Cumulative song
Encyclopedia
A cumulative song is a song
whose verses are built from earlier verses, usually by adding a new stanza
to the previous verse. A simple cumulative song having n verses is structured as
or
sometimes with a common chorus included with each verse. When sung, the repeated stanzas are sometimes varied or abbreviated.
Cumulative songs are popular for group singing, in part because they require relatively little memorization
of lyrics
, and because remembering the previous verse to concatenate it to form the current verse can become a kind of game.
folk music
contains many prominent examples of cumulative songs, including "?װאָס װעט זײַן אַז משיח װעט קומען" and "מה אספּרה," or "What Will Happen When the Messiah Comes?" and "Who Can Recall" (a Yiddish version of the Passover song "Echad mi yode'a").
The Passover seder
contains two cumulative songs: Echad mi yode'a and Chad Gadya
.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
whose verses are built from earlier verses, usually by adding a new stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
to the previous verse. A simple cumulative song having n verses is structured as
- stanza1
- stanza2 stanza1
- ⋮
- stanzan stanzan-1 … stanza1
or
- stanza1
- stanza1 stanza2
- ⋮
- stanza1 stanza2 … stanzan
sometimes with a common chorus included with each verse. When sung, the repeated stanzas are sometimes varied or abbreviated.
Cumulative songs are popular for group singing, in part because they require relatively little memorization
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
of lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, and because remembering the previous verse to concatenate it to form the current verse can become a kind of game.
Examples of cumulative songs
- "The Twelve Days of ChristmasThe Twelve Days of Christmas (song)"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol that enumerates a series of increasingly grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. Although first published in England in 1780, textual evidence may indicate the song is French in origin...
" - "Green Grow the Rushes, OGreen Grow the Rushes, OGreen Grow The Rushes, Ho , is a folk song popular across the English-speaking world. It is sometimes sung as a Christmas carol...
" - "I Am a Fine Musician" from 2 episodes of the Dick Van Dyke Show
- "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a FlyThere Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly"There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" is a children's song with a cumulative structure. The song was written by Alan Mills, and the lyrics were penned by Rose Bonne...
" - "Old McDonald Had a FarmOld McDonald Had a Farm"Old MacDonald Had a Farm" is a children's song and nursery rhyme about a farmer named MacDonald and the various animals he keeps on his farm. Each verse of the song changes the name of the animal and its respective noise. In many versions, the song is cumulative, with the noises from all the...
" - "AlouetteAlouette (song)"Alouette" is a popular French Canadian children's song originating in France about plucking the feathers from a lark. Although it is in French, it is well-known among speakers of other languages; in this way it is similar to "Frère Jacques"...
" - "Eh, Cumpari!Eh, Cumpari!"Eh, Cumpari!" is a novelty song. It was adapted from a traditional Italian song by Julius La Rosa and Archie Bleyer in 1953, and sung by La Rosa with Bleyer's orchestra as backing on a recording that year....
" - "I Have a Song to Sing, O" from Gilbert & Sullivan's operettaOperettaOperetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
The Yeomen of the GuardThe Yeomen of the GuardThe Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances... - "Children, go where I send theeChildren, Go Where I Send Thee"Children, Go Where I Send Thee" is a traditional African-American spiritual song. This song is also known as "The Holy Baby" or "Born in Bethlehem." There are many versions of this song, the lyrics below were collected by Jean Ritchie from a school for black children in Kentucky. The verses give a...
" - "I Bought Me A Cat"
- "The Green Grass Grew All Around"
- "Song of Love" from the musical Once Upon a MattressOnce Upon a MattressOnce Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway...
- "The Rattlin' BogThe Rattlin' BogThe Rattlin' Bog is a popular Irish folk song about a bog in a valley, and the contents of it. The song is a cumulative song, similar to The Twelve Days of Christmas, as it has a list at the end of each verse which grows throughout the piece...
" - "The Barley MowThe Barley MowThe Barley Mow is a cumulative song celebrated in the traditions of the folk music of Ireland, England, and Scotland. William Chappell transcribed the lyrics in his two-volume work The Ballad Literature and Popular Music of the Olden Time ."The Barley Mow" has become a drinking song sung while...
