Song List: A Child Of The King A Mighty Fortress Is Our God Abide with Me Amazing Grace At Calvary At the Cross Be Still, My Soul Beneath The Cross Of Jesus Beyond The Sunset Blessed Assurance Blest Be The Tie That Binds Break Thou The Bread Of Life Bringing In The Sheaves Christ Arose! Christ, the Lord, Is Risen Today Come, Thou Almighty King Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing Come, We That Love The Lord Come, Ye Thankful People, Come Count Your Blessings Crown Him with Many Crowns Day Is Dying In The West Face to Face with Christ My Savior Fairest Lord Jesus Faith of Our Fathers For The Beauty Of The Earth God Be With You God Of Our Fathers God Will Take Care of You Great Is Thy Faithfulness Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah Have Thine Own Way, Lord! He Leadeth Me He Lives He's Got The Whole World In His Hands Heavenly Sunlight Hiding In Thee His Eye Is On The Sparrow His Name Is Wonderful Holy, Holy, Holy How Firm A Foundation How Great Thou Art I Am His And He Is Mine I Am Thine, O Lord I Have Decided to Follow Jesus I Know Whom I Have Believed I Love To Tell The Story i need Thee Every hour In Christ There Is No East Or West In the Cross of Christ In the Garden It Came Upon the Midnight Clear It Is Well With My Soul Ivory Palaces Jesus Calls Us Jesus Is All The World To Me Jesus Loves Me! Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee Joy To The World Just A Closer Walk With Thee Just As I Am, Without One Plea Lead Me To Calvary Leaning on the Everlasting Arms Let The Lower Lights Be Burning Love Divine, All Loves Excelling More About Jesus Would I Know More Love To Thee My Faith Looks Up To Thee My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less My Jesus, I Love Thee Near The Cross Near to the Heart of God Nearer, My God, to Thee No, Not One! Now Thank We All Our God O Come, All Ye Faithful O For A Heart To Praise My God O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing O God, Our Help In Ages Past O Happy Day Oh, How He Loves You and Me! Oh, How I Love Jesus O Little Town of Bethlehem O Love That Will Not Let Me Go O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee O Worship the King Only Trust Him Onward, Christian Soldiers Open My Eyes, That I May See Pass Me Not Rescue the Perishing Revive Us Again Rock Of Ages Safe In The Arms Of Jesus Saved By Grace Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us Shall We Gather at the River? Showers Of Blessing Silent Night! Holy Night! Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus Standing On The Promises Sweet By And By Sweet Hour of Prayer Take My Life and Let It Be Take The Name Of Jesus With You Take Time To Be Holy Tell Me The Old, Old Story The Bond Of Love The Church In The Wildwood The Church's One Foundation The Light Of The World Is Jesus The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want The Old Rugged Cross This Is My Father's World 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus Trust and Obey Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus Were You There? What a Friends We Have in Jesus When I Survey the Wondrous Cross When Morning Gilds the Skies When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder Wonderful Words Of Life

The Water Is Wide (O Waly Waly)
Duration: 5:24
Score: 10 pg. 121 ms., MM quarter = 94, final verse MM quarter = 80, common time
Solo part: 3 pg.
Piano part: 4 pg.

A thought-provoking arrangement of a Traditional Scottish Folksong. Probably most widely known as "The Water Is Wide,"
it is also well known by it's more ancient title: "O Waly Waly." The tune is also known as " When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," and "The Gift of Love."
This is an original arrangement from the ground up.

Programming:
If you are looking for something with new contrapuntal and harmonic adventures for a Lenten prelude or a meditation during Holy Week, this will fit the bill.
It could also work well in a recital setting because it fits well on the instrument, and provides a chance to show off long, sensitive musical phrases.
Some of the figures in the descant verse are a wee-bit more advanced so, this is for intermediate players rather than beginners.

Keep in mind these performance ideas:
1. It's a simple tune that needs to unfold in the due course of time, so don't rush it. A slight ritardando at the end of each verse may help if you want to further delineate the verses.
2. There is a lot of interesting counterpoint here, so be prepared to give-and-take on the dynamics more than what I have indicated.
3. The final verse is much slower and more mysterious, and the dynamics are crucial - the quieter the better. Piano - the last chord: take your time on the roll, make it nice and slow.

Synopsis of the arrangement:
verse 1: Simple quiet duet with the melody in the solo instrument.
verse 2: Melody in the solo instrument accompanied by a 2-part canon in the piano.
verse 3: Melody in the piano in 4-part harmony.
verse 4: 3-part canon on the melody (with a free accompaniment voice).
verse 5: 2-part canon with a free accompaniment in the solo part
verse 6: Melody in octaves with free bass in octaves; descant in the solo part - loudest verse.
verse 7: Very quiet ending verse - Modulates down a fourth, melody in the solo part accompanied by simple quartal/quintal
piano clusters over bass chords that suggest submerged church bells.

For better insight into the performance of this music: express the emotion indicated by the lyrics:

The Water Is Wide:
The water is wide, I cannot get over
Neither have I wings to fly
Give me a boat that can carry two
And both shall row, my love and I
A ship there is and she sails the sea
She's loaded deep as deep can be
But not so deep as the love I'm in
I know not if I sink or swim
I leaned my back against an oak
Thinking it was a trusty tree
But first it bent and then it broke
So did my love prove false to me
I reached my finger into some soft bush
Thinking the fairest flower to find
I pricked my finger to the bone
And left the fairest flower behind
Oh love be handsome and love be kind
Gay as a jewel when first it is new
But love grows old and waxes cold
And fades away like the morning dew
Must I go bound while you go free
Must I love a man who doesn't love me
Must I be born with so little art
As to love a man who'll break my heart
When cockle shells turn silver bells
Then will my love come back to me
When roses bloom in winter's gloom
Then will my love return to me

The lyrics for "Waly, Waly, Gin Love Be Bonny" from Ramsay's Tea Table Miscellany (1724).

O Waly, waly (a lament ? "woe is me") up the bank,
And waly, waly doun the brae (hill),
And waly, waly, yon burn-side (riverside),
Where I and my love wont to gae.
I lean'd my back into an aik (oak),
I thocht it was a trusty tree;
But first it bow'd, and syne (soon) it brak (broke),
Sae my true love did lightly me.

O waly, waly, but love be bonnie (beautiful),
A little time while it is new,
But when 'tis auld (old), it waxeth cauld (cold),
And fades away like the morning dew.
O wherefore should I busk my heid (adorn my head)?
Or wherefore should I kame (comb) my hair?
For my true love has me forsook,
And says he'll never love me mair (more).

Now Arthur Seat shall be my bed,
The sheets shall ne'er be fyl'd by me,
Saint Anton's well shall be my drink,
Since my true love has forsaken me.
Martinmas wind, when wilt thou blaw (blow),
And shake the green leaves off the tree?
O gentle death, when wilt thou come?
For of my life I am weary.

'Tis not the frost, that freezes fell,
Nor blawing snaws (snow) inclemency,
'Tis not sic cauld (such cold) that makes me cry,
But my love's heart grown cauld to me.
When we cam in by Glasgow town,
We were a comely sight to see;
My love was clad in the black velvet,
And I my sell in cramasie (crimson).

But had I wist (known), before I kiss'd,
That love had been sae ill to win,
I'd lock my heart in a case of gold,
And pin'd it with a silver pin.
Oh, oh! if my young babe were born,
And set upon the nurse's knee,
And I my sell were dead and gane,
For a maid again I'll never be.[4]
(Lyrics courtesy of Wikipedia)


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James M. Guthrie, ASCAP
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