a.j. mccaffrey, composer
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The Butcher Boy [2003]
For SATB Chorus a cappella
Duration: ca. 4'
Listen:
First performance: May 2003 by the Boston Choral Ensemble - Thomas Cunningham, conductor

The Butcher Boy was written at Tom Cunningham's request for the BCE's concert on the theme of Folk Songs of New England.  As with much American folk music, this particular song has roots in Scotland and Ireland, and the morose Celt in me was drawn to it as soon as I found it. It has a device common to many tunes of that region, namely a set of heart-breaking, wrenching lyrics married to a sunny melody in a major key.  I kept the melody intact, but composed the supporting harmonies so as to more overtly convey the mood of the text.
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  • Home
  • About A.J.
  • News & Events
  • Music
    • Orchestral >
      • Motormouth
      • Thank You for Waiting
      • Notes from the Underdog
      • A Long Hard Look at a Good Swift Kick
      • Between homage and homily
    • Chamber & Solo >
      • Pareidolia
      • Air, Ear, Ire, Hour, Aura
      • Ventilator
      • Murmurations
      • Doppelgänger
      • Here Come the Waterworks
      • This Is What Really Happened
      • Rusticity
      • Stop is the new Go
      • Better Living through Repetition
      • I used to be____________, but now I'm _______________
      • worst of all is to begin
    • Choral & Vocal >
      • The Butcher Boy
    • Pop Music >
      • Planes Intersect
      • Please Leave a Light on When You Go
    • Theater & Film
  • Teaching & Outreach