Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson

Subject: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 03 Oct 05 - 04:45 PM

Betsy sang an absolutely beautiful version of this at Sunnycamp...Genie said you could download the tune off Prairie Home Cmopanion..I looked and didn't see how or where..anyone have any ideas? It was just a wonderful tune..I had heard tunes to this before but none appealed to me but this one. mg

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: curmudgeon
Date: 03 Oct 05 - 05:06 PM

There's an exceptionally fine version of this on Jeff Warner's new CD, available here - Tom

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 03 Oct 05 - 05:16 PM

Rani Arbo (currently of Daisy Mayhem)wrote a beautiful melody for the version I've heard. She recorded it on the Salamander Crossing album "Bottleneck Dreams," and you can hear a sample here:

Amazon.com

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Oct 05 - 05:19 PM

That line And may there be no moaning of the bar always makes me think of the Tap and Spile at Whitby. (Here is the full text of the poem.)

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: Jeri
Date: 03 Oct 05 - 05:22 PM

Jeff said she changed the order of the verses too. If it's Rani Arbo's tune:

In D, the first line would go: F# F# G F# E F# F# E D D E F# F# F# F#

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: Saro
Date: 04 Oct 05 - 06:49 AM

If my memory serves me well, "Crossing the bar" was one of the last poems that Tennyson wrote, and he requested that it should always be printed as the last poem in any collection of his work. I've been told that Rani was shown the poem by an elderly woman who was in a hospice, and was inspired to write the tune... And it certainly is an inspiring tune. Craig; Morgan; Robson have just added it their repertoire (and can just about get through it without crying, but with difficulty).
Sarah
PS Rani altered the order of the verses, but I think it works just as well in the original order.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: GUEST,BB
Date: 04 Oct 05 - 05:36 PM

Yes Sarah, it was a late Tennyson poem - 1889. This lovely song keeps popping up here at Mudcat.

I talked about Rani's story in an earlier thread from about a year ago. The dying woman from whom she got a line of the poem was either her own grandmother, or her husband's.
Go here to read that earlier (brief) thread:
thread.cfm?threadid=75005#1312390

Jeff (Warner) told me that Craig;Morgan;Robson intended to make fast tracks on that song - I'm impressed that it happened SO fast!!

I agree, the verses work just as well either way; we decided to go with Rani's order since that was the way we'd heard (learned) it.

Meanwhile, I hope Guest,mg is getting somewhere with her quest for a decent copy of the tune. If not, Guest, write to Jeff Warner through his website contact page (www.jeffwarner.com), tell him what you want and we'll get you an mp3 of one verse, for learning the song.

Barbara

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: Jeri
Date: 04 Oct 05 - 06:04 PM

BB/Barbara sings exquisite harmony on the CD, including this song.

BB, 'mg' is Mary Garvy, who has written at least one song I know of which was recorded by Gordon Bok.

I have a book that belonged to my paternal grandfather: Tennyson's Complete Poems. It doesn't have "Crossing the Bar." Guess he possibly hadn't written it yet.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 04 Oct 05 - 06:05 PM

Thanks everyone...I shall pursue this....but I will be forever fixated on the way they sang it at Sunnycamp...it was just so sweet and the scenery in the background was so perfect.... mg

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Nov 17 - 11:48 AM

I learned the Ranni Arbo / Craig; Morgan; Robson version of this at Folk Camp in three part harmony. Would love to know where I can find / purchase the score.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 08 Nov 17 - 01:14 PM

The CMR score is in one of their books entitled "When the Snows of Winter Fall" (Graeme Miles song). If you buy the whole book, you'll get arrangements of 12 of their songs.
Since we very sadly lost Sarah Morgan, I think Carolyn Robson would be the one to contact. She is on Facebook, so you could send her a pm. Or pm me, and I'll send you her email address. (Not gonna post it publicly).

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Nov 17 - 01:47 PM

Just to clarify - am I correct in thinking that the melody was written by Rani Arbo, not by CMR? I don't see it listed at the Harry Fox Agency songfile.com.

In the Rise Again Songbook, we have "music ©1997 Rani Arbo, www.raniarbo.com

I can't find documentation for how we licensed the song, but we licensed it from Rani Arbo. I'm guessing that our publisher, Hal Leonard, already had a license agreement on file for that one.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 08 Nov 17 - 06:31 PM

Yes: Rani is credited in their book as the composer. The 3-part arrangement is copyrighted to CMR Sept 2005. Sorry if I didn't make that clear when I talked about "the CMR score".

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Nov 17 - 08:09 PM

By the way, Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem are excellent folk musicians who emphasize traditional music. Take a listen to them on YouTube. I think you'll like them a lot.

I hadn't known of Craig, Morgan, and Robson. They're very good, too. Guess I need to buy some recordings.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: RTim
Date: 08 Nov 17 - 08:13 PM

Joe - Craig, Morgan, and Robson are no longer performing as Sarah Morgan died a couple of years ago - however their CD's are still available - I think...

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: Jeri
Date: 08 Nov 17 - 09:08 PM

Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem (the band)

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: Jeri
Date: 08 Nov 17 - 09:11 PM

Joe, I'm pretty sure two of CMR (Morgan & Craig) have posted here in the past.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 08 Nov 17 - 10:29 PM

The Spooky Men's Chorale, based in the Blue Mountains just West of Sydney, have recorded the Rani Arbo setting (though I'm sure they have reworked the arrangment). When I typed

spooky men crossing the bar

into the internet, it responded with at least half a dozen of their performances.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Nov 17 - 12:47 AM

The lead singer in the group Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem is female, so I supposed her name was Daisy Mayhem. Turns out that Rani Arbo is leader of the band, and she's definitely female.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Crossing the bar - Tennyson
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 09 Nov 17 - 12:01 PM

Yes, Sarah Morgan sadly died in 2013: she was the one who did most of the arrangements. We have had the trio do workshops up in Scotland, and later, Moira and Carolyn.
Moira Craig and Carolyn Robson did take a break after that but are still out there performing and running harmony workshops, notably at Whitby Folk Week, Moira doing the Ballad workshops at Sidmouth, and Carolyn some solo work.
We chose the CMR version of "Crossing the Bar" for my Dad's funeral, he having been in the Royal Navy, the imagery was perfect.
The Spooky Men's version of "Crossing the Bar" is also very beautiful, nice and slow.