A set of teaching recordings for assorted rounds. For details, see the About page.
The below list is in alphabetical order by title.
* An asterisk indicates a song for which we provide a teaching recording.
A set of teaching recordings for assorted rounds. For details, see the About page.
The below list is in alphabetical order by title.
* An asterisk indicates a song for which we provide a teaching recording.
Select a checkbox to show rounds in a category; deselect the checkbox to hide rounds in that category.
Words and music: Probably Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562–1621).
Parts: 5
Range: 17 half-steps
Language: French.
Difficulty: Harder to learn.
English translation (via Google Translate, loosely):
Ah, how beautiful is it to praise you, Lord, and a very high honor. Sing a faithful heart, sing.
Recorded by Libana: “Ah, Comme C’est Chose Belle,” on A Circle Is Cast.
Words and music: John Krumm.
Copyright © John Krumm. Recorded and published by permission of the author.
Parts: 4
Range: 17 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
A dream is spoken, circle unbroken;
A new way joins with old, safe in the valley’s fold;
And ’neath the rising moon, they dance to fiddler’s tune.
Our lifebeat sounds through the mountains.
Autumn Time
Words: Marytha Paffrath, or Laura Derr.
Music: Unknown, possibly 18th century.
Parts: 8
Range: 12 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Libana: “Autumn Time,” on A Circle Is Cast.
Recorded (with different lyrics) by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Autumn Tide,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 3.
Babylon
Words: Psalm 137.
Music: Don McLean, probably based on a canon by Philip Hayes (1737–1797).
Parts: 3
Range: 15 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Don McLean: “Babylon,” on American Pie.
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “By the Waters of Babylon,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 3.
Philip Hayes canon recorded by Streetsinger John et al: “By the Waters of Babylon.”
Be Like a Bird
Words: Victor Hugo, loosely.
Music: Arthur Frackenpohl.
Parts: 2
Range: 12 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Libana: “Be Like a Bird,” on Fire Within.
Notes
Apparently the original Victor Hugo verse was as follows, according to James Wood’s 1899 Dictionary of Quotations:
Soyez comme l’oiseau, posé pour un instant
Sur des rameaux trop frêles,
Qui sent ployer la branche et qui chante pourtant,
Sachant qu’il a des ailes
Which was translated as:
Be as the bird perched for an instant on the too frail branch which she feels bending beneath, but sings away all the same, knowing she has wings.
I don’t know who wrote the English translation used in this song.
The Hugo verse was apparently only one part of a much longer poem, titled “Dans l’église de ***,” published in an 1835 book of Hugo’s verse titled Les Chants du crépuscule.
Brasstown Goodnight
Words and music: John Krumm.
Parts: 2
Range: 14 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Sheet music
You can download sheet music for “Brasstown Goodnight” (PDF) for free from John Krumm’s website.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by John Krumm: “Brasstown Goodnight,” on The Rounds of John Krumm. You can also listen to that track from the album for free on YouTube.
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Brasstown Goodnight Song,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 2.
Clear Horizon
Words and music: Jan Harmon (1940–1993).
Parts: 4
Range: 17 half-steps
Difficulty: Harder to learn.
Lyrics
Lyrics on Jan Harmon’s website.
Sheet music
You can download sheet music for “Clear Horizon” (PDF) for free from Jan Harmon’s website.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Libana: “Clear Horizon,” on Fire Within.
Come Follow Me
Words and music: John Hilton (1599–1657).
Parts: 3
Range: 16 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Lyrics
Come follow, follow, follow, follow, follow, follow me.
Whither shall I follow, follow, follow, whither shall I follow, follow thee?
To the greenwood, to the greenwood, to the greenwood, greenwood tree.
Notes
There are many variations on this round. We pieced together this version from various sources.
Cuckoo
Words and music: Unknown, 17th century.
Parts: 4
Range: 15 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Lyrics
Cuckoo, as I was
walking, on a Ma-
-ay morning, I heard a
bird sing.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Libana: “As I Mee Walked,” on A Circle Is Cast.
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Cuckoo,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 3.
Dance for the Nations
Words and music: John Krumm.
Copyright © John Krumm. Recorded and published by permission of the author.
Parts: 3
Range: 13 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Sheet music
You can download sheet music for “Dance for the Nations” (PDF) for free from John Krumm’s website.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by John Krumm: “Dance for the Nations,” on The Rounds of John Krumm. You can also listen to that track from the album for free on YouTube.
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Dance for the Nations,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 2.
Notes
Written for Kate and Craig Nation.
Dance with Me
Words and music: Joanne Hammil.
