Fiddlerina Wows Audiences Again (Wife Brag)
Dec 17, 2014 21:33:34 GMT -5
mnhermit, aquaduct, and 2 more like this
Post by Dub on Dec 17, 2014 21:33:34 GMT -5
Castle Ridge was asked again this year to be part of a Christmas show our friends put on at the Iowa Theatre Artists Company in Amana, IA. It's always well attended and we finish the weekend by reprising the show Sunday evening at the Sharon Center United Methodist Church.
This year, Fiddlerina came down with a seriously bad cold/respiratory thing two days before the show. By show time Friday night she could barley croak out a sentence, let alone sing. We couldn't let everyone down so we figured we could just play instrumentals if that's what it came to. We had some vocals where Fiddlerina only had a harmony part on the chorus and she dove in on those and somehow pulled it off. But one of the tunes we had prepared to do was The Cherry Tree Carol. I play some arpeggiated chords (C,Em,F,C,Am,Em,F,C,F,G7,C) while Fiddlerina sings the verses with beautiful fiddle interludes. Fiddlerina indicated she wanted to try it so we began. When we got to where she is supposed to sing I half expected her to pass and just play the fiddle. She surprised me by simply reciting (croaking) each verse over the chords as poetry. It was clearly a struggle for her just to speak the words into the mic. After she'd recited all the verses, she played the melody and finished.
You could have heard a pin drop. Then the whole audience just exploded. After the show several audience members came to the stage to tell her how wonderful her recitation was. With that encouragement, and sans voice, she repeated that for the remaining shows and every time got the same reaction. Someone recorded the Sunday evening show and now people are requesting a copy of Fiddlerina doing her recitation of The Cherry Tree Carol. I'm told she actually had people in tears.
THE CHERRY TREE CAROL
When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he,
He courted Virgin Mary the queen of Galilee,
He courted Virgin Mary the queen of Galilee.
Joseph and Mary walked through a garden green,
There were berries and cherries as thick as might be seen,
There were berries and cherries as thick as might be seen.
Mary said to Joseph so meek and so mild,
"Joseph, gather me some cherries for I am with child,
Joseph, gather me some cherries for I am with child."
Then Joseph flew in anger, in anger flew he,
"Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee,
Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee."
Then up spoke baby Jesus from in Mary's womb,
"Thou cherry tree bow down low, that my mother might have some,
Thou cherry tree bow down low, that my mother might have some."
Then the cherry tree bowed down low, down to Mary's hand,
Said Mary, "Look Joseph, I have cherries by command,"
Said Mary, "Look Joseph, I have cherries by command."
Then Joseph took Mary all on his right knee,
And said "Tell me little baby when your birthday will be,"
Said "Tell me little baby when your birthday will be,"
"On the sixth day of January my birthday will be,
And the stars and the elements will tremble with fear,
And the stars and the elements will tremble with fear."
This year, Fiddlerina came down with a seriously bad cold/respiratory thing two days before the show. By show time Friday night she could barley croak out a sentence, let alone sing. We couldn't let everyone down so we figured we could just play instrumentals if that's what it came to. We had some vocals where Fiddlerina only had a harmony part on the chorus and she dove in on those and somehow pulled it off. But one of the tunes we had prepared to do was The Cherry Tree Carol. I play some arpeggiated chords (C,Em,F,C,Am,Em,F,C,F,G7,C) while Fiddlerina sings the verses with beautiful fiddle interludes. Fiddlerina indicated she wanted to try it so we began. When we got to where she is supposed to sing I half expected her to pass and just play the fiddle. She surprised me by simply reciting (croaking) each verse over the chords as poetry. It was clearly a struggle for her just to speak the words into the mic. After she'd recited all the verses, she played the melody and finished.
You could have heard a pin drop. Then the whole audience just exploded. After the show several audience members came to the stage to tell her how wonderful her recitation was. With that encouragement, and sans voice, she repeated that for the remaining shows and every time got the same reaction. Someone recorded the Sunday evening show and now people are requesting a copy of Fiddlerina doing her recitation of The Cherry Tree Carol. I'm told she actually had people in tears.
THE CHERRY TREE CAROL
When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he,
He courted Virgin Mary the queen of Galilee,
He courted Virgin Mary the queen of Galilee.
Joseph and Mary walked through a garden green,
There were berries and cherries as thick as might be seen,
There were berries and cherries as thick as might be seen.
Mary said to Joseph so meek and so mild,
"Joseph, gather me some cherries for I am with child,
Joseph, gather me some cherries for I am with child."
Then Joseph flew in anger, in anger flew he,
"Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee,
Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee."
Then up spoke baby Jesus from in Mary's womb,
"Thou cherry tree bow down low, that my mother might have some,
Thou cherry tree bow down low, that my mother might have some."
Then the cherry tree bowed down low, down to Mary's hand,
Said Mary, "Look Joseph, I have cherries by command,"
Said Mary, "Look Joseph, I have cherries by command."
Then Joseph took Mary all on his right knee,
And said "Tell me little baby when your birthday will be,"
Said "Tell me little baby when your birthday will be,"
"On the sixth day of January my birthday will be,
And the stars and the elements will tremble with fear,
And the stars and the elements will tremble with fear."
