The plow horse (Maggie Furtak)

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  • (Posted 2014-10-04)  CPDL #33073:         
Editor: Maggie Furtak (submitted 2014-10-04).   Score information: Letter, 9 pages, 1.63 MB   Copyright: Personal
Edition notes:

General Information

Title: The Plow Horse
Composer: Maggie Furtak
Lyricist: Maggie Furtak

Number of voices: 2vv   Voicing: SA
Genre: SecularArt song

Language: English
Instruments: Piano

First published: 2014
Description: For SA women's choir, or a nice duet, with piano. I kept the range to the middle of the voice for both parts to accommodate younger singers who are still learning to control their head voice. The rhythms may look a little tricky to beginning sight readers, but are actually pretty intuitive. Intervals are easy and tuneful as well, with some unison sections, some call and response and a little two-part section at the end once the main theme is firmly established in the singer's mind. If you try this piece and have any feedback for me, particularly about anything that seemed needlessly difficult, please let me know. Enjoy!

External websites:

Original text and translations

English.png English text

The green corn follows the red plow,
steered by the man who follows the horse.
The green corn follows the red plow that follows the horse.

The man thinks it’s he who grows the corn,
but his horse knows better. He knows better:
the green corn follows the red plow that follows the horse.

’Twas the horse that taught the farmer how to plow,
patiently walking in straight lines,
and now the old horse leads steady and proud,
the great feet pulling the Earth around toward the sun,
until he has measured another day,
and in the eve the man sings him to sleep
while he brushes him down.

It’s always the same song:
the green corn follows the red plow that follows the horse.