Hush You Bye is based on an early American folk tune found in Appalachia. Parts 1 and 3a are essential to the piece. There is flexibility in the levels of the other parts. The melody in the beginning is found in Part 3a and would serve as a great reading exercise for Level 4. Hush You Bye has two distinct sections. The first is slow and brooding with a bass melody and the second is marked by quick 16th note figures. If the class has players playing part 2b, make sure that these chords are quiet and dark. Possibly have these students play these chords over the sound hole, or tasto.
Cultural/Historical Context:
Hush You Bye is an early American folk tune from the 1700s. Have the students listen to other traditional American music. Listen to Dvorak’s New World Symphony and discuss what about the music sounds “American”. Also, the composer Robert Beaser wrote an arrangement of this tune for flute and guitar in his work, “Mountain Songs”. This would also be a good listening exercise.