Song 8: Fishing song

[A] Learning about the music

Topics to consider for this song:

  • [Link] 5/8 time
  • [Link] Rising leaps

5/8 time

Not many pieces have a time signature requiring a ‘5’. But, just occasionally, a composer produces a splendid effect from having five beats in a bar. Probably the two most famous examples are the opening movement – ‘Mars’ – from Holst’s The Planets Suite, and this lovely cello tune from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 (second movement):

When the time signature is 5/8, however, the effect is not really that there are five beats in a bar. Instead it is like a combination of simple time and compound time. There are two beats in a bar; one is a crotchet (worth two quavers) and the other is a dotted crotchet (worth three quavers). In other words, the two beats are of different lengths.

The combination of different length beats occurring in a regular pattern, bar after bar, is called an additive rhythm. It creates something of a lopsided feel. You might like to get a volunteer to walk counting ‘1–2’ for the left-foot stride and ‘1–2–3’ for the right-foot stride. The result will be that the volunteer appears to have a limp.

Somehow this limping quality of 5/8 is also very good for capturing the rather unpredictable undulations on the surface of a not totally calm sea. A terrific example of this is Rachmaninov’s dark tone poem The Isle of the Dead. This was inspired by a painting by the Swiss artist ArnoldBöcklin which can be seen at:

Not only does Rachmaninov use the combination of unequal length beats (crotchet plus dotted crotchet), but after 12 bars he reverses this (so it becomes dotted crotchet plus crotchet) for four bars before reverting back to the original pattern. The music can almost make the listener feel queasy as it portrays a small boat bobbing around on the water.

In ‘Fishing song’ – although the fishing seems to be of the river type – Britten uses a similar trick. After two bars of introduction (which have a crotchet plus dotted crotchet emphasis) the verse is 16 bars long. It is clear that the first two bars of the vocal melody maintain the same emphasis as the introduction: a crotchet plus dotted crotchet:

However, of the 16 bars, three reverse the order and place the emphasis as dotted crotchet plus crotchet. Once they have learned to sing the song, ask your pupils whether they can identify which bars (or lyrics) use the second pattern.

Rising leaps

As he does throughout most of the Friday Afternoons songs, Britten writes mostly stepwise (conjunct) melodies for the vocal line here. However, early in the verse there are two rising 6ths:

These two leaps are particularly well placed for the words of verse 1: they emphasise the words ‘gallant’ and ‘pleasure’, thereby bringing out the romance of the whole angling life.

Such large upwards leaps in a melodic line help to give a sense of longing and, in a song, can be used to underline important words. This will only work, however, if immediately after the upwards leap, the tune falls back down again: if the composer continues on upwards it is likely to dilute the effect. Britten is spot on in this regard: after each upwards leaps of a 6th, he lets the melody fall by a 3rd.

[A] Composing projects

There are three composing projects for this song:

  • [Link] Looking at phrase structure
  • [Link] A useful compound rhythm pattern
  • [Link] Hobby music

Looking at phrase structure

The verse structure for this ‘Fishing song’ comprises four lines, and the opening two clearly make a rhyming couplet:

Oh, the gallant fisher’s life, it is the best of any!

’Tis full of pleasure, void of strife, and ’tis beloved of many.

Other joys, are but toys; only this lawful is,

For our skill, breeds no ill, but content and pleasure.

Britten picks up on this in the phrase structure of his melody which could be described in analytical shorthand has AA’BB’. In so doing, he presents a classic pair of twin phrases:

  • Phrase A begins with a triadic shape and then ends on D
  • Phrase A’ begins with the same triadic shape but ends on C
  • Phrase B begins with a repeating note and dotted rhythm shape, and then ends on G
  • Phrase B’ begins with a similar dotted rhythm shape but ends on C

The significance of the notes that phrases A and B finish on is that both D and G fit the dominant chord of D major. These phrases can therefore finish with imperfect cadences (phrase A ends I–V; phrase B ends VI–Vb).

Meanwhile, with both phrases A’ and B’ finishing on the tonic of C, these phrases can end with perfect cadences. By beginning phrase A’ in the same way as phrase A, and phrase B’ in a similar way to phrase B, the second and fourth phrases of the melody sound like answering phrases.

Ask pupils to write a similar four-bar melody that works as two pairs of twinned phrases. Points to bear in mind are:

  • The melody should comprise four four-bar phrases, but can be for any instrument
  • Pupils can choose their own key and metre
  • The opening phrase should end on one of the three notes that belong to the dominant triad
  • The second phrase should begin in a similar way to the first, but end on a note that fits chord I
  • A similar procedure should be applied to compose the third and fourth phrases; these should contain some contrast to the opening pair of phrases

Here is an example:

A useful compound rhythm pattern

There is some material in conjunction with the song ‘I mun be married on Sunday’ about compound time, and your pupils might have tried to compose a skipping song. The main compound rhythms covered there are:

  • Three quavers to a beat
  • The long-short unit of crotchet plus quaver in compound time

Although ‘Fishing song’ is in an additive metre rather than a regular compound time, Britten uses a rhythm pattern that is often found in compound time. This is the grouping of dotted quaver plus semiquaver plus quaver. This pattern dominates the second half of the verse:

At a fast tempo this pattern can sound even ‘skippier’ than the standard long-short pattern of crotchet plus quaver. At a slower tempo it gains a gentle lilting quality that makes it especially suited to lullabies, especially when mixed with groups of even quavers.

Suggest to your pupils that they try to compose a lullaby, possibly as just a vocal line, that uses this rhythmic pattern. Points to bear in mind are:

  • Compose four phrases in 6/8 time; the tempo should be lento or andante
  • The dotted quaver plus semiquaver plus quaver pattern should appear at least once in each phrase
  • Each phrase should also have some groupings of three even quavers
  • Phrases should end with a dotted crotchet
  • The dotted pattern can be used in either half of the bar, i.e. on the first or second beat

Here is an example:

Hobby music

Angling is one of the most popular pastimes in the UK; nevertheless, it is unlikely that many of your pupils will be frequent anglers. Some, however, might like to compose a song about a hobby they do pursue, be it go-karting, chess, ballet, kite-flying or astronomy. Before they start to think of musical ideas, quiz them about the character of their chosen hobby…

  • Is it energetic?
  • Is it noisy?
  • Is it relaxing?
  • Does it build to some sort of climax?
  • What mood does it create in them when it is going well?

…and then ask them how they might capture the character of that activity in music. What tempo would suit best? What kind of rhythmic character? What dynamic?

Challenge them to write a piece of music that makes them want to go and do their hobby when they hear it!