Intermediate syncopation, an extended range middle C to F8,
a minor seventh, and a descending vii arpeggio (Dm).

 

Description

• Grade: Fifth
• Origin: Austria – 1818, music: Franz Gruber,
  words: Josef Mohr
• Key: C Major
• Time: 6/8
• Form: staves: ABCCDE – phrases: ABC
• Rhythm: intermediate: | ti/ ri ti ta/ | syncopation,
  | ta ti ta/ | syncopation, | ta/ ti ti/ ri ti | syncopation, | ta/ ta/ | ti/ ri ti ti/ ri ti | syncopation, | ta/a/ |
• Pitches: advanced: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do Re Mi Fa
• Intervals: advanced: m3: So\Mi/So, Re8\Ti, La/Do, Re8/Fa8\Re8, Fa\Re; M3: Do8/Mi8; P4: Do\So, Mi/La;
  P5: Re\So; m7: Mi/Re8; Fa8\Re8\Ti descending arpeggio (vii, Dm)
• Musical Elements: notes: dotted half, dotted quarter, quarter, dotted eighth, eighth, sixteenth; repeated syncopated melodic rhythm patterns, descending arpeggio (vii, Dm), ascending minor seventh (Mi/Re), vocal slurs, syncopation in 6/8, feeling duple meter (2 dotted quarter notes) in 6/8
• Key Words: world geography, Austria; language: German, Latin; Christmas Carol, Christmas Hymn, Bible story, birth of Jesus; sacred, virgin, infant, tender, heavenly, peace, shepherds, quake, sight, bright, calm, glories, stream, a-far, Heavenly hosts, Alleluia (Latin), Christ, Savior, God, radiant beams, holy, dawn, redeeming, grace, Lord; possessive: love’s; abbreviation: heav’n (heaven)

“Silent Night” 

	1.	Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is bright. Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child. Holy infant to tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace.
	2.	Silent night, holy night, Shepherds quake at the sight. Glories stream from heaven a-far. Heav’nly hosts sing Alleluia; Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born!
	3.	Silent night, holy night, Song of God, Love’s pure light. Radiant beams from thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at they birth, Jesus, Lord at they birth,
		German
	1.	Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Alles schläft; einsam wacht Nur das traute hochheilige Paar. Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar, Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh! Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
	2.	Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Hirten erst kundgemacht Durch der Engel Halleluja, Tönt es laut von fern und nah: Christ, der Retter ist da! Christ, der Retter ist da!
	3.	Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht Lieb’ aus deinem göttlichen Mund, Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund’. Christ, in deiner Geburt! Christ, in deiner Geburt!

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Four perfect fourths (P4), changing rhythms for verse lyrics,
and repeated melodic rhythm patterns make waltzing fun!

 

Description

• Grade: Fifth
• Origin: USA – James W. Blake, Charles B. Lawlor
  circa: 1894
• Key: G Major
• Time: 3/4
• Form: AB – verse/refrain
• Rhythm: beginners: | ta/a ta | ta ta ta | ta/a/a |
  | ta/a ti ti | ta ta/a |
• Pitches: intermediate: So La Ti Do Re Mi Fa So
• Intervals: intermediate: m3: Mi/So8, Do\La/Do;
  M3: Mi\Do/Mi; P4: So/Do, Re\La, Do/Fa; P5: La/Mi
• Musical Elements: notes: dotted half, half, quarter, eighth; rest: quarter; tied notes, changing rhythms for verse syllables, repeating melodic rhythm patterns, fermata, two double barlines, includes guitar chords
• Key Words: USA geography: New York, New York; stoop, evening, waltz, organ, baker, dough, dude, cork, East side, West side, tots (children), “Ring A-round the Rosie”, “London Bridge is Falling Down”, Mamie O’Rourke (married to “Diamond Dan” O’Rourke, early manager of the baseball player Jim Jeffries), tripped the light fantastic ( to dance), up in “G” (refers to the G train in the Subway); contractions: that’s (that is), they’ll (they will); possessive: Casey’s; abbreviation: wand’rers (wanderers)

Down in front of Casey’s
Old brown wooden stoop
On a summer’s evening,
We formed a merry group.
Boys and girls together
We would sing and waltz.
While the “ginnie” played the organ
On the sidewalks of New York.

Chorus:

East side, West side, all around the town,
The tots sing “Ring around Rosie,”
“London bridge is falling down.”
Boys and girls together,
Me and Mamie O’Rourke
Tripped the light fantastic
On the sidewalks of New York.

