RESOURCE PAGE FOR COMMUNITY CHOIR
Tuition for Session 3 SPRING 2025 is $30.
How to pay tuition:
--bring a check or cash to the first rehearsal
--mail a check to Consonare Choral Community, P.O. Box 338, Mansfield Center, CT 06250
--pay online via in the new registration system (above)
If paying tuition is a hardship for you, please send Sarah an email. If you would like to add a donation to your tuition, you can do so easily and your donation is tax deductible.
MEET OUR MUSIC LEADERSHIP
Sarah Kaufold, Artistic Director
Sarah is a conductor, soprano, and music educator who advocates for inclusion on the podium, within the choral ensemble, and in the choir folder. With extensive choral conducting and leadership experience, Sarah has directed choirs for singers of all ages, range of abilities, and in a number of settings, which include: church choral programs for children and adults since 2000, teaching middle and high school choral and general music classes; conducting collegiate choirs; directing adult community choral programs and a professional vocal ensemble.Sarah holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from UConn with extensive graduate study in choral conducting from Cal State University, Los Angeles and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Cal Poly Pomona where she began her studies as a music educator. Sarah is current and founding Artistic Director of Consonare Choral Community.
Janice Castle is our collaborative pianist. Jan is a music educator and has accompanied adult and youth choirs throughout our area for over 20 years.
REHEARSALS -- SUNDAYS 3:00-4:30pm
Storrs Congregational
Sunday Rehearsals 3:00-4:30pm:
March 30
April 6
April 13
April 27
May 4
May 18
May 25
June 1
[no rehearsal April 20 and May 11]
Dress Rehearsal:
Friday, June 6 at 6:30pm at von der Mehden, UConn
Concert:
Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 7:00PM
von der Mehden Recital Hall at UCONN Storrs
INCLEMENT WEATHER:
Please check your email one hour prior to rehearsal as any rehearsal cancellations will be advised by 2pm the day of rehearsal.
CONCERT ATTIRE:
All black with an optional splash of green or blue
GENERAL RESOURCES
SONG RESOURCES
The theme for this session is "Celtic Journey" where we will explore how music can travel through time and across oceans, yet still retain its essence and connection to the past.
The Sword of Erin
Irish folksong / arr. Charles Villers Stanford
Text:
Avenging and bright falls the swift sword of Erin,
On him who the brave sons of Usna betrayed!
For every fond eye he hath wakened a tear in,
A drop from his heart-wounds shall weep o'er her blade.
SOME INFO ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE SONG:
The text of the song is a poem by Thomas Moore called "Avenging and Bright". "Erin" refers to "Ireland".
"Thomas Moore wrote these words in 1811 to an old Irish air Crooghan A Venee. The Regent (later George IV) had been Moore's patron. Moore felt that while he was Regent, George supported Catholic emancipation, however, upon ascending the throne, George IV did not act. Although the song is based on [the story of The Three Sons of Usnach, often known in Scotland as Deirdre Of The Sorrows] on the betrayal of Deirdre and the sons of Usna by Conchubar, the King of Ulster, Moore was clearly criticizing George IV."
Practice Tracks
mm. 1-17
p/u to m. 17-34
p/u to m. 50 - end
Siod Mar Chaidh an Càl a Dholaidh
Nova Scotia Folksong / arr. Gary Ewer
Translation:
That’s how the cabbage was spoiled
This is how the cabbage was spoiled
The flour was lying on the bottom of the pot
and the woman of the house was dancing
One day around harvest time
A dhandsome company of lively young lads
were sitting around a table – drinking from a bowl
In a tavern in the Lowlands.
After a while of singing songs
and another short stretch of foolish stories
One-Eyed Rob tuned his pipes
and some began to dance
Pronunciation guide:
Notes:
-
CH is pronounced like the ‘ch’ in Bach.
-
Some words, like the ‘mh’ of mhin, or the ‘bh’ of ‘gabhail’, sound like a very tight ‘V’ sound, as if saying a V by starting with your lips together. But don’t try to make a B sound.
Any ‘v’ in the pronunciation guide that’s underlined should be this tight kind of V. So ‘gabhail’ should sound like “gah-vel”, where the V is almost a B. -
The second word in verse 1and 2, “dhuinn” is pronounced “goin”, rhyming exactly with the English word “coin”.
CHORUS
Siod mar chaidh an cal a dholaidh
Shid mar Kye an cal a golly
So mar chaidh an cal a dholaidh,
Shah mar Kye an cal a golly
Laidh a’ mhin air mas a’ choir-e’
Lie a vin-air, mass a CHoy-reh
S bean antighe dannsa
S-ben an-tie-eh down-sa.
Latha dhuinn mu am na buana
Lah-ha goin moo am na bwan-a
‘S cuideachd ghrinn de ghillean uallach;
Skoot-chuct grin jeh gill-yan oo-laCH
Suidhmu’n bhord ag ol na cuaiche.
Sooy-moon vord ack all nah koo-eeCH
An tighosd’ air Galldach.
An tie-ost air goll-doCH.
