Shepherd’s Hey

Shepherd’s Hey is based on a traditional English Morris dance – a dance of pastoral origins with prominent hand clapping. Like many of Grainger’s settings of English folk dances, this one is usually considered light-hearted and joyful, but Grainger stated that he felt pent-up energy or even anger during the composition process. Perhaps these feelings compelled him to mark in the original score that “This setting is not suitable to dance Morris Dance to.”

This arrangement by Mike Allen builds and builds, and is a real crowd pleaser.

This arrangement is part of our Boulder Brass Signature Series.