The Ash Grove, an English Song from Long Ago
My first memory of The Ash Grove is hearing the beautiful Elizabeth Bennett sing (in the BBC's version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (BBC, 1980)
For example, on page 2, the second line has a bit of a rallentando, and the temptation is to drop the energy of the voice just when it needs to be carrying through, even surging, at "the joy of my heart..." Also, there are long phrases in the first half of the song, where beginning singers will want to take lots of breaths. Don't let them! Teach them what "breathing for singing" means, by encouraging them to make their air last all the way to "meander," and again until after "rove."
Here is a version with tablature for guitar:
Back to Beginning Voice for more free vocal sheet music
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and accompany herself on the pianoforte as an aloof Mr. Darcy slowly circles the room, really seeing her for the first time. (It is hard to choose, but this may be my favorite of all the Jane Austen movies. It has a very good-humored feeling about it.)
What Visitors Say
Amber:Thank you! THANK YOU!!! For keeping the beautiful art of Opera alive! I stumbled upon this site and I'm so happy I did!
Toni:
Thank you for your wonderful website. I also teach piano, voice and guitar - spooky! My absolute passion is opera, and have opened many a singing student's ear to the beautiful melodies and voices in the repertoire. Thank you for the wonderful warmups which I have downloaded, and will be using at the earliest opportunity - I will let you know how they go! Looking forward to more warmup ideas, too.
Danielle:
What a lovely, generous site! Many thanks from a fellow singer and music teacher in New York State. Loved the inclusion of the video for "The Ash Grove," a song I just recommended to an adult voice student today. I was pleased to be able to send her the link to not only the sheet music, but a charming performance of the song as well.
Marybeth:
I love your site! It has been an incredible resource for me as a Music teacher. I love your ideas and the music you share...
Useful Sites for Vocalists
Cantorian.org, home to free classical sheetmusicChoralWiki, Home of the Choral Public Domain Library
International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP) Petrucci Music Library
Musicnotes.com - transpose vocal sheets up or down!
Note-Perfect.com, Resources for Choral Singers and Soloists
Sheetmusicplus.com
What's New at Sheetmusicplus
Matt:
THIS SITE IS AMAZING!!... Thank you so much for your hard work getting these on the web, you have made many children very happy!!
Wynn:
Thank you so much for this site. I admire you so much for taking the time to reach out and share so much with others. After years of singing professionally I am finally making myself re-learn the piano in order to play for myself and to do some piano bar work. Your scales and your feedback are inspiring! Create Beauty and fill the world with LOVE!
Marta:
Thank you for the free downloads! I'm a private teacher and I teach piano and beginner voice as well. :) I've been running my studio for about a year and I've come across the same issue; I don't want my students to have to purchase an entire supplemental book for only a couple of songs. So thank you for this site...some great downloads!!
Stasi:
AH!!!!! I am so happy to find a helpful site like this. I started to give piano lessons to one little girl from church and two girls requested voice lessons this spring. Since then, word got out and going into the fall I have 18 students. I am so excited, but I'm running out of materials that they can borrow, and I, like you hate telling the parents to buy morebooks. Because I have such a diverse group of students I spend SO much time making supplemental material and I feel like I have to pick through other websites, to only find one or two useful things. I am so thankful for the wealth of supplement that you have offered here! And it's all SO user friendly!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!