Air dhuinn greis bhi gabhail orain,
Air goin graysh vee gah-vel or-ehn,
‘S tacan eil’ ri sgeulan gorach;
Stah-kan ail ree skale-an goor-aCH;
Chuir Rob Cam a’ phiob an ordugh,
Choor Rob Cam ah feep an or-duCH,
‘S thoisich chid ri dannsa.
Ss-hos-eech Kooch ree down-sa
Phonetic diction on one sheet made by a singer:
Practice Tracks
Letter D (slow tempo - Sop is melody)
Letter F (Slow Tempo)
Letter H (slow tempo - Alto is melody)
SOME INFO ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE SONG:
Song comes from Cape Breton; however, it has been known to have ties to Scotland. Tune name is called "The Haughs of Cromdale"
"The song is considered a Puirt-a-beul (pronounced poorsht-uh-bee-uhl), or “mouth music” as they are known in English, are generally defined as a Gaelic vocal song genre sung to accompany dance in the absence of instruments. In actual fact, however, puirt-a-beul are used for a variety of reasons within Cape Breton Gaelic culture. Although puirt-a-beul originated in Scottish Gaelic culture."
Source: Puirt-a-Beul: An Ethnographic Study of Mouth Music In Cape Breton (2000) by Heather Sparling
Below is the sword dance mentioned by one of our singers, who is from Scotland:
Shule Aroon**
Irish folksong / arr. Ruth Elaine Schram
**This version has the text written in a phonetic format, not the original Irish Gaelic, which should be "Siúil A Rún"
Pronunciation Guide:
Shule aroon;
Shule go sookar oggus shule go kewn.
sookar - "0" as in book.
oggus - sounds much like August (without the final f).
kewn - the vowel sound is placed toward the front of the mouth, as if saying a long e with the lips forming an o.
Shule go dorus oggus ehlee lom,
dorus - the o is between a long o and a short u.
ehlee - the first e is between a long e and a short a. lom- the o is between a short o and a short u.
Iss guh jeh thoo mahvohrneen slawn.
jeh - the starting consonant si between aj and a hard ch sound.
thoo - the ht si between our hard ht and a hard t sound, as fi saying a ht but placing the tongue where you would say a t
Translation:
Come, come, come, my love,
Quickly come to me, softly move,
Come to the door and away we'll flee,
And safe forever may my darling be.
SOME INFO ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE SONG:
If we can trust Wikipedia, here is some interesting information:
"Siúil a Rúin" (Roud 911) is a traditional Irish song, sung from the point of view of a woman lamenting a lover who has embarked on a military career, and indicating her willingness to support him. The song has English language verses and an Irish language chorus, a style known as macaronic.
The title (pronounced [ˌʃuːlʲ ə ˈɾˠuːnʲ]) translates to "go, my love" (or variants): siúil is an imperative, literally translating to "walk!", a rúin is a term of endearment.
The history of the song is unclear. It has been suggested that the song refers to the "Wild Geese" of the Glorious Revolution. If it does, however, the original version has probably been lost. It is not uncommon that Irish songs were translated into English, with their chorus surviving in Irish, or being transformed into nonsense words (see Caleno custure me), but in most of these cases, some of the Irish version still survives. It is possible that the song was composed in the 19th century with the conscious intention of styling it after older songs.
As is common in folk music, many lyrical variants of the song exist.
Practice Tracks
Loch Lomond
Scottish folksong / arr. David Overton
Pronunciation: "Loch" law-ch (like Bach)
Text:
By yon bonnie banks an' by yon bonnie braes
Whaur the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond
Whaur me an' my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomon'.
Chorus:
O ye'll tak' the high road, and Ah'll tak' the low road
And Ah'll be in Scotlan' afore ye
Fir me an' my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomon'.
'Twas there that we parted in yon shady glen
On the steep, steep sides o' Ben Lomon'
Whaur in the purple hue, the hielan hills we view
An' the moon comin' out in the gloamin’.
SOME INFO ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE SONG:
"The first thing to know about the “Loch Lomond” song is that it was written back in the 1700s, during the Jacobean uprising against the Protestant Hanoverian government. The battle saw thousands fight against political and cultural oppression, with Scottish and English men on both sides of the battlefield. Many died in the pursuit of freedom to believe and live the way they wanted to.
During the battle of Culloden, large numbers of Highlanders were imprisoned within an English prison known as Carlisle Castle. It’s here that the cross between reality and fiction gets a little sketchy, however.
“The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond” is about two Scottish soldiers who were imprisoned on the Scottish border. One of them was going to be set free, but the other one was going to be executed. In Scottish legend, anyone who dies outside Scotland takes the “low road” back to their homeland, where they will finally be at peace.
In this song, the doomed soldier is comforting the soldier who will be set free. He tells them that “you’ll take the high road and I’ll take the low road, and I’ll be in Scotland before ye”.
