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Danny Boy
An old Irish air with words from 1913: long arching phrases over an octave and a fifth. The leap up to “here” is the peak of the song.
Frederic Weatherly wrote these words in 1913 to the old Irish “Londonderry Air,” published in 1855. It's the widest song in Clearsing: 19 semitones, an octave and a fifth, from a minor third below the root to a major tenth above it. There are four long phrases of four bars. Each opens with a dotted long note followed by eighth notes and ends on a long note of two and a half beats.
How to do it
- Check that your saved range covers an octave and a fifth, or the top and bottom will fall outside it.
- Wait for the two count-in clicks. The piano plays the opening phrase alone, then plays along with you.
- Sing the first verse, one syllable per note. Take the two-note melismas on “calling” and “falling” in one gesture.
- On “'Tis I'll be here,” sing three repeated fifths, then leap a major sixth up to “here.”
Coach's tip: Breathe at the commas, not in the middle of a phrase. Take the leap to “here” lightly, in mix, and keep the “Oh, Danny boy” that follows soft and in tune.
What to watch out for
The leap of a major sixth to “here” is the peak of the song, and singers often push it or scoop up to it. Breathe fully and aim straight at the note. The long phrase endings sag flat in the last beat, so keep the air moving. The three repeated fifths drift, so keep them even. If the top is strained, stop and warm up again.
Who it's for
Level 2, for singers with a comfortable range of an octave and a fifth, and with some breath control. Don't sing it cold: do Legato line on one breath first, then Long note 15 s for breath support. No program lists it. The daily training brings it up more often with the Folk / country or Classical & choir style.
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