Fhir a’bhàta

This is a gorgeous Gaelic tune from the West of Scotland, still well known among Gaelic speakers. The song is written in the words of a young woman who is wondering if the boatman she loves will ever return. It’s far from a miserable tune though – rather a poignantly beautiful one. One can imagine it expressing love and longing for other things than departed sailors – perhaps people from one’s childhood, or the past itself.
In this setting, which is a great favourite with audiences, the chorus is richly harmonised for SATB, the verses are sung by SSA. The pace is very gentle, and the idea is for the choruses to portray the continuous ebbing and flowing of the sea while the verses refocus on the woman’s words. It works very well for verse 2 to be sung in unison on the tune, pianissimo, by a small group of sopranos, and followed by a pianissimo chorus. Another performance suggestion is for the women to stand in front of the men, as if looking out to sea.
The piece is suitable for any choir interested in folk repertoire. It is not difficult harmonically; most of the musical work is in getting the phrasing to flow. The Gaelic words need some work but usually come easily enough after a few repetitions by rote.
A recording by Rudsambee company of singers is available on their album bottled at source (RUBEECD003).