Copyright © Joanne Hammil. Recorded and published by permission of the author.
Parts: 4
Range: 17 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Joanne Hammil: “Dance with Me,” on Rounds and Partner Songs, Volume 1.
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Dance with Me,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 2.
Dona Nobis Pacem
Words and music: Unknown.
Parts: 3
Range: 14 half-steps
Language: Latin.
Difficulty: Medium.
Lyrics
Dona nobis pacem, pacem. Dona nobis pacem.
Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem.
Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem.
Literal English translation:
Grant us peace.
Recordings elsewhere
There are many recordings of this song. For example, recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Dona Nobis Pacem,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 3.
Es Ist Ein Ros
Words: Anonymous, 15th century.
Music: Melchior Vulpius (c. 1570–1615).
Parts: 4
Range: 16 half-steps
Language: German.
Difficulty: Harder to learn.
Our recordings
Lyrics
Es ist ein Ros entsprung-
-en aus einer wurzel
Zart, wie uns die Alten sung-
-en, von Jesse kam die Art.
English version by Theodore Baker (1894):
Lo, how a rose e’er bloom-
-ing, from tender stem hath
sprung, of Jesse’s lineage com-
-ing, as men of old have sung.
Notes
Not to be confused with the carol that sets the same words to a tune by Michael Praetorius. Example of the other song on YouTube.
Fall (The Road Is Calling)
Words and music: John Krumm.
Copyright © John Krumm. Recorded and published by permission of the author.
Parts: 4
Range: 14 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Lyrics
The road is calling as leaves are falling;
It’s back to home, my travels are now done.
I’ll sit by the fire and drink a toast to all of
you. Farewell. I must be gone.
Sheet music
You can download sheet music for “Fall (The Road Is Calling)” (PDF) for free from John Krumm’s website.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by John Krumm: “Fall, Aka the Road Is Calling,” on The Rounds of John Krumm. You can also listen to that track from the album for free on YouTube.
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “The Road (Fall),” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 1.
Notes
This makes a nice closing round at the end of a roundsing.
Fly Fly Fly
Words: Peter Erderly (sp?).
Music: Lajos Boross (sp?).
Parts: 4
Range: 12 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Libana: “Fly, Fly, Fly,” on A Circle Is Cast.
Full Moonlight Dance
Words and music: Karen Beth.
Copyright © Karen Beth. Recorded and published by permission of the author.
Parts: 5
Range: 12 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Lyrics
Under the full moon-
light we dance, spirits
dance, we dance; joining
hands, we dance, joining
souls, rejoice!
Sheet music
Available in Karen Beth’s songbook Songs of Womanspirit.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Karen Beth: “Full Moonlight Dance,” on To Each One of Us.
Recorded by Libana: “Full Moonlight Dance,” on A Circle Is Cast.
Gaudeamus Hodie
Words and music: Natalie Sleeth (1930–1992).
Copyright © 1972 by Carl Fischer, Inc.
All rights assigned to Carl Fischer, LLC.
All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Parts: 3
Range: 16 half-steps
Language: Latin.
Difficulty: Harder to learn.
Our recordings
Lyrics
Gaudeamus, gaudeamus, gaudeamus hodie, hodie.
Gaudeamus, gaudeamus, gaudeamus hodie; gaudeamus, gaudeamus hodie.
Gaudeamus, gaudeamus hodie.
Literal English translation:
Let us rejoice today.
Sheet music
You can purchase copies of the sheet music from the Carl Fischer website.
Notes
Different versions of this song put the three parts in different orders. You can sing them in any order.
We’ve labeled this song as harder to learn because we’ve seen some people have a hard time learning songs with Latin lyrics that are essentially the same words in each part. (“Dona Nobis” has similar issues, but singers are more often already familiar with that.)
Good Friend
Words and music: Jan Harmon (1940–1993).
Copyright © 1985 by Jan Harmon. Recorded and published by permission of the author’s son.
Parts: 4
Range: 17 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Lyrics
Lyrics on Jan Harmon’s website.
Sheet music
You can download sheet music for “Good Friend” (PDF) for free from Jan Harmon’s website.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Libana: “Good Friend,” on Fire Within.
Recorded by Jan Harmon: “Good Friend,” on Rings and Circles.
Grasshoppers Three
Words: Sir Henry John Newbolt.
Music: Unknown.
Parts: 3
Range: 14 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Lyrics
Grasshoppers three a-fiddling went. Hey, ho, never be still!
They had no money, they paid no rent; but all day long with their elbows bent,
They fiddled a tune called Rillaby-rillaby, fiddled a tune called Rillaby-rill.
