Description
SAB choir and piano
Duration: Approx. 6’30” in length
Date of composition: 2023
Text by Graham Palmer, setting by Jenni Pinnock
About The ruddock against the frost
Inspired by folktales and similar sources, The ruddock against the frost tells the tale of a robin baffled by
the frost’s cloaking of the world. Graham Palmer’s ballad form text has been set by Jenni Pinnock in a
similar fashion to Good King Wenceslas, with verses in a combination of unison, full harmony, melody
and optional harmony, and the traditional descant. The melody for the second stanza of the verse, “So
many lost, so many found” is based on the melody of the folk tune Now Ponder Well.
Performance notes
The ruddock against the frost has been deliberately written in a way to be as flexible as possible.
Alongside unison and full harmony verses, there are also verses with suggested singers and optional
harmonies allowing you to customise the piece to suit your intended performance and choir.
Verse 1: Unison
V2: Full harmony
V3-5: Alternating voices taking the melody with two optional harmony lines. One harmony line, both
harmony lines or none can be used (this can be varied verse to verse); they can be performed by any
voice type and at any octave.
V6: Melody and harmony 1 (can be performed with any voice type and at any octave)
V7: Full harmony
V8: Descant and melody
Here’s an excerpt of the piece (rendered in Dorico with violins as choral parts).
You may print unlimited copies of this digital version of the PDF with one purchase, for use by yourself and your choir/choral group. For more information please contact Jenni – jenni@jennipinnock.com
