I've been blessed over my conducting career to always have wonderful accompanists with amazing talents. You will need such an individual playing the piano part for this arrangement. It is quite challenging, and you'll want to show the part to your accompanist before commiting to the challenge.
"I Dyed My Petticoat Red" is a variant of the old Irish song, "Siúil a Rún", collected in Maritme Canada by folklorist Dr. Helen Creighton. It's sung from a woman's perspective, but I was intrigued (perhaps amused) that it was sung to Dr. Creighton by a man. For that reason, I set the first two verses for the men of the choir ("I wish, and I wish, and I wish in vain/ I wish I was a young maid again...").
The song is in G Aeolian, but there are many instances of some rather complex harmonies andtricky ryhthms, particularly in the 3rd verse. Your choir should be strong and experienced. When I have performed this work with my own choirs, I usually pair it with "Biddy Rooney", another Irish song that has similar challenges.
Click "VIEW SCORE SAMPLE" on the repertoire list page to see the first 4 pages of this arrangement.
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