SATB, a cappella

The story in Thomas Moore’s 1813 patriotic Irish song is perfectly suited for a piece of music: a lone minstrel boy is mortally wounded in combat in the defense of his country and refuses to let his harp be taken by the enemy.  He tears the strings out of the instrument and, with his dying breath, pays tribute to it.  Moore claimed to have set his text to an Irish air called “The Moreen.”  However, there is no previous record of that tune and multiple scholars over the last 200 years haven’t been able to pin down an original source, so perhaps Moore may have simply written it himself (which may account for why the poem and music seem so well-suited for each other).  In any case, the song—and its sentiments—became popular and well-known enough that, years after it was originally published, an unknown author added a third verse in reference to the American Civil War.  In my arrangement, I tried to tell the story of the minstrel in a way that communicates the emotion of the poem to the singers and audience.

The Minstrel Boy was commissioned by the Hudson High School Chamber Choir under the direction of Tony Mudra.  It is dedicated to my good friend, Dan Johnson, who inadvertently showed me this folksong while watching an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (inspiration comes in many guises!).

The Text

The Minstrel Boy
By Thomas Moore (Ireland, 1779-1852)

The minstrel boy to the war is gone,
In the ranks of death you’ll find him;
His father’s sword he hath girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him;
“Land of Song!” cried the warrior bard,
“Tho’ all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy right shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!”

The Minstrel fell!  But the foeman’s steel
Could not bring that proud soul under;
The harp he lov’d never spoke again,
For he tore its chords asunder;
And said, “No chains shall sully thee,
Thou soul of love and bravery!
Thy songs were made for the pure and free
They shall never sound in slavery!”

U.S. Civil War verse
The minstrel boy will return, we pray,
When we hear the news we all will cheer it.
The minstrel boy will return one day,
Torn perhaps in body, not in spirit.
Then may he play upon his harp in peace,
In a world such as Heaven has intended,
For all the bitterness of man must cease,
And every battle must be ended.