2023 February Gayle Neuman

Canine Carnival!

Come play this Sunday if you can – I’m very much looking forward to directing the PRS session on February 5th. It’s at St. David of Wales, 2880 SE Harrison St, Portland, OR 97214 at 2:00pm. Bring recorders, strings, and reed instruments, and I’ll also bring a piece that works on bagpipes along with the other instruments – Note to the bagpipers: the melody fits on a c’ – d” chanter with a F drone.

The pieces I’ve selected range from the 15th century to the 20th century. We’ll start with “Branle de Malte” (Maltese Branle) in honor of the Maltese dog breed from Thoinot Arbeau’s dance treatise “Orchesographie” from 1589. We’ll follow that with the anonymous early 17th century English consort song “Of all jolly pastimes,” about the recreational employment of bulldogs.

What were common dog names in the early 16th century? Find out by playing the phenomenal “Alla cazza” from Italy around 1500 that describes hunting with dogs that are called individually by name.

After that we’ll read through Ravenscroft’s hunting song “Hey, trola” from “A Briefe Discourse” (1614) where the barking of the dogs is included in the lyrics. You can find out what ‘early dog’ sounded like. Next will be the rousing 15th century caccia “Tosto che l’alba” from 1405 by Gherardello da Firenze, where you will discover which dog retrieved the deer.

For a big 20th century finish, we will play an arrangement of Shelton Brook’s lively “Walkin’ the Dog” written for the Dancing Follies of 1916. (Not to be confused with Gershwin’s “Promenade: Walking the Dog,” which we recently played in the Monday night class at the Community Music Center.) The lyrics at the end of the chorus are “Like you’re sitting on a log/ Rise slow, that will show/The dance called Walkin’ the Dog.”

I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing you all!

~ Gayle

Organize the pieces in the following order because that will be how we play them. People may want to print out only one part each to “Alla cazza,” “Hey, trola,” “Tosto che l’alba,” and “Walkin’ the Dog.”

Click here to download the music for this session in one file. (32 pages)

Click below if you want to download the music one file at a time.