Purchasing information Notice for leaders/bass players
Length: approx. 3½ mins. Sounds best with the 2nd treble doubled
Johnson using the pseudonym Raymond Birch dedicated
Beedle-Um-Bo somewhat enigmatically to one C. S. Cady. The title too is mysterious and the plain cover of the original sheet music provides no help either - all lost in 100 hundred years of ragtime history. Whatever, it is a lovely slow drag in the sonata form of AABBACCA whereby the AB- and C-strains are written, rather unusually in the major keys of F and Db (one of the most adored keys by recorder players!) respectively. The A-strain is characterised by lovely and effective close harmony for the trebles. The B-strain is heavily chorded, here doubling is necessary to bring out the
divisi whilst in the demanding (for recorder players that is) C-strain the melody is shared by the treble an octave apart. This piece is a must for ensembles that enjoy the top ends of their instruments.
Beedle-Um-Bo was published by
Chas. L. Johnson Publishing Co., Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
A tempo of 150 crotchets/min. is suggested.
