By The Light Of The Silvery Moon

From the early 1900s comes a bouncy, witty song titled "By The Light Of The Silvery Moon." A group of writers and publishers in an area in New York City known as Tin Pan Alley were responsible for many of the popular songs of the era, including this one. The theme is cleverly written like the description of a play. It was an innocent time, and in fact the song was presented in a play called Miss Innocence.

This 3-part mixed arrangement is meant to be sung by your older choirs. It's in an easy range for them, though parts 2 and 3 are optional. Rehearsal tracks and optional versions (unison and a cappella) can be found at our web site.

We start with a chorus in full harmony. There are two verses in the original but we only use the first verse in this arrangement. It is sung in unison. The second chorus incorporates a more active harmony treatment. The bounce can be attributed to the shuffle/swing style of singing. You'll want to emphasize that swing feel, keeping it light, playful, and "smiley." Focusing some attention on the sand blocks might help.

At the end, there is a molto ritard. On the recording, you'll hear some cymbal taps that help guide the slow down, as well as a small drum fill to indicate the cut-off.

A heads up - When printing the studio vocal chart, the "y" in the word "your" in the choruses was missing. So we ended up with "Our silv'ry beams…" rather than "Your silv'ry beams…" We didn't catch it during the recording and sang "Our." So please overlook our faux pax and sing the words on your printed music.