Notes
In the original 1921 poem, there were four grasshoppers, and six verses. (And a few other bits have changed over the years, probably due to the usual folk process.)
The words have been set to music several times, with different tunes. The earliest instance we’ve seen of the melody that we know dates from 1956, from volume 6 of Together We Sing: Music Across Our Country. But that version may not have been intended as a round. The earliest instance that we’ve seen that explicitly refers to that tune as a round is in 101 Rounds for Singing, which we think was published in 1968.
Despite extensive searching, we’ve been unable to find out who composed the melody that we know. We think that it’s out of copyright, but we’re not certain of that either. If you know who the composer of this melody is, please contact us.
Great Tom Is Cast
Words and music: Matthew White (17th century).
Parts: 3
Range: 17 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Lyrics
Great Tom is cast, and
Christchurch bells ring one, two, three, four, five,
six, and Tom comes last.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Great Tom Is Cast,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 1.
Hava Nashira
Words: Unknown.
Music: Maybe Johannes Ockeghem (c. 1410–1497)
Parts: 3
Range: 17 half-steps
Language: Hebrew.
Difficulty: Harder to learn.
Our recordings
Lyrics
Hava nashira, shir hallelujah
Hava nashira, shir hallelujah
Hava nashira, shir hallelujah
Literal English translation:
Let us sing together, sing hallelujah.
Notes
Various sources suggest that the music is by Johannes Ockeghem, though we’ve had trouble finding clear evidence of that.
We don’t know who set these words to this music.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Hava Nashira,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 1.
Hotaru Koi
Words and music: Variant of traditional song.
Parts: 3
Range: 7 half-steps
Language: Japanese.
Difficulty: Medium.
Lyrics
The second voice comes in after the first ho.
Ho, ho, hotaru koi. Atchi no mizu wa nigai zo. Kotchi no mizu wa amai zo. Ho, ho, hotaru koi.
English translation, translated by Kat Tanaka Okopnik:
Fireflies, come! The water over there is bitter. The water over here is sweet. Fireflies, come!
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Libana: “Hotaru Koi,” on Fire Within. You can listen to a similar Libana performance on YouTube.
Notes
As far as we’ve been able to determine, the original non-round version of this song is a Japanese children’s song. We’re not sure who adapted the original melody into a round, but it may have been Rō Ogura.
Ilu Finu
English words and music: Linda Hirschhorn.
Copyright © Linda Hirschhorn. Recorded and published by permission of the author.
Parts: 3
Range: 17 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
- Teaching:
- English version (demonstrated in 3 parts):
- Hebrew version (demonstrated solo):
Lyrics
Hebrew version, from the Shabbat morning service:
Ilu finu male shira ka-
yam. Ilu finu male shi-
ra ka-yam. Ilu ka-yam.
English version, by Linda Hirschhorn:
Let us have songs to fill our mouths as full as the
sea. Let us have songs to fill our mouths as full
as the sea, full as the sea.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Linda Hirschhorn with Vocolot: “Ilu Finu,” on Gather Round: Songs of Celebration and Renewal.
Joy in the Gates of Jerusalem
Words and music: Thomas Ravenscroft (1592–1633).
Parts: 6
Range: 12 half-steps
Difficulty: Easy to learn.
Our recordings
Lyrics
Joy in the
gates of
Jeru-
salem.
Peace be in
Zion.
Jubilate Deo
Words and music: Michael Praetorius (1571–1621).
Parts: 6
Range: 16 half-steps
Language: Latin.
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Lyrics
Jubi-
-late Deo.
Jubilate
Deo.
Allelu-
-ia!
Literal English translation:
Rejoice in God. Alleluia!
Lord, Turn Not Away Thy Face
Words and music: Thomas Ravenscroft (1592–1633).
Parts: 4
Range: 19 half-steps
Difficulty: Harder to learn.
Lyrics
Lord, turn not away Thy face from him that lies prostrate,
lamenting sore his sinful life before Thy mercy’s gate.
Which gate Thou open wide to those that do lament their sin.
Shut not that gate against me, Lord, but let me enter in.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Lord, Turn Not Away Thy Face,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 2.
May Lamb and Lion
Words and music: Lorraine Lee Hammond.
Copyright © Lorraine Lee Hammond. Recorded and published by permission of the author.
Parts: 4
Range: 15 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Lamb and Lion,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 2.
Misty Morning
Words and music: John Krumm.
Copyright © John Krumm. Recorded and published by permission of the author.
