The lyrics to “Going Home” were written by William Arms Fisher (1861-1948). The melody, however, is not the African-American spiritual many people believe it to be. In reality, the melody is taken from Bohemian composer Antonin Dvorak’s “Largo” theme, from his Symphony No. 9 (From the New World), Op. 95. In the symphony this theme is played on English horn. Dvorak was not involved in writing the lyrics or arrangement that later became “Going Home.”
I hope you enjoy hearing Dvorak’s “Largo” theme played on lyre!
This is not a lyre.
It looks like one, if you know what a lyre looks like.
It has a rounded soundbox from which two arms reach to the sky.
One arm is shorter than the other,
but it has no disadvantage.
The top of the lyre comes to a point
that, on this one that is not,
faces away from the player.
From the point, the long arm slopes sharply toward the player,
almost like a sliding board.
Along this arm are tuning pins.
You guessed it–
the strings are attached to these
and tied to a bridge on the lower part of the soundbox.
Yes, it looks like a lyre.
Yet this is not a lyre.
It is a music box to say the least,
a magic box,
a mystical box,
the bottle containing
the alchemist’s elixir of immortality.
It won’t make you immortal.
But think about it.
Would you really want to be
immortal, ever remaining in your current form?
I didn’t think so!
But the music
of the mystical,
magical,
musical box
can lead you
to your immortal soul.
This is not a lyre,
but you might misconstrue its unassuming form,
if you didn’t know better.
Not to be confused with Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” a classical piece I love, this one is an 18th-century French folk song. The title literally means “By the Light of the Moon.” Its author is unknown, but the melody reigns supreme when anyone learns a musical instrument. In fact, it was one of the first songs I learned to play when I took violin lessons.
Today you’re hearing alto recorder, viola rather than violin, and Oriole soprano recorder, accompanied by ukulele. I hope you enjoy this catchy melody!
Here is a traditional Scottish folk song, so well known that most of us have heard it. I heard it as a child and wondered who Bonnie was. Well, Bonnie may refer to “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” but it may have other meanings as well. The song’s origin is unclear, but it remains popular in Western culture and even as a children’s song, much to my delight.
My arrangement contains viola and alto recorder, with ukulele accompaniment. I hope you enjoy it!
Annie Hawks wrote the poem, “I Need Thee Every Hour,” in 1872. Her pastor, Dr. Robert Lowry, wrote the refrain and the music. Though Annie Hawks wrote over 400 hymn texts, this is the only one continually published and sung today.
I hope you enjoy this arrangement with ukulele, viola, and alto recorder!
Also known as “Bonnie Charlie,” this is a traditional Scottish folk tune, author unknown. The lyrics, however, are not traditional, in the sense that they were written in one time period, about another time period which their author did not witness, and they imitate a particular style of song. The author of the poem is known; you can read more about the poem and its place in history here.
I hope you enjoy this arrangement played on lyre, viola, Oriole (soprano) and Yamaha alto recorder!
Yes, I know that Christmas is either over, or hasn’t arrived yet, depending on how you look at it! But, today is Three Kings Day, when the Adoration of the Magi is celebrated in many countries. Children wake up this morning to find they have received gifts from the Three Kings. It sounds like a fun celebration to me!
This well-known carol was written in 1857. The melody and lyrics were both written by John Henry Hopkins, Jr., with the lyrics based on Matthew 2:1, which reads: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,[.]”
–King James Version (KJV)
I love the refrain! I also hope you enjoy listening to “We Three Kings” played on alto recorder, viola, and zither!
This hymn was written by Johnson Oatman in 1895. I first heard it on a record album my grandfather, “Poppop Clyde,” gave me, where two women sang it as a duet in a foreign language. I never knew which language it was… However, it was not German, which I later studied extensively. Though that mystery remains, it’s a beautiful hymn!
I hope you enjoy hearing the English lyrics, viola, and alto recorder with ukulele accompaniment!
On this 7th day of Christmas and the last day of an extremely difficult year, I offer you a lovely Elizabethan carol. This obscure gem, when it is known, has several titles, including “All Hail to the Days,” “In Praise of Christmas,” and “Drive the Cold Winter Away.” The 12 days of Christmas begin on December 25th and last until January 5th, with January 6th being Three Kings Day in many countries. The lyrics of this English ballad mention these 12 days specifically and include seasonal festivities common around 1625, when this carol first appeared. There’s wassailing, theatre performances, and, of course, feasting. I hope you enjoy hearing me sing this carol with lyre accompaniment!
Mystical Strings 
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