Bob Applebaum is a Chicago composer, residing in California. His music is published by EC Schirmer and Transcontinental, among others. Every two years I have been performing a concert entitled: Gather Ye Round, which features rounds from a variety of eras and styles. Bob’s contribution to these concerts were 4 delightful sets of 4 rounds each. I semi-staged them (not difficult to do because of his wonderful sense of humor) and they have become the highlight of those concerts. Bob’s music (he writes all his lyrics as well) is especially appealing to me because it’s intricate and yet very accessible to children. His songs have varying degrees of sophistication, which has supplied me with appropriate repertoire for the different levels of choirs I conduct. In addition, the dramatic elements of the songs have been a great tool for learning how to sing expressively. At the session, the following rounds were performed:
“Dobbin’s Lament”. A song about an aging race horse who has to deal with not being in the limelight anymore.
“The Turtle”. A favorite of the audiences, which tells about a turtle that just “takes its time”.
“I Wish I Were an Octopus”. The efficiency and problems of having 8 arms.
“The Rotten, Foul Tempered, Angry Crocodile”. A favorite with the singers because they get to act mean-spirited. It gets the shyest children acting.
“Butterfly, Fly into my Window”. Very unusual round in Latin style of Montuno.
“Snake Eyes”. Scary snake eyes potrayed by chromatic scales and tritones.
“Chocolate”. A delightful song about the joys of eating chocolate.
Robert Applebaum says