Two Asian Folk Songs: SATB, a cappella Choral Octavo

Sing 'Flower Drum Song' and you're inside the celebratory energy of a street festival, your voices creating the rhythmic pulse that might otherwise come from percussion. By contrast, 'High Green Mountain' invites introspection through its pentatonic beauty, allowing singers to experience how a simple melodic shape and sustained harmonic support can convey profound emotion.

SATB choirs ranging from high school through adult levels will find these pieces accessible yet musically substantial. Ensembles seeking authentic world music selections for festival programming, concert diversification, or cultural appreciation units will appreciate having two contrasting Asian traditions in one purchase.

• Build rhythmic precision in 'Flower Drum Song' by having singers vocalize the drum patterns independently before combining them with the melody. Clean articulation on these imitative percussion sounds becomes the glue that holds the texture together.
• In 'High Green Mountain,' shape the pentatonic melody with attention to the natural breath points within the folk tune rather than imposing Western phrasing conventions. Let the tune's inherent contour guide your interpretive choices.
• Use the pronunciation guides to establish accurate vowel sounds and consonant placement before worrying about blend. Authentic sound production in the original language builds cultural respect and deepens singer engagement.
• Rehearse the two pieces separately so each can develop its own sonic identity before considering them as a pair. This prevents the more rhythmic first piece from overshadowing the lyrical qualities of the second.

Open a concert with 'Flower Drum Song' to energize the audience and establish a world music theme, then follow with 'High Green Mountain' to shift the mood and deepen the listening experience. These pieces also work well within a cultural studies concert, a spring pops program incorporating folk traditions, or as standalone selections for festival competitions.

• Singing authentic Asian language texts with accurate pronunciation and cultural sensitivity
• Creating rhythmic ostinatos as harmonic foundation in a cappella settings
• Imitating and sustaining percussive vocal sounds with precision and unanimity
• Singing in pentatonic scales and modal contexts outside Western major and minor tonality
• Balancing lyrical melody with rhythmic accompaniment within SATB texture
• Shaping folk melody using cultural phrasing conventions rather than standard classical approaches