This spring the Eastman/University of Rochester Women's Chorus will be performing a work arranged by Moira Smiley, entitled “Bring Me Little Water, Silvy,” a song originally written and performed by Huddie Ledbetter, known as “Lead Belly.” Ledbetter (1888-1949) was an American folk and blues musician who was active in the 30's and 40's. The song is said to have been inspired by Lead Belly's Uncle Bob and his wife, Silvie (sometimes spelled “Silvy”). On hot days, Uncle Bob would be ploughing the fields a long way from their house and would yell up the hill to his wife to bring him some water to drink. When Lead Belly would perform outside of the south, he would provide his audiences, who often knew little of the culture of the rural south, with the background of his songs.

Smiley's a cappella arrangement of the work (arranged for SSAA), which is inspired by Sweet Honey in the Rock's version of the song, is a soulful rendering of Ledbetter's upbeat and folksy duet, with added body percussion adapted from the choreography of Evie Ladin.

The Women's Chorus, under the instruction of teaching assistant Kari, has had a lot of fun preparing the work. The work is effectively an exercise in multi-tasking, as the singers must sing from memory, keeping in mind the form of the piece while simultaneously performing an involved body percussion sequence.

The Eastman/University of Rochester Women's Chorus will be performing Smiley's arrangement of “Bring Me Little Water, Silvy” on April 17th at 8:00 PM in Kilbourn Hall. Be there!