" - "There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea" http://www.superlyrics.com/lyrics/kGRU0UWmc1@H@J/There%27s_A_Hole_In_The_Bottom_Of_The_Sea_lyrics_by_Veggie_Tales.html
- "Du HastDu hast"Du hast" German, "You have", whose title is a play on the homophones "hast" and "hasst" , is a song by German industrial metal band Rammstein. It was released as the second single from their second album Sehnsucht...
" is partially cumulative, and is a fairly popular German industrial song, making its cumulative parts somewhat novel. - "The Court of King Caractacus" by Rolf HarrisRolf HarrisRolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
- "The Schnitzelbank Song"
- "Must Be SantaMust Be Santa (song)"Must Be Santa" is a Christmas song that was originally recorded in 1961 by Mitch Miller. Hal Moore and Bill Fredericks wrote the song. Although the lyrics are different, it has exactly the same tune as "Oh, You Sweet One", written by Moe Jaffe and Richard Hardt, and recorded by Thurl Ravenscroft...
", a Christmas song popularized by Mitch MillerMitch MillerMitchell William "Mitch" Miller was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive... - "Don't Be Anything Less Than Anything You Can Be" from the musical Snoopy
- "Getta Loada Toad" from the musical A Year with Frog and ToadA Year with Frog and ToadA Year With Frog and Toad is a musical written by brothers Robert and Willie Reale , based on the Frog and Toad children's stories written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel...
- "Minkurinn í hænsnakofanum", an Icelandic song about farm animals waking each other when a minkMinkThere are two living species referred to as "mink": the European Mink and the American Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but was much larger. All three species are dark-colored, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and...
storms the chicken pen. - 'Herring's Heads', sung by Johnny Doughty on Voice of the People vol 07
- 'My Cock Crew', sung by Con GreaneyCon GreaneyCon Greaney was a traditional Irish singer from Athea, West Limerick. He was renowned for having a huge store of songs and for having an unadulterated traditional style...
on 'Traditional Singer' - 'Old King Cole', sung by Martin Gorman on Voice of the People vol 07
- "Widdecombe Fair" (also 'Widecombe' or 'Widdlecombe Fair (Caister Norfolk)', also known as Tam PierceTam Pierce"Tam Pierce," also known as "Widdicombe Fair," is a well-known Devon folk song about Tam Pierce, whose horse dies after taking someone to the fair. It was recorded by Burl Ives on 11 February 1941 for his debut album Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger...
), sung by Tom Brown on Voice of the People vol 07 - 'Most Beautiful Leg of the Mallard', sung by Henry Mitchelmore on Voice of the People vol 07
Examples of cumulative songs in Judaism
YiddishYiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
contains many prominent examples of cumulative songs, including "?װאָס װעט זײַן אַז משיח װעט קומען" and "מה אספּרה," or "What Will Happen When the Messiah Comes?" and "Who Can Recall" (a Yiddish version of the Passover song "Echad mi yode'a").
The Passover seder
Passover Seder
The Passover Seder is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted on the evenings of the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, and on the 15th by traditionally observant Jews living outside Israel. This corresponds to late March or April in...
contains two cumulative songs: Echad mi yode'a and Chad Gadya
Chad Gadya
Chad Gadya is a playful cumulative song in Aramaic and Hebrew. It is sung at the end of the Passover Seder, the Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover...
.
See also
- Cumulative taleCumulative taleIn a cumulative tale, sometimes also called a chain tale, action or dialogue repeats and builds up in some way as the tale progresses. With only the sparest of plots, these tales often depend upon repetition and rhythm for their effect, and can require a skilled storyteller to negotiate their...
- Announcer's testAnnouncer's testAn announcer's test is a test sometimes given to those wanting to be a radio or television announcer. The tests usually involve retention, memory, repetition, enunciation, diction, and using every letter in the alphabet a variety of times...
- Round (music)Round (music)A round is a musical composition in which two or more voices sing exactly the same melody , but with each voice beginning at different times so that different parts of the melody coincide in the different voices, but nevertheless fit harmoniously together...
- The Complexity of SongsThe Complexity of Songs"The Complexity of Songs" was an article published by Donald Knuth, an example of an in-joke in computer science, namely, in computational complexity theory...