One of my fondest memories from my youth is the time spent at summer camp. It was good to unwind, make new friends, enjoy campfires and take lots of hikes in the mountains. And, our church camp loved to sing. Lots of singing. We used small “pocket” song books full of “German” inspired folk songs — as this religion was strongly steeped in German and Swiss culture. The tragic event of flooding at the girls’ camp along the Guadeloupe River in Texas this summer hit home to me and brought back so many memories. Although I’m still reeling from the news of the tragedy; I decided to feature a summer camp sing-along song from my youth in this blog post.
The Cuckoo
I vaguely remember that I loved the song, “The Cuckoo,” from these summer camp experiences. I found that there are several tunes with different melodies and lyrics going by the title of, “Cuckoo.” After searching all through my music “archives,” I finally resorted to the internet and found the song that I remembered in a Canadian Girl Guides song book, “Jubilee Songbook.” This version included a second verse — which I didn’t remember. However, I loved this verse and included it too. It provides a countermelody and really makes the round “shine.” The Girl Guide internet site claims that this song is in the public domain; I’m taking them at their word. I made my arrangement from a YouTube recording, so I has some of my own interpretations.
Summer Camp
The church camp from my youth was “Brethren Woods.” It was located in a rural area of the Shenandoah Valley — on the side of the Massanutten Mountain — just past Keezletown down narrow, one lane roads. It was a “rustic” camp; lots of campfire cooking and sleeping in outdoor conestoga wagons and Indian huts. This predated, of course, cell phones, video games and on-line chatter. It was a true break with the “real” world — a wonderful experience which everyone would benefit from. A true “vibe” with nature. Here we are hiking up the mountain to a stream with waterfalls and a swimming hole.
Singing was a large part of the camp experience. The songs were folks songs, nonsense songs, spirituals and religious melodies. The camp used little “pocket” tune books which had the melody line, lyrics and sometimes the chords for the songs. They were intended to be sung a cappella or perhaps with a piano accompaniment. To get in tune, all you needed was a chromatic pitch pipe. Remember those?
The songs were in all kinds of keys — except the key of D — they certainly weren’t written with the dulcimer in mind. (Playing the dulcimer in many other keys is a topic for another day.) Nevertheless, the song, “The Cuckoo,” fits well into the Key of D and DAD tuning.
Four – Part Round
This song is intended to be either a two-part or four-part round. When playing this song, the “A” and “B” parts represent the first verse. The “C” and “D” parts represent the second verse and countermelody. The song can be played through to the end as one song. For a four-part round, the successive parts each chime in at one of the successive letters: “B”, “C”, “D.” For a two-part round, the second part chimes in at either the “B” or “C” parts. Lots of possibilities.
This song is so mesmerizing. I play it along with my computer with the playback feature. The computer plays one part, and I play the second one. Wish I had one of those looping petals! (That is for another time.)
The tragedy at the girls’ camp in Texas makes us realize how fragile life is. Even though I do not personally know anyone who was involved; it will take me a while to rebound from this event. Nevertheless, I will always remember my wonderful times at summer camp when I was growing up. Especially the singing.
Enjoy this song.
Here are jpeg images of the song, “The Cuckoo.” Following is a PDF file which you can download and print out and share with friends. I just ask that you don’t upload it to a public internet site or publish it.
Here is a PDF file of the song.
Dulcimer Jambalaya 