Parts: 4
Range: 13 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Lyrics
On a grey and misty morning,
I looked out upon the sea.
Sea birds cried, soft breezes sighed
as you sailed away.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by John Krumm: “Misty Morning,” on The Rounds of John Krumm. You can also listen to that track from the album for free on YouTube.
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Misty Morning,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 1.
My Heart Is Like a Singing Bird
Music copyright © 2010 by Lane Waldman. Recorded and published by permission of the composer.
Words: Christina Rossetti (1830–1894).
Music: Lane Waldman.
Parts: 4
Range: 17 half-steps
Difficulty: Harder to learn.
Our recordings
Lyrics
From Christina Rossetti’s poem “A Birthday.”
My heart is like a singing bird whose nest is in a water’d shoot;
my heart is like an apple-tree whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit; my
heart is like a rainbow shell that paddles in a halcyon sea; my
heart is gladder than all these, because my love is come to me.
Now I Walk in Beauty
Words and music: Unknown. Song is said to be of Native American origin.
Parts: 4
Range: 19 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Libana: “Now I Walk in Beauty,” on Fire Within.
Onawa’s Waltz
Words and music: John Krumm.
Copyright © John Krumm. Recorded and published by permission of the author.
Parts: 3
Range: 16 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Lyrics
I’ve been waiting all the day long to see the stars in your eyes.
My love, come dance with me now; see how the evening flies.
And as you sleep, my dear, know that I’ll be near, to hold you when you arise.
Sheet music
You can download sheet music for “Onawa’s Waltz” (PDF) for free from John Krumm’s website.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by John Krumm: “Onawa’s Waltz,” on The Rounds of John Krumm. You can also listen to that track from the album for free on YouTube.
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Onawa’s Waltz,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 1.
Notes
Written for Onawa Pardini.
Perfect Light
Words: Sarah Williams (1837–1868).
Music: Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809).
Parts: 5
Range: 15 half-steps
Difficulty: Harder to learn.
Our recordings
Lyrics
Though my soul may set in darkness,
it will rise in perfect light;
( ) I have loved the stars too
fondly to be fearful of the
night, fearful of the night.
Notes
The words are a slight variation of a couplet from Sarah Williams’s 1868 poem “The Old Astronomer,” sometimes known as “The Old Astronomer to His Pupil.”
We don’t know who set these words to this music.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “Perfect Light,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 3.
Rain Falls Down
Music copyright © Joanna Miller. Recorded and published by permission of the composer.
Words: Unknown.
Music: Joanna Miller.
Parts: 4
Range: 13 half-steps
Difficulty: Easy to learn.
Our recordings
Lyrics
Rain falls down on the streets where the cars go;
rain falls pitter-pat on my head.
Rain makes the grass grow;
rain makes the whole world wet.
Notes
The composer is uncertain where the words came from, and we’ve been unable to track down a source. If you know the origin of the words, please let us know.
Round and Round
Words and music: Unknown.
Parts: 3
Range: 10 half-steps
Difficulty: Easy to learn.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Libana: “Round and Round,” on A Circle Is Cast.
This Pretty Planet
Words and music: John Forster and Tom Chapin.
Parts: 3
Range: 12 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Lyrics
Lyrics on Tom Chapin’s website.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Tom Chapin et alia: “This Pretty Planet,” on Family Tree.
Recorded by The Rounds Galore and More Singers: “This Pretty Planet,” on Rounds Galore … and More, Volume 2. For an audio sample, see the CDBaby ordering page.
Winter
Words and music: John Krumm.
Copyright © John Krumm. Recorded and published by permission of the author.
Parts: 3
Range: 12 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Lyrics
When the winter comes, we gather, to dance and sing together. When the winter comes, we gather, to dance our cares away.
[clap] Everybody clap hands. [clap] [clap] Everybody sing now. [clap] Sing a song of gladness. [clap] [clap] Sing a song of joy.
Winter [clap], cold winter, blows hard against the windowpane; dance round [clap] the fire, ’til springtime comes again.
Sheet music
You can download sheet music for “Winter” (PDF) for free from John Krumm’s website.
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by John Krumm (faster than we usually sing it): “Winter,” on The Rounds of John Krumm. You can also listen to that track from the album for free on YouTube.
You Would Think…
Words and music: Joanne Hammil.
Copyright © Joanne Hammil. Recorded and published by permission of the author.
Parts: 4
Range: 12 half-steps
Difficulty: Medium.
Our recordings
Recordings elsewhere
Recorded by Joanne Hammil: “You Would Think…,” on Rounds and Partner Songs, Volume 1.