This is the last of the four songs that I chose to sing from Aaron Copland’s “Old American Folk Songs”. The lyrics are sorrowful and speak of lost love, the love of someone very important to the writer. It reminded me of the lyrics of “Danny Boy”, having to come to terms with being parted from someone that has become the centre of your world.
The lyrics were originally attributed to George Pope in 1837 but may have been adapted from an earlier song by John Cole in 1833. The sympathetic and emotive melody along with the piano arrangement added by Aaron Copland make this a particular beautiful song to perform.
Long Time Ago
On the lake where droop’d the willow
Long time ago,
Where the rock threw back the billow
Brighter than snow.
Dwelt a maid beloved and cherish’d
By high and low,
But with autumn leaf she perished
Long time ago.
Rock and tree and flowing water
Long time ago,
Bird and bee and blossom taught her
Love’s spell to know.
While to my fond words she listen’d
Murmuring low,
Tenderly her blue eyes glisten’d
Long time ago.
Today I have been asked to sing the four Aaron Copland songs during the judging interval of the Bruce Millar Gulliver Singing Prize in Stevenson Hall at the RCS. My good friend Jessica Hurst will be performing four songs after me and then we are both to perform a duet, Rossini’s “The Cat’s Duet” it is such an amusing piece and makes me smile thinking about it.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful song and photo.
mulțumesc Cristian, lovely to hear from you.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Beautiful piece and beautiful voice! You captured the emotions felt by loss. I hope you can sing one of my poems someday :).
That would be lovely Ellie.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Most wonderful. I have to say that is has been forever for me since I have heard this but never before have I been so moved. Thank you Miss. Charlotte for caring to share and for having the bright and fresh voice that entreats the listener to require more!
Thank you Annette for your lovely message, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it. The recital seemed to work quite well together I had lovely feedback on Sunday.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Charlotte,
Lovely, simply lovely. Thanks for allowing us to enjoy your enormous talent.
Thank you Darlene I appreciate you taking the time to listen.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Simply Beautiful. Both songs and photos. Thank you.
Thank you TJ, it’s one of my favourite dresses and it has side panels so I can move and dance freely in it.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Bon appétit mademoiselle! (for information, I can cook pizzas): -) ….. A beautiful interpretation, very romantic, you have a voice colored sunset summer sun. Thank you Charlotte. All the best for you.
Merci beaucoup. I’m glad it made you think of a summer sunset 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Vavoom outfits, Charlotte! Lovely music, info, photos and fashion.
Thank you Beth we both really enjoyed the performance and the pizza, it was my first performance at school this year so it was very exciting.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Very wonderful to see you with George, y’all make a wonderful couple. May the Lord continue to bless your career, and give God the glory every step of the way.
One day he’s going to be a famous concert pianist then he won’t have time to play so beautifully for me 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Beautiful! But I love the Cats Duet too! 🐈🐈👏👏👏
I hadn’t sung it before and we had about a week to prepare which made it more exciting, I absolutely loved performing and singing it, we had a brilliant reception to it.
Best wishes
Charlotte
O NO Pizza , missed her ,dang-nap-it , love seeing your faces light up with fun cause tears can not heal a broken heart !! may you girls never know .xx
It was great fun, definitely joy over broken heart any day.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Fingers crossed for your performance of the Copland. Sounds like you have really fallen in love with his material.
It is a lovely program and something different, I even get to jig around a little in the Boatman’s Dance.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Wonderful yet again, you are covering Copland so well ~ and yes, I can hear the resemblance with Danny Boy. Longing, sad and yet so beautiful.
Thank you Randall, ‘longing, sadness and beauty’ a lovely way to introduce the song.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Well deserved pizza. Beautiful
Thanks John I was ravenous because I don’t like to eat much before singing 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
I called it Stage Stomach.
This has such a lovely lilt to it. I do hope you post the cat duet, get a friend to film it impossible.
Sadly we didn’t get the opportunity to video it 🙂 We both enjoyed it so much I’m sure we’ll do it again. We’re trying to organise a fund raiser/charity event together.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Nice song and your performance. I thought you just sing but not fight with your duet singer 🙂
It was great fun; one gentleman came up to us afterwards and asked if we were friends in real life, he was so pleased when we confirmed we were.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Another lovely Copland song which you sang so beautifully. I am glad your performance went well.
Thanks Clare my Nan loves this series of songs so I’m happy I recorded them so she got to listen to them.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Your Nan obviously has very good taste!
Lovely song and beautiful lyrics, thanks for printing them! Enjoy your pizza 🙂
I did enjoy the pizza 🙂 When you’re still buzzing after a performance is great to go out afterwards.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Very nice capture of the sweet, melancholy mood of this song. You might know (you mentioned Pete Seeger?) that folk music was very popular in the U.S. in the early 1960s, especially on college campuses. Your voice reminds me of one of the singers of that era, Joan Baez (whom I later saw in Detroit). If you haven’t heard her, you can find many of her songs on youtube. For an old English ballad, you might like “Geordie.” For 19th century Americana, you might try “Copper Kettle.” And if you prefer 20th century, Joan and Bob Dylan were an item for a while: try Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” I’m sure you would enjoy.
And another Abraham Lincoln note. The legend is that young Abe Lincoln lost the love of his youth, Ann Rutledge, to illness in the 1830s. So, Abe may have listened to Long Time Ago with a tear in his eye.
Thank you Tom for your message and for adding information to my post, very interesting to me. I will check out the ballads you recommended after the excitement of performing in the Dido and Aeneas opera this week.
Best wishes
Charlotte
I can well imagine that the performance will be very exciting, and I’m sure you’ll do very well. 🙂
Hi Nightingale!… Beautiful voice & song… I love the lyrics as well! :star: ~Sounds like finding the past, somehow!… Happy week ahead, Charlotte, Aquileana 😀
Thank you for liking my recent tudor doublet post. Lovely choice of songs!