Bassoon Quartet,Woodwind Ensemble Bassoon - Level 2 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1449305

Composed by American Folk Song. Arranged by Amanda Jaye Steinhoff. Chamber,Folk. 8 pages. Amanda Jaye Steinhoff #1025585. Published by Amanda Jaye Steinhoff (A0.1449305).

This traditional folksong, which dates back to the early 19th century, has been given some new life with this arrangement for bassoon quartet. The floating melody, primarily in the 1st bassoon part, is passed around to other players, while the 4th bassoon lays the strong foundation, much like the strong a steady current of the Missouri River. The dynamics in this arrangement urge the performers to swell in and out and they play, reflective of the ripples in the water as canoes and boats float by. Be sure not to rush this piece, and refer to some of the traditional lyrics:

Oh Shenandoah,
I long to hear you,
Away, you rolling river.

'Tis seven years 
since last I've seen you,
Away, you rolling river.

There is a sense of longing in the various lyrics of the original folk song, whether because of missing home, missing a loved one, or the pains of forbidden love. Performers are urged to play with the same delicacy of those intimate emotions and gentle waters of the large river. The ending should be reflective of echoes in the open air on the river as one floats across the wide Missouri.