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Score
Radum, scadum, rubbidio! : voices and piano / words: Michael Atherton ; music: traditional, arranged for piano and voice by Michael Atherton & Winsome Evans.
Library shelf no. 782.5542/ATH 1 [Not for loan]
Work Overview
I was a member of the Renaissance Players between 1974-1981 and
composed a few light music songs for its Christmas Pudding
concerts, including 'Radum, Scadum, Rubbidio!', which is a parody
of the English cumulative song, 'Green grow the rushes O'. I
Australianised it to celebrate and mimic our animals, and
included the archetypal swagman and his jumbuck.
Winsome Evans, the 'domina' of the Renaissance Players, augmented
my piano accompaniment, with her consummate keyboard continuo
skills. I played guitar and blues harmonica in the first
performance and sang in the chorus. In addition, I provided stage
directions based on the gestural habits and vocal sounds of each
animal mentioned in the song.
I remember vividly the wonderful soprano, Sue Falk, who sang the
kookaburra verse, adding her own riotous 'kooka' calls. And then
there was Stephen Bennett, a man with a marvellously mellifluous
bass voice. He did a great swagman.
Performances of 'Radum, Scadum, Rubbidio!' will benefit from a
workshop approach, exploring the song's theatrical possibilities.
Performers are free to substitute different animals, and the song
may be performed with any number of verses. The only proviso is
that a performance should be fun, ocker, and given to a bit of
cheesy pantomime.
Work Details
Year: 1980
Instrumentation: Voices, piano.
Duration: 7 min.
Revised 2014
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