Samuel Adler

Two Southern Appalachian Folk Songs

Commissioned to create folk song arrangements, Adler chose two compelling Southern Appalachian folk songs, brought to our shores by English immigrants and having origins in Elizabethan times. Married and Single Life is a slow dance, while Brennan on the Moor, recalling the location in Britain and transplanting it to Virginia, is a reel - a rambunctious dance, constantly changing partners, always keeping on dancing until the participants fall exhausted. Both of these short movements are variations on the original tune, which is heard in its entirety at least once in the piece.