December 2007
Es ist
ein Ros' entsprungen
(Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming)
My father is a Kruskal. The name
is Eastern European. My mother’s side is Welsh.
She was a small town girl from the rich rolling farmlands of the Mohawk Valley in central New York state. She claims that she read every single book in the local library before heading off east for college. The German language and music were her main interests at school.
Later, when I was very young, I remember her playing Christmas carols and hymns on the piano in four part harmony. My brothers and I would gather round to sing. This 15th century German carol is one of my earliest memories.
She was a small town girl from the rich rolling farmlands of the Mohawk Valley in central New York state. She claims that she read every single book in the local library before heading off east for college. The German language and music were her main interests at school.
Later, when I was very young, I remember her playing Christmas carols and hymns on the piano in four part harmony. My brothers and I would gather round to sing. This 15th century German carol is one of my earliest memories.
The score below is in F, but I’m
playing it here in C on my 31 button Morse Céilí Anglo
concertina. In the home key, this tune
offers rich harmonic possibilities on the Anglo. I play it through
five times and each time is voiced differently. There are more
choices yet to be discovered, I’m sure.
