ACSRS64 (Sitting Room Song)

This item is not in the library — it is a part of: C. Cardew (ed.), Nature Study Notes (full, 1969).

A small number of people arrange themselves in a circle. One person, using his voice only, makes a clear, easily imitable musical statement. He continues to repeat this statement for the duration of the whole 'first cycle' pausing freely between repeats. Meanwhile the person immediately to the right of the first person listens carefully to the former's statement and memorizes it. When he feels that he can reproduce it exactly with his own voice he does so, adding to it his own simple musical statement. He continues to repeat this combined statement. Similarly the person just to the right of the second person listens, memorizes and executes vocally the whole combined statement of the second person to which he adds his own. Pauses, repeats, etc. The process continues until the evolving "melody" is completed by the last person, over the repetitions of its parts.
At this point the second cycle begins. The last person repeats the whole melody as many times as there are participants. With each repeat he is joined in turn by the first, second, third, etc. singing in unison with him and each other. During this cycle each person continues to "sing" as described above until his turn to join the unison singing. The participants should seek to conserve their energies so that the unison singing is exuberant and joyous. People outside the circle may join in.


Notes

Alvin Curron: Sitting Room Song



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