Ah, Poor Bird

England

HISTORY AND SONG NOTES

Ah, Poor Bird is a folksong from England. While listening to or singing this song, the children can rock their bodies to feel the meter of the song. They can also experience singing piano, legato, and creating smooth phrases with their voices.

In addition to the lyrics in the score above, often used verses for this song include:

Ah, Poor Bird, take your flight, up above the sorrow of this dark night.

Come to rest in my hand, may we fly together to a foreign land.

This song can also be performed as a round, with older children who know the song confidently and with adult help. The round begins on the second measure, on the word “take”.

AUDIO RECORDING FOR LISTENING, SINGING ALONG, AND LEARNING:

You’ll notice that in the recording below Ah, Poor Bird is paired with another folksongs, Hey, Ho, Nobody Home. These songs share the same harmonic structure, and can be sung together. Young children will not be able to sing two or more overlapping songs independently as you hear in this recording without considerable practice and teacher help; however, listening to overlapping songs or songs with different vocal parts is one way that we first introduce children to the concept of harmony.

 
 

PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT:

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