About This Composition

"Sweet Afton" is a lyrical poem describing the Afton Water in Ayrshire, Scotland. It was written by Robert Burns in 1791 and set to music by Jonathan E. Spilman in 1837, under the title Flow Gently, Sweet Afton. This arrangement takes this gentle melody and surrounds it with chromatic harmonies that extend beyond it’s key signature of G. This gives it a bit of a “barbershop quintet” feel as the bass joins the 4 ukuleles in a counter-melodic part. This is a nuanced and detailed arrangement that can help to sharpen any ukulele/bass ensemble. The dynamics include a crescendo (volume increase) on measures 26-27 and a diminuendo (volume decrease) on measures 34-35. These are great areas of focus for getting the players to listen and feel as they read and play. The dynamic range goes back-and-forth between mp (mezzo piano) and mf (mezzo forte) or medium quiet and medium loud. Audiences will enjoy appreciate these subtle changes of dynamics.