Scarborough Fair arr. for flute, oboe, bassoon and piano

This is one of the most popular and best-loved folk songs of all time, made famous by Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan and many others. The song is in the Dorian mode and thought to have originated over four hundred years ago. Scarborough (SKAH-buh-ruh) is an English coastal town in the county of Yorkshire. It was occupied by the Romans during the fourth and fifth centuries but today has become the largest holiday resort on the Yorkshire coast with a thriving fishing industry. There are many different versions of the lyrics and by the end of the 19th century, dozens of variants existed. The repeated chorus of "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" is significant. In olden times, these herbs had medicinal purposes. In addition, parsley was associated with comfort, sage with strength, rosemary with love and thyme with courage. The song takes the form of a melancholy dialogue between two individuals who were once lovers but now live separate lives. Each of them asks the listener to pass on a message to the other. The young man requests impossible tasks from his former lover, saying that if she can perform them, he will take her back. In return, she requests equally impossible things of him, saying she will perform her tasks when he performs his. The fact that all the tasks are impossible seems to imply that neither of them have any intention of becoming reunited. This arrangement for woodwind instruments and piano stays well within the instrumental ranges and attempts to reflect the melancholy feeling of the lyrics. It would make an excellent addition to a woodwind recital.