Shepherd's Hey

A trade mark of the Australian composer Percy Grainger are his elaborate and artistic, sometimes 'groovy' folk-song arrangements. A well-known example is 'Shepherd's Hey', a traditional English tune to which people danced in former times, wearing bell-covered costumes. Grainger discovered it in the folk-song collection of the musicologist Cecil Sharp who, for his part, had heard the violinist of the Bidford Morris Dancers play the merry lively tune in 1906. A proof of how popular Grainger's arrangement is, is the number of frequently played different versions and numerous instrumentations ranging from piano to wind orchestra. 'Shepherd's Hey' is the ideal encore piece for each orchestra that wishes to make its audience leave the concert hall with a smile on their faces.