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Abbie Betinis
Abbie Betinis Music Company
Morning Round/Awake, Awake, Ye Sleepers
These two upbeat, flexible rounds greet the day with joy and gratitude.
Flexible (round, partner song, or double canon)
With the opening lyrics “Hello sun, thank you for this day…” these flexible rounds for all skill levels greet the day with joy and gratitude. While each is fulfilling on its own, singing both rounds simultaneously is especially fulfilling. Beginning singers can stay on the largely stepwise “Morning Round” (4-part round) while more advanced vocalists leap into the bugle-call of “Awake Awake Ye Sleepers” (3-part round) forming a fun and inviting partner song, or a double canon in up to 7 parts. Appropriate year-round, its aspirational message to “shine more love in every way” sets a positive, upbeat tone for the school day, morning worship, festivals, or even the concert stage.
Note: PDF is designed to print double-sided in landscape mode, then simply fold down the middle for a small booklet.
Composer’s Notes
When I was little, my mom used to burst into my room on Saturday mornings singing “Awake awake ye sleepers, the sun is in the sky…” I could never resist singing rounds (I still can’t), so if I started singing with her, she knew I was awake. It was her sneaky trick.
I still sing rounds to myself all the time. I like trying to imagine each part singing with me. One crisp fall morning, as the sun streamed into my window, “Morning Round” started singing in my head. I jotted it down in a little notebook I keep by my bed, and only later realized that it fits as a double-canon (two different rounds that can be sung at the same time) with… what else? …but that old friendly tune, “Awake, Awake, Ye Sleepers.”
So this booklet has both rounds, side-by-side. You can try singing them together or apart. You can try them as a solo (while you imagine another part), as duets, or in double-canon in up to 7 different parts.
But most importantly: don’t forget to try them out by waking up your family in the morning!
– Abbie Betinis
A Note on Instrumentation: This score is a cappella, but you may find it effective with various instruments accompanying, or doubling the melody lines. I love when ensembles experiment with instrumentation and accompaniment to make my canons fit your needs.
Text
MORNING ROUND
Hello Sun, thank you for this day,
To shine more love in every way,
In learning, laughing, work and play,
Hello Sun, thank you for this day.
– © 2013, Abbie Betinis.
AWAKE, AWAKE, YE SLEEPERS
Awake, awake, ye sleepers,
The sun is in the sky.
Arise! Arise! And hear the cuckoo cry:
Cuckoo. Cuckoo. Awake! ‘Tis nigh!
– traditional (19th c.)
These texts may be reprinted from this website for use in concert programs and for promotional use as related to this musical work, with credit to the authors.
$1.00 per licensed PDF
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