Newfoundland Ballads for Piano and Voice
When I was just a girl, I became fascinated with ballads from the oral tradition of the island I call home. The pursuit of these songs has led me to nooks and crannies all over Newfoundland and Labrador, and into the homes and hearts of some of the most wonderful people I have ever had the privilege to know – the tradition bearers and elders of a vanishing breed.
– from the introduction
In this beautiful volume, acclaimed folk musician Pamela Morgan offers arrangements for twelve of the ballads she most loves. Renowned for her stirring voice and her haunting arrangements of the traditional music of Newfoundland and Labrador, Morgan is one of the province’s most respected folk musicians, and was a key figure in the ground-breaking folk-rock group Figgy Duff, which played an essential role in Newfoundland’s cultural renaissance. These arrangements for piano and voice combine Morgan’s exquisite musicality with her intimate knowledge of the Island’s musical traditions.
The book includes scores for such songs as “The Banks of Newfoundland,” “Seven Years,” “Early Spring,” “Thomas and Nancy,” “Le Vingt-cinq de Juillet,” and “Ye Rambling Boys,” as well as notes on the songs and singers from whom they were collected. It also includes Morgan’s original illustrations.
Newfoundland Ballads for Piano and Voice is a co-publication with Amber Music.
The text of the book was commercially printed by The Lowe-Martin Group, using copy prepared by Morgan. The covers are canal paper from La Papeterie Saint-Armand, and have been letterpress printed, after her design, at Running the Goat Press. The books are hand-sewn in an edition of 750 copies.
