Lyr Add: Beautiful Bird, Sing On

Subject: ADD: Beautiful Bird, Sing On
From: radriano
Date: 11 Jul 02 - 04:28 PM

A number of years ago while browsing on the Bodleian Library website I came across this song about birds that I liked a lot. Since broadsides don't come with melodies (and no tune was suggested on the sheet itself) I decided to try my hand at composing a tune for it.


Beautiful Bird, Sing On
Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads, Harding Collection

Beautiful bird in the morning sing,
Messenger dear the sunlight to bring,
While there are sorrowing hearts to cheer,
Beautiful bird thy mission is clear,
Fly while the morning dew silvers thy wing;
Bright with the lustre of early spring,
Singing wherever the dark shadows fall.
One little song will dispel them all
Sing on, beautiful bird

Beautiful bird in the window, sing,
Melodies rare, bright herald of spring,
Little bird render for summers to come,
Happy the heart and happy the home
Sing at the parting to soften the pain,
Sing till the greeting brings joys again,
Ever keep flying near sorrow and pain,
Bring back the smile to the sad eyes again,
Sing on, beautiful bird

Welcome the morning smile on the hill,
Sing open the eyes then slumbering still
And when the shadows of evening fall
Sing a good-night to the little ones all
Sing to the mariner out on the sea
Sing of the home he is longing to see
When loved ones vanish and bright hopes decay
Sing in the willow shade so tenderly
Sing on, beautiful bird

ABC Notation:

X:1
T:Beautiful Bird, Sing On
M:3/4
L:1/8
C:melody by R. Adrianowicz
S:Bodleian Library of Broadside Ballads, Harding Collection
K:F
C3F G2 | A2G2F2 | B2A2G2 | A6 |
A2F2D2 | C4A2 | B2c3A | G6 |
B3cd2 | c2A2G2 | F4D2 | B6 |
G3AF2 | C4A2 | BG2EF2 |
A2B2c2 |G2A2B2 | FG AB G2 |
A2F2D2 | C4A2 |B4G2 | F6 |
A2B2c2 | G2A2B2 | A2G2F2 | C6 |
G2A3F | C4A2 | B4E2 | F4 | c2 |
c3BG2 | GA BA G2-|G4 z2||

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Beautiful Bird, Sing On
From: MMario
Date: 11 Jul 02 - 04:30 PM

*grin*

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Beautiful Bird, Sing On
From: radriano
Date: 11 Jul 02 - 04:32 PM

Yikes! Sorry, somehow I posted the lyrics twice in the same post. Hopefully one of the Mudcat elves can fix that.

---

With pleasure, Richard.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Beautiful Bird, Sing On
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 12 Jul 02 - 04:25 AM

I can remember "Mr Gladstone's Bag" singing it, they were copying a recording on an Edison phonograph cylinder. They used some sort of megaphones which made a scraping/hissing noise and a "Pneumatic Nightingale" an overgrown version of one those water-filled bird-warbler whistles. Their contraption was made out of a whistle stuck down the spout of a watering can, powered by a car tyre pump. The actual sound was very similiar to that of the recording.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Beautiful Bird, Sing On
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 12 Jul 02 - 05:20 AM

It seems that the song was written (words and music) by John Oxenford. You can hear a 1903 recording by Joseph Belmont at The Virtual Gramophone.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Beautiful Bird, Sing On
From: MMario
Date: 12 Jul 02 - 09:04 AM

radriano - should that c2 at the end of the eighth line be c6? or is there a missing rest?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Beautiful Bird, Sing On
From: radriano
Date: 12 Jul 02 - 05:30 PM

How interesting. I don't have a sound card here at work but I'll give that link a listen to at home.

MMario, no, I think that note should be much shorter and a part of the next measure. I'll go over it at home.

Dave Bryant, I'm glad you posted here. I had forgotten about that business with the song "An Anchor God." I'm sorry, I should have followed up on that better. I became overwhelmed with a recording project and I blanked everything else out of my mind. I'll call him again and see what he has to say.