Tumbalalayka
“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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| 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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This is a straightforward setting for choir and organ/keyboard of an Appalachian carol found by John Jacob Niles (1892-1980). Niles was an American composer, singer, and collector of traditional ballads. He discovered this carol in Mayfield, Kentucky in 1933. Niles was an important influence on the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TBB ⋅ TTBB | 3' | English | TTB American folksong arrangement | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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