The Audio Archive of Songs Illustrated in the CPR

   

A BACH ROAD JOURNEY
“The Road to Lubeck” by Paul Cooper

In 1705, when he was twenty years old, J.S. Bach took a six-week leave of absence from his job as music director at the Lutheran Church in Arnstadt, Germany and walked two hundred miles to Lübeck to hear an organ recital by his hero Dietrick Buxtehude – the greatest organist of his day.  I was struck by this commitment and passion for music on Bach’s part.  I started speculating about what might have gone through his mind on this journey.  First I guessed he might have been thinking about his career and his contributions to music – inventing the well-tempered scale and such.  Getting a little more whimsical, I saw him looking into the future, comparing himself to other composers – maybe getting a little jealous of Handel.   Listen carefully to the melody in the last two lines of the chorus.  The song changes key every measure as it works its way around the circle of fifths.

                       Road To Lubeck(audio)           Lyrics and Chords

                                   
                                       MINSTREL BOY TO THE WAR HAS GONE              
submitted by Paul Cooper

This is one of those songs that many can recognize, but few can name that tune. The tune is familiar, because it has been used as background in several movies (Saving Private Ryan, Blackhawk Down, The Man Who Would Be King) and TV shows (Star Trek). The song was originally composed as an Irish patriotic air by Thomas Moore (1779-1852) who composed it in memory of his Trinity College friends who died in the irish rebellion of 1798. Over the centuries it has come to stand as a universal anti-war song.
                                 The Minstrel Boy sung by Tommy Makem (audio)                            Lyrics and Chords



                              

STEADY AND GRACEFUL, SOLID AND WISE

Submitted By Paul Cooper

 

For those of us who don’t attend hockey games or ice skating rinks, a Zamboni is the big four-wheeled machine that comes out and smooths out the ice between skating sessions.  Named for its inventor, Mr. Zamboni, this graceful monster makes quite an impression – especially on kids.  This song was written by Chris Hartman’s sister Mary Hartman.  The chorus of it was read by Garrison Keiller on his radio show during his Christmas song contest, and the song has also been heard on NPR’s popular program, Car Talk. Mary says “Our local (minor league) hockey arena sometimes plays part of it between periods at hockey games when the Zamboni comes out.   Mary says “We play it in C. I play G chords with the capo on the 5th fret, and Janet plays in C with no capo.”

 

Mary performs with the trio Humphrey, Hartman and Cameron out in state of Washington.  Their website is http://humphreyandhartman.com/.  (It is worth visiting for the banjo haiku alone.)   Please note that the audio file was made available by Mary  for purposes of learning the song.  It is not to be added to your permanent collection.

                                                 Lyrics and Chords                                                   Zamboni (audio)

TIME, GENTLEMEN PLEASE
By Steve Goodchild

The notes to Across the Water’s second album say:  “Joe Scurfield was a schoolmate, fellow soccer and rugby team player, and one of Steve’s first musical collaborators.  “Came the time for the leaving, Steve and Joe went separate ways, neither knowing that they were to attend universities in adjacent towns, not 20 miles apart, both continuing to pursue their musical interests.  Thirty years later, watching the Old Rope String Band while both were appearing at the Chester (England) Folk Festival, Steve recognized the balding, bearded troubadour as his erstwhile friend – despite playing the fiddle whilst being supported upside-down with his head in a bucket of water! Sadly only a couple of years after renewing the acquaintance, Joe was run down by a drunk, speeding “joyrider” in a stolen car whilst making his way to his local pub in Newcastle to catch “last orders”  “Time gentlemen, please” is a common phrase in the parlance of English pub landlords to announce that it is closing time.


Lyrics and Chords                                            Time, Gentlemen Please (audio)   


WILLIE GOGGINS’ HAT

By Jack Hardy

 

Jack Hardy was kind enough to give Across the Water permission to record this song, and I am boldly assuming his permission also extends to reproducing our version of it here.  This song was inspired by one of Jack’s many trips to Ireland.  Some of the details in the song are no doubt products of the poetic imagination, but Killorglin and Caherciveen are real places along the Ring of Kerry, and Jack asserts that there really was a tinker named Willie Goggins, and Jack Hardy did end up with his hat!  You can hear our version of the song on Across the Water’s third CD, Watercolour, or on the HFMS link below.

 We perform the song in G, capoed up two frets.  You can of course adjust the capo position to suit your vocal range,

    

Lyrics and Chords                        Willie Goggin's Hat (audio)