As well as this, he recalls a life full of love and happiness. He harkens back to his time by the “bonnie banks of Loch Lomond” where he met his wife, and he comes to peace with the fact that his “broken heart ken nae second Spring again” – meaning that he will never return to the loch to be with his true love, although he is going to return in spirit." - SOURCE
Practice Tracks
mm. 1-5 (all tenors sing T1/top line)
mm. 14-21 (all tenors sing T1/top line)
mm. 21-33 (all tenors sing T1/top line)
mm. 37-end (all tenors sing T1/top line)
The wind that shakes the barley
Irish ballad by Robert Dwyer Joyce (1836-1883)
arr. Dan Davison
-performed with Voices of Concinnity & Youth Choir
Original Poem (the music is slightly different):
I sat within a valley green sat there with my true love
And my fond heart strove to choose between the old love and the new love
The old for her, the new that made me think on Ireland dearly
While soft the wind blew down the glade and shook the golden barley
'twas hard the mournful words to frame to break the ties that bound us
Ah, but harder still to bear the shame of foreign chains around us
And so I said, "The mountain glen I'll seek at morning early
And join the brave united men" while soft wind shook the barley
'twas sad I kissed away her tears her arms around me clinging
When to my ears that fateful shot come out the wildwood ringing
The bullet pierced my true love's breast in life's young spring so early
And there upon my breast she died while soft wind shook the barley
I bore her to some mountain stream and many's the summer blossom
I placed with branches soft and green about her gore-stained bosom
I wept and kissed her clay-cold corpse then rushed o'er vale and valley
My vengeance on the foe to wreak while soft wind shook the barley
Twas blood for blood without remorse I took at Oulart Hollow
I placed my true love's clay-cold corpse where mine full soon may follow
Around her grave I wondered drear noon, night and morning early
With aching heart when e'er I hear the wind that shakes the barley
SOME INFO ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE SONG:
The Wind that Shakes the Barley was written by the Irish poet Robert Dwyer Joyce (1830-1883) and published in 1861 in a collection of his poetry, entitled Ballads, Romances, and Songs. It was inspired by the Irish Rebellion of 1798, known as Éirí Amach 1798 in the Irish language and The Hurries in Ulster Scots. The uprising was launched by an underground, secular Republican movement called the Society of United Irishmen, referred to in the poem as simply “United men”. The group was exceptional because both Protestant and Roman Catholics were affiliated. Although their insurrection was short-lived, it proved to be one of the most significant uprisings against British rule in Ireland, hastening the abolition of the Irish Parliament and instigation of the Act of Union in 1800. This legislation resulted in direct rule from London which was still in place when the poem was penned in 1861.
The poem is written in the voice of a young man who is preparing to sacrifice his relationship with the young woman he loves, to volunteer for the Irish forces. The grievances of the Irish rebels included issues of political, economic, and religious discrimination. The rebellion was influenced to some extent by the ideals and recent successes of the American and French revolutions. (4)
The references to barley in the poem are related to the common practice by the rebels of carrying barley or oats in their pockets to serve as food on the march. Following the rebellion, fields of barley grew over the sites of mass unmarked graves of slain rebels. For this reason, the new growth of barley every spring came to symbolize the regenerative and unyielding nature of Irish resistance to British rule over Ireland. (5)
Practice Tracks
mm. 32-53 (letter B - letter C)
mm. 80-end
The Fields of Athenry
from Ireland / arr. the Jolly Beggars
We are the back up singers for The Jolly Beggars for this song. The choir is only singing on the choruses.
You can listen to the recording above and then chose a harmony (which is written is S1, S2, or A).
Music will be printed for you.
SOME INFO ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE SONG:
"An Irish folk ballad, ‘The Fields of Athenry’ tells the story of a young man, Michael, from the Athenry area, 25 miles from Galway, who is caught stealing corn to feed his family during the Irish famine (1845-1850) and deported to Botany Bay, Australia. The song is conversational, words snatched across the local prison wall, between the young man and his wife Mary, as he waits for the deportation order to be executed. Arguably the country’s most famous song, it was written by Dublin-born folk singer Pete St. John (1932-2022) – real name Peter Mooney – whose other songwriting credits include ‘The Rare Ould Times’ and ‘The Ferryman’.
While the song’s protagonists Michael and Mary are fictional, the inclusion of the lyric ‘Trevelyan’s corn’ cemented the name of a real-life British Civil Servant, Charles Edward Trevelyan, into folklore. The same Trevelyan reportedly said of the famine: “The judgement of God sent the calamity to teach the Irish a lesson.” There was a widespread view among the British authorities, ably fostered by Trevelyn, that the Irish had too many children. Trevelyan’s role in the Treasury included making decisions that would limit the funding relief being made available to the Irish citizenry, devastated by the infamous blight on the potato crop that saw people starving just about everywhere across the country. “The real evil with which we have to contend,” Trevelyn said, apparently without a shred of compunction, “is not the physical evil of the Famine, but the moral evil of the selfish, perverse and turbulent character of the people.” He did not, it has to be said, care very much for – or about – Irish people."
Wild Mountain Thyme
from Scotland
The choir will sing the intro to this song unaccompanied (as written below). The Jolly Beggars will sing the following verses, with the choir returning on the chorus "And we'll all go together" while surrounding the audience. The audience will be invited to sing the chorus at the end.
Practice Tracks
Midi sound that will be updated soon