for his Old American Songs Copland scoured the Brown University Library, specifically the Harris Collection, in search of interesting material. Copland’s orchestration alternates between various instruments playing the tune with the singer and descant instrumental accompaniment, sometimes using both in one phrase.Ĭome join us in singing the praises of Zion.
Copland used this song again in his opera, The Tender Land (1952-1954). McCurry (1821 – 1886), a farmer from Georgia who published the song collection, The Social Harp. “Zion’s Walls” is a revivalist tune with words and music by John G. The subject matter for Copland’s songs was drawn from several places, not all uniquely American-politics, religion, children, love and loss, death, and the minstrel stage. Copland transcribed both sets for vocal soloist and orchestra in 1957, and many of the songs have been arranged for chorus and piano or chorus and orchestra. The songs were met with such success that Copland composed a second set in 1952 consisting of “The Little Horses,” “Zion’s Walls,” “The Golden Willow Tree,” “At the River” and “Ching-a-Ring Chaw.” The second set premiered in 1953, again with the Warfield/Copland pairing. Warfield would go on to become the singer most identified with the songs and spoke often on his collaborations with the composer.
In 1951 the work premiered in America with Copland himself playing the piano and baritone William Warfield singing. Copland wrote five songs for male soloist and piano for the occasion: “The Boatmen’s Dance,” “The Dodger,” “Long Time Ago,” “Simple Gifts” and “I Bought Me a Cat.” The first set of Old American Songs was written in 1950 and premiered in June of that year by the famous tenor Peter Pears, with Britten at the piano. The composer Benjamin Britten asked Copland to arrange a set of American folk tunes for his Music and Art Festival in Aldeburgh, England. Selections from Old American Songs (1950-1952)
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