That’s where Johnny Casey,
And little Jimmy Crowe
With Jakey Krause the baker
Who always had the dough.
Pretty Nellie Shannon,
With a dude as light as cork,
First picked up the waltz-step
On the sidewalks of New York.

Chorus

3.Things have changed since those times.
Some are up in “G”
Others, they are wand’rers,
But they all feel just like me;
They’ll part with all they’ve got.
Could they but once more walk,
With their best girl and have a twirl
On the sidewalks of New York.

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Beginning syncopation in 6/8, tonic arpeggio,
and tonic octave skip.

 

Description

• Grade: Fifth
• Origin: USA – Traditional
• Key: E Flat Major
• Time: 6/8
• Form: Aa
• Rhythm: beginners: | ta ti ta ti | syncopation,
  | ta/ ta ti | syncopation, | ta/a ti ti | syncopation
• Pitches: intermediate: Ti Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do
• Intervals: intermediate: m3: So\Mi, Do8\La;
  M3: Do/Mi; P4: Re/So; P5: So\Do; P8: Do\Do8descending tonic octave skip, So\Mi\Do descending tonic arpeggio
• Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; pickup beat, tied note, syncopation, tonic octave skip, tonic arpeggio, multiple endings; expression: gingerly
• Key Words: USA geography: Georgia, Texas, Ohio; dearest, present, far-off, distant, knit, sew, plow, ramble, canebrake (thick, dense growth of cane or sugarcane), scratch, together, potato patch, clothing, log cabins, blessed, wander; contraction: we’ll (we will), it’s (it is)

“Shoot the Buffalo” 

	1.	Stand you up my dearest dear, And present me with your hand, And we’ll all run away To some far-off distant land, Where the ladies knit and sew, And the men they plow and hoe. And we’ll ramble in the canebrake And shoot the buffalo.
	2.	Where the women sit and patch While the men they stand and scratch, And we’ll all meet together In the old potato patch. Oh, it’s all the way from Georgia To Texas I must go Just to ramble round the canebrake And shoot the buffalo.
	3.	Come all you fine young girls Who have got a mind to go. Well, if you can make us clothing And if you can knit and sew, We will build you five log cabins By the blessed Ohio, Through the canebrake we will wander, And chase the buffalo.

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Advanced syncopation, 2/2 counted in 4/4, raised tonic (Di),
raised mediant (3, Fa), and a subdominant arpeggio
with a sharp root and fifth (iv#7, c#m7).

 

Description

• Grade: Fifth
• Origin: USA – words: Jack Norworth, music: Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth – 1908
• Key: G Major
• Time: 2/2 (counted in 4/4)
• Form: AB*
• Rhythm: advanced: | ta/a ta/a | ta ta ti ta ti | syncopation, | ta/a/ ri ti/ ri | syncopation,
  | ta/a/a (ta) | ta ti ta ti ta | syncopation,
  | ti/ ri ti/ ri ti/ ri ti/ ri | syncopation,
  | ti/ ri ti/ ta/ (ta) | syncopation, | ta/a/a ta |
  | ta ti ta ta/ | syncopation, | ta/ ti ti ti ti ti | syncopation
• Pitches: advanced: Fa Fi So La Do Di Re Mi Fa So – raised/sharp tonic (1, Di) raised mediant (3, Fa) note: a sharp third/Mi is the same as the fourth/Fa
• Intervals: advanced: Mi\Di\La\Fi descending subdominant arpeggio with raised root and fifth and added seventh (iv#7, c#m7), Fi\Fa/Fi (m2), Fi/Mi(d7 – diminished seventh), Re/So, (P4), So\Mi (m3), Do\La/Do (m3), So/Do (P4), Do/Fa (P4), Do\So (P4)
• Musical Elements: notes: dotted half, half, dotted quarter, quarter, dotted eighth, eighth, sixteenth; rest: quarter; pickup beat, cut time, syncopation, raised tonic and mediant, sharp subdominant arpeggio, diminished seventh
• Key Words: USA history, theatre history: vaudeville, Ziegfeld Follies (songs debut), courting song, harvest moon, January, February, June, July, snow time, spoon, gal, abbreviation: lovin’ (loving)
  

* Chorus to the early twentieth century vaudeville song, where songs about the moon were popular: “By the light of the Silvery Moon”, “(On) Moonlight Bay”.

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