If you know Row, Row, Row Your Boat or Frére Jacques, you are familiar with the structure of a round: a song for two or more voices made up of one melody meant to be repeated by each singer several times through, each voice following the one before at regular intervals.

    Because the phrases of the song are the same length and harmonize with each other, instant harmony is created. It’s a delight to move through a round and hear your own part shift from line to line yet remain essential for the overall musical sense of the piece. The singing of rounds develops listening, blending and singing skills and is wonderful practice in finding one’s voice and upholding one’s part, both musically and metaphorically.

    The rounds repertoire holds many treasures, some simple and short, some long and complex, some silly, some deeply spiritual, and everything in-between. The earliest one we’ve come across was written in the 13th century, and many are being written at this moment.

     If this world is new to you, I invite you in. All you need are a few willing friends who love to sing. Here are several collections to get you well started:

     101 Rounds for Singing and Sacred Canons (1963) are tiny books from World Around Songs, INC, Route 5, Box 398, Burnsville, NC 28714. They’re terrific.

     Rounds Galore! by Sol Weber (1994), a big collection of 340 rounds from ancient to contemporary, is available from Sol Weber, 25-14 37th St, Astoria, NY 11103-4228.

     Pass It Around! by Kay Eskenazi (2003) contains rounds from around the world and is available from www.PassItAround.org.

Blessings on your singing. Marilyn Power Scott