Description
This arrangement for soprano, violin, and piano was commissioned by Salonnières as part of their album Home: Sacred American Songs. Lyricist Joseph Swain was English, but the American tune was sufficient to qualify it for the album!
Many types of dulcimers are found around the world, but I chose to use some musical ideas from the Appalachian dulcimer to emphasize the song’s American roots. There’s a strong use of drone, a pizzicato passage mimicking plucked dulcimer strings, and several fiddle-esque melodies in the violin part.
An instrumental duet edition of this piece (violin, viola, or cello with piano) is also available.
