EVEN MORE Catherine Winkworth songs, and even more Catherine Winkworth songs on ukulele, someone stop me (don’t, I’m having fun even if no one else is.) These are actually re records of some of the ones I drafted last month. I’ve been experimenting with a couple simple things with the arrangement/recording —
A bunch of vocal harmonies, in this kind of light/breathy style.
I think this is my first song to feature whistling.
This one’s just a live recording, nothing fancy 🙂
I started to fear I was going to run out of suitable Catherine Winkworth material, but then I had a proper look at Christian Singers of Germany, her book of biographical sketches of Luther and others around the same time together with hymn translations, not all of which I’d seen elsewhere. Hooray!
Today I sketched out five songs, all on ukulele. One of them is actually……….. very famous. Ein feste Burg / A Mighty Fortress is our God………… The translation is a bit different than the most used English one, and I’ve taken a very different direction than Bach here however.
…As Thy beloved, soothe the sick and weeping, And bid the prisoner lose his griefs in sleeping; Widows and orphans we to Thee commend them, Do Thou, do Thou befriend them. (Evening Hymn – Bohemian Brethren)
…The world around is passing With all its pomp and pride; What men are here amassing Can never long abide; We die–and it is gone. But fear not, Christian sleeper, God is our mighty Keeper, And we shall wake anon…. (From God shall nought divide me – Louis Helmboldt)
…And were the world with devils filled, All eager to devour us, Our souls to fear should little yield, They cannot overpower us. Their dreaded Prince no more Can harm us as of yore; Look grim as e’er he may, Doomed is his ancient sway; A word can overthrow him… (Stronghold – Martin Luther)
…Ah Jesus Christ, my Lord! So meek in deed and word, Didst Thou not die to save us, Because Thou fain wouldst have us, After this life of sadness, Heirs of Thy heavenly gladness?… (In God my faithful God – Sigismund Weingartner)
…Ah! never can I praise enough The mercy Thou hast shown! When days were dark and storms were rough Thou mad’st Thy kindness known, Thy miracles of goodness then Thou sufferedst me to see; O Bread of Life! my heart again Cries, let me cling to Thee!…. (Burning Love, holy Flame – Anon.)
A bit different! here I am singing one of the Lullaby songs to this good boy.
Another little Eugene Field one just quickly. Nice easy ukulele strum.
Three more with ukulele.
This is the first Catherine Winkworth hymn that I actually wrote on ukulele, and it’s got a nice chill feel I think. I also had a go at modernising the language slightly here, and a few line rewrites of my own for rhymes that I broke on the way.
God, you are my rock of strength,
And my home is in your arms,
You will send me help at length,
And I will feel no wild alarms.
Sin nor Death can pierce the shield
Your defence has o’er me thrown,
Up to you myself I yield,
And my sorrows are your own.
When my trials are too long,
Unto you I look and wait,
Knowing none, though keen and strong,
Can my faith in you abate,
And this faith I long have nursed,
Comes from you, a gift so free;
You my heart did open first,
You have set this hope in me.
‘Neath the shadow of your wings
Keep me ever close to you,
In the peace your mercy brings,
Keep me all my journey through;
Be my All, in all I do,
Let me ever seek your will.
Where the heart to God is true,
All is peaceful, calm, and still.
Still working on those ukulele skills… They definitely have a Ways to go. But I recorded some of my old (from all the way back in March, so old) songs again and I think there’s definitely progress!
I also wrote a couple new ones. They are in a slightly different style, not sure if there’s any one reason for that… Again I’m using some old children’s poems, in this case from ‘Enchanted Tulips‘.
Sometime I might add chords or music — that and organise all these into sets now there are getting to be more of them… those are some possible next steps.
There was an Old Man (Edward Lear)
     Dm      F There was an old man who said How      Dm    F shall I flee from this horrible cow? Gm      Dm I will sit on this stile, and continue to smile  A7   Dm Which may soften the heart of the cow
The Boats Sail Away (Kate Greenaway)
Am CMaj7
The boats sail away like a bird on the wing
Am CMaj7
And the little boys dance on the sands in a ring
 F   G7 CMaj7
The winds may fall or the winds may rise
 F   G7 CMaj7
You're foolish to go, you will stay if you're wise
Am     CMaj7
The little boys dance and little girls run
Â
Dm   Am
If it's bad to have money, it's worse to have none
