G'day Paul,
Sorry I hadn't got around to transcribing the dots ... but I met up with Lyell Sayers at the (Australian) National Folk Festival, in Canberra - over Easter. I now have photocopies of Lyell's original typescript/hand corrected lyrics ... and his manuscript music for the song!
Lyell has written out the tune in the key of C ... but notes, at the bottom, that he actually sang in A (which I had noticed, listening to the LP) - playing G chords with a capo on the second fret. I have keyed in the tune and shifted it down to A - and saved to a MIDI file and then to the old ("not supported by Mudcat") MIDItxt program. This file can be converted via the old DOS-based app ... or you can extract the ABC notation it includes. I'll e-mail the MIDI file to MMario, as well, so it may end up in the DT ... eventually.
Here are the words (slightly adjusted to Lyell's version - bolding indicates adjustments):
Lament for Namatjira
Words & Music © Lyell Sayer. Recorded on his LP Victoria St., the songs of Lyell Sayer
Larrikin Records LRF-146, 1984
Now Albert Namatjira was a member of the tribe
Who roam McDonnell's Ranges, in the Territory so wide;
And he captured all the beauty of that wide and sunny land,
With the colours of his palette and the sureness of his hand.
Now the canvas standing empty and the palette lying dry,
And ghost gums posing patiently, beneath the cloudless sky -
But the trees there seem to weep and the gentle breezes sigh,
For Albert Namatjira … is gone from his land.
The products of his skill and eye, were famous through the land,
His canvases were valuable and, so, in great demand.
But Albert lived, as always, on the age-old tribal lands
And shared his wealth with everyone, as tribal law demands.
Now the canvas standing empty and the palette lying dry,
And ghost gums posing patiently, beneath the cloudless sky -
But the trees there seem to weep and the gentle breezes sigh,
For Albert Namatjira … is gone from his land.
The right of drinking liquor was given then to him,
A right denied, by white-man's law, to members of his kin.
But tribal law insisted that, by right, what's yours is mine,
So Albert was arrested - and sentenced for his crime.
Now Albert lies forsaken, in a lonely desert grave,
In gaol he died, a broken man that pity could have saved …
The victim of two cultures that didn't understand -
So let him be remembered as a martyr to this land.
Now the canvas standing empty and the palette lying dry,
And ghost gums posing patiently, beneath the cloudless sky -
But the trees there seem to weep and the gentle breezes sigh,
For Albert Namatjira … is gone from his land.
From Lyell's typescript of the words … adjusted to his manuscript music and first verse words (closer to what's on the LP).
And here's the MIDItxt file of the tune:
MIDI file: namatjir.mid
Timebase: 240
TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Tempo: 128 (468750 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0720 1 61 080 0096 0 61 064 0024 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 68 080 0192 0 68 064 0048 1 66 080 0576 0 66 064 0144 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 68 080 0096 0 68 064 0024 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 68 080 0192 0 68 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0072 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 59 080 0576 0 59 064 0144 1 61 080 0096 0 61 064 0024 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 68 080 0192 0 68 064 0048 1 66 080 0576 0 66 064 0144 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 68 080 0096 0 68 064 0024 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 68 080 0192 0 68 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0072 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 59 080 0576 0 59 064 0144 1 61 080 0096 0 61 064 0024 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 68 080 0192 0 68 064 0048 1 66 080 0576 0 66 064 0144 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 68 080 0096 0 68 064 0024 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 68 080 0192 0 68 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0096 0 66 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0072 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 59 080 0576 0 59 064 0144 1 61 080 0096 0 61 064 0024 1 59 080 0096 0 59 064 0024 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 64 080 0450 0 64 064 0030 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 68 080 0192 0 68 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 64 080 0384 0 64 064 0096 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 68 080 0192 0 68 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 66 080 0384 0 66 064 0096 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 62 080 0384 0 62 064 0096 1 61 080 0192 0 61 064 0048 1 59 080 0192 0 59 064 0048 1 57 080 0768 0 57 064
End
This program is worth the effort of learning it.
To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here
ABC format:
X:1
T:
M:4/4
Q:1/4=128
K:C
^C7B,|A,2A,2A,2^C2|E2E2E2E2|^F2^F2^F2^G2|
^F6^F^G|A2A2^G2^F2|^FEA3E3|^F2E2D2^C2|B,6^CB,|
A,2A,2A,2^C2|E2E2E2E2|^F2^F2^F2^G2|^F6^F^G|
A2A2^G2^F2|^FEA3E3|^F2E2D2^C2|B,6^CB,|A,2A,2A,2^C2|
E2E2E2E2|^F2^F2^F2^G2|^F6^F^G|A2A2^G2^F2|
^FEA3E3|^F2E2D2^C2|B,6^CB,|A,2A,2A,2^C2|E4E2E2|
^F2E2^F2^G2|A2E4E2|A2A2A2^G2|^F2^F4^C2|D4^C2B,2|
A,13/2||
Regards,
Bob