I have a gorgeous little duet piece called 'Spreading the News' by an Herbert Oliver, a relatively unknown composer of the 1930's which I have not used for years and years. I tried to find some information about the man, but came up with almost nothing. Last week I decided that my three talented teens M, S and S deserved a really fun concert piece, and this immediately sprang into my somewhat frazzled brain ! I stayed up all night on Thursday to hear the referendum result, so Friday was something of a fog, and thankfully no teaching, as any pupil may have got extremely short shrift I fear !
This little two part song is fast and furious and all four pages will be over in about one minute 13 seconds ! It is quite relentless and very very wordy. All of them were so pleased to be given it, and straight way beamed with delight at the idea of the fastest song any of them have ever had !
It is a sweet and rather 1930's poem about garden birds passing on the good news that spring has arrived one by one to all the other birds, and then to a three year old child who eventually tells the narrator who 'tells the whole house then', 'the news, the news, the happy happy news that the spring has come again!'..........
Such innocent words, such light and frothy vocal lines, it is child parlour music free of anything other than smiley simplicity and pre late 20th/21st century worldliness.
My very modern teenage performers in May 2014 !
What a joy that 21st century early teenagers enjoy it as wholly as a child of that long lost era of dresses with frills and ankle socks.
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