Tumbalalayka
for mixed chorus a cappella
“An exceptionally ingenious arrangement”
— Der Küsnachter, Switzerland
Tumbalalayka is a rhythmic, harmonically rich setting of the beloved Yiddish folksong. The voices imitate the strumming of the balalaika in this classic riddle-courtship song—by turns playful and tender. Performed regularly by choirs around the world. It is included on French vocal quartet Quatour Aesthesis’ 2022 CD O Do Not Move.
At a glance
- • WACDA 2026 Reading Session selection
- • SATB a cappella • 2’30”
- • Yiddish
- • Moderate difficulty
- • For strong HS, university, community choirs
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SKU: SWM-013
Categories: Choral Music, Mixed Voices
Instrumentation: Choral
| Voicing: | SATB |
| Descriptive Tags: | Fun, Jewish, PROJECT : ENCORE |
| Instrumentation: | A Cappella |
| Language: | Yiddish |
| Sacred or Secular: | Secular |
| Duration: | 1-5 Minutes |
$0.00 – $2.00Price range: $0.00 through $2.00
This title is available in print or for immediate download. For both options, there is a minimum required quantity of 8 copies for choral titles. Please support self-publishing composers by ordering the quantity according to the number of singers in the ensemble that will perform the work.
Print orders are printed on demand and shipped by our printing partner, and can be expected to be processed within a few days of the order. Please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] to follow up.
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Title | View | Voicing | Duration | Language | Composer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This light-hearted holiday song was commissioned by a local community chorus, one of whose members wrote the words. I was asked to include a part for children’s choir, and I understand everyone enjoyed taking part. It has a simple message – to chase away the gloom, and spread light and happiness to all at Christmas […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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GA-ZE (SSA) is from the northwestern part of Uganda (West Nile Region), bordering with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire). It is closely associated with the traditional Gaze dance of the Lugbara people, and the lyrics are a mixture of Lugbara and Lingala. The Gaze play/dance songs encourage and inspire children, usually […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The text for How Can I Keep from Singing was written by members of the Derventio Choir of Allestree, Derbyshire, England, and Steven Paxton’s setting was composed for the competition celebrating that choir’s 30th anniversary. Moderate tempo a cappella sections alternate with fast, rhythmically driving sections mixing 6/8 and 5/8 meters. The piano accompaniment is […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A sweet and evocative, lyrical piece for treble voices and piano, this delicate song is a setting of a list of paint colors by Martha Stewart. The piece is also available in versions for solo voice and piano (baritone or soprano). It can be performed with or without a video/slide presentation of the paint colors. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A request by Artistic Director Susan Glass for a new choral work addressing climate change resulted in the creation of “Planet Earth Lullaby.” Composer Rich Campbell contemplated and determined the piece would be both an alarm for help and a call to action. For over a century the internationally recognized distress signal has been the […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SSA | 6'30" | English | To Blossoms To Daffodils Gather ye Rosebuds All three of these poems are by the Seventeenth Century English lyric poet, Robert Herrick (1591-1674). While flowers are referred to in each of them, their main common theme is time – in particular the briefness of our lives here on this earth, and the need to use […] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To Blossoms To Daffodils Gather ye Rosebuds All three of these poems are by the Seventeenth Century English lyric poet, Robert Herrick (1591-1674). While flowers are referred to in each of them, their main common theme is time – in particular the briefness of our lives here on this earth, and the need to use […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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