Skye Boat Song is one of my favoryte folk songs from the British Isles. "Skye" refers to the Island of Skye, a large island off the northwest coast os Scotland. There are several texts to this song; all refer, more or less, to an uprising of Scottish dissidents against the English is 1745-46. After their defeat, they fled to the Island of Skye. The text used here by the poet Robert Louis Stevenson. Scholars attribute the first half of the melody to an old se chantey and suspect thea the second half may have benn written by Annie MacLeod.

This arrangement, featuring a solo Soprano and SSA choir with Piano accompaniment, reharmonizes the traditional folk song with a contemporary twist. This arrangement would work well for any a cappella high school, college, or community choir looking for modern arrangements of traditional folk songs.

Winner: 1st prize, Lithuanian National Culture Center 2018 composition contest

Introduce your choir to Baltic folk music with this vibrant and accessible piece, based on an ancient Lithuanian part-song.

Sutartinės are traditional Lithuanian multi-part songs and have been recognized by UNESCO as ?Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity? in 2010. This piece expands upon a traditional Lithuanian sutartinė: ?U?augo liepa,? a story of a linden tree and a woman?s reverie.

The piece begins with a literal quotation of the original sutartinė and then takes you on an adventure ride, bringing the text of the story to life with a broad range of choral and pianistic colors, creatively expanding on the simple seeds of the source material.

Take your audience on a unique Baltic choral adventure!





* Note: Text is in Lithuanian, and features lots of repetition, which should help with the learning process.