Title: Riding the donkey

Arranger:Tong Leung-tak

Year: March 26, 1992

Genre:

• Small ensemble
• Arrangement

Call No.: SC1089

Description: "Riding the Donkey" originated as a sea shanty sung among sailors in Canada, Scotland, and the Northeastern United States during the mid to late nineteenth century. It was one of the many adaptations of the Scottish folk tune "Highland Laddie." It is generally believed that the title refers to the use of the donkey engine (or steam donkey) for loading a ship. The melody exists in two versions, one in major mode and the other in minor, and the former became a popular children's song in Canada. The song is included in Boot Jack Jaw Harp, a collection of Canadian folk songs arranged for SATB choir by Donald Coakley in 1989. Coakley's score provided the basis for Tong Leung-tak's arrangement for the Hong Kong Youth Chinese Music Instrumental Ensemble performed in Festival Hong Kong '92. Tong's arrangement calls for a reduced ensemble, omitting bowed-string instruments other than the erhu while highlighting the wind and plucked-string sections. The piece is largely homophonic, with counter-melodies entering in succession.

Note:

• Arrangement of folksong "Riding the donkey"
• Composed for Festival Hong Kong '92 in Canada

Instrumentation: erhu (1), di (1), sheng (1), yangqin (1), pipa (1), zhong ruan (1), da ruan (1), zheng (1), da gu (1), triangle (1), muyu (1)