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Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap
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$3.29 USD
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About
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"Cumberland Gap" is a movement from "Mountain Songs" (a work for choir, bluegrass band, and strings) now available for choir, fiddle, and piano. About "Mountain Songs:" Bluegrass music grew out of the Appalachian mountains, blending the folk traditions of Irish immigrants with African American musical influences to create a style rooted in storytelling, rhythm, and community. With driving banjo lines, soulful fiddles, and high lonesome singing, bluegrass speaks both to hardship and to joy, to loss and to celebration. "Mountain Songs" brings three traditional bluegrass tunes into conversation with the voices of the choir, the soaring colors of the strings, and the fire of a bluegrass band. The arrangement begins with "Boll Weevil," a lively tale of resilience against the destructive beetle that plagued Southern crops. It turns tender and haunting in "He’s Gone Away," a song of farewell and longing. The journey concludes with "Cumberland Gap," a raucous and virtuosic romp that bursts with fragments of beloved bluegrass standards—Shady Grove, Ain’t Nobody Gonna Miss Me, The Cuckoo, I’ll Fly Away—woven together in playful counterpoint, including a “bluegrass fugue.” At once honoring tradition and exploring new textures, "Mountain Songs" celebrates the vitality, grit, and joy of the Appalachian spirit. |
| Instrumentation | SATB Choir, Fiddle (violin), and Piano |
| Duration | 4:00 |
| Year Completed | 2025 |
| Commissioner | East Tennessee State University. Dr. Alan Stevens, Director of Choral Activities. |
| Text |
Cumberland Gap Lay down boys and take a little nap, fourteen miles to Cumberland Gap. Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap, we’re all goin’ down through the Cumberland Gap. Now we’re headin’ West to find a new home nest. No more time for rest. Me and my wife and my wife's pap, we're all going down through the Cumberland Gap. Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap, way down yonder in the Cumberland Gap. Cumberland Gap with its cliffs and rocks, home of the panther, bear, and fox. Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap, we’re all goin’ down through the Cumberland Gap. Cumberland Gap is a mighty fine place, three kinds of water to wash your face. Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap, way down yonder in the Cumberland Gap. All packed up and ready to go, we’re makin’ our way on the Wilderness Road. |
| Donations | A portion of the proceeds from this work will be donated to Appalachian Voices, helping to protect the land, air, water, and communities of Appalachia. |