Morning Song (Teehahnahmah) with Amazing Grace (Cherokee)
Arranged for SATB Choir by James Green
Morning Song
/w´n de ja ho/
Wen de ya ho,
/w´n de ho/
wen de ho
/ho ho ho ho/
ho ho ho ho
/he a ho ja ja ja/
he a ho, ya ya ya
Cherokee “Amazing Grace”
/u ne la n√~ i u we tsi/
u ne la nv i u we tsi
/i ga gø j√~ he i/
i ga go yv he i
/hna kwø tso s√~ wi ju lo se/
hna quo tso sv wi yu lo se
/i ga gu j√~ ho n√~/
i ga gu yv ho nv
/a se no i u ne tse i/
a se no i u ne tse i
/i ju no du le n√~/
i yu no du le nv
/ta li ne d√~ tsi lu tsi li/
ta li ne dv tsi lu tsi li
/u d√~ ne u ne ts√~/
u dv ne u ne tsv
/e lo ni g√~ ni li skwa di/
e lo ni gv ni li squa di
© Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Pauly. All rights reserved.
/ga lu ts√~ he i ju/
ga lu tsv he i yu
/ni ga di da je di go i/
ni ga di da ye di go i
/a ni e lo hi g√~/
a ni e lo hi gv
/u na da n√~ ti a ne h√~/
u na da nv ti a ne hv
/do da ja n√~ hi li/
do da ya nv hi li
/tsa s√~ hna kwo ni go hi l√~/
tsa sv hna quo ni go hi lv
/do hi wan e he zdi/
do hi wan e he sdi
Notes on Pronunciation
The text of Morning Song is in Teehahnahmah. Amazing Grace is in Cherokee.
Diction has been put together from a number of sources, including notes in the Walton
octavo, the Walewa recordings of both the Morning Song and Amazing Grace, Native
Languages of the Americas (http://www.native-languages.org/cherokee_guide.htm) and
The Cherokee Alphabet and Pronunciation Guide
(http://www.atypical.net/CherTabl.html).
The “v” in the text represents a sound that we do not write in English. It is
essentially the sound of unaccented “u”, as in the word “upon” or “but”, but
nasalized. We approximate the sound in English when we say “uh-huh” or
“nuh-uh”. It is represented in IPA with an upside down “v” with a tilde over the
top - √~.
Notes on Translation
The text of Morning Song is in Teehahnahmah. Amazing Grace is in Cherokee.
I do not have a word for word translation of these texts. Both translations are from the
Walton octavo.
Wen de ya ho,
wen de ho
ho ho ho ho
he a ho, ya ya ya
u ne la nv i u we tsi
1
I am of the Great Spirit, It is so
I am of the Great Spirit
I am of the Great Spirit
It is so1
God’s Son
Green, James, arr., Morning Song, Walton Music Corp., 2010, p. 3.
© Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Pauly. All rights reserved.
i ga go yv he i
hna quo tso sv wi yu lo se
i ga gu yv ho nv
paid for us.
Then to Heaven He went
After paying for us.
a se no i u ne tse i
i yu no du le nv
ta li ne dv tsi lu tsi li
u dv ne u ne tsv
But He said,
when He rose.
“I’ll come again”
He said when He spoke.
e lo ni gv ni li squa di
ga lu tsv he i yu
ni ga di da ye di go i
a ni e lo hi gv
All the earth will end
when He comes
All will see HIm
All over the earth.
u na da nv ti a ne hv
do da ya nv hi li
tsa sv hna quo ni go hi lv
do hi wan e he sdi
All the good people living
He will come after.
Heaven always
in peace they will live.2
Recordings
Walton Music (the publisher of this arrangement) has a full recording here. It is really
lovely. http://www.waltonmusic.com/Sound14/MorningSong/
Live recording on YouTube of the Oxford High School Concert Choir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B699b7pOv3w.
Youtube has a recording of the Morning Song by the group Walela (a trio of three
women – Rita Coolidge, her sister Priscilla Coolidge and Priscilla’s daughter Laura
Satterfield: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxdAqv5SnCg.
Walela sings Amazing Grace in Cherokee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqkpYgvIBtU
Background
“Amazing Grace is a song that holds great meaning to the Cherokee people and it is often
referred to as “the Cherokee National Anthem”. The melody is the same as the traditional
Hymn but the text is much different…The Morning Song has been mistakenly called
Cherokee Morning Song by many. However, this Morning Song is by the Teehahnahmah
Indian Nation and is also known as Win-dey yah ho.”3
Analysis
Key: F Major
2
3
Green, James, arr., Morning Song, Walton Music Corp., 2010, p. 3.
ibid., p. 2.
© Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Pauly. All rights reserved.
Meter: 4/4. Morning Song is a short tune, 6 measures long with very short phrases –
1+1+1+1+2. It is sung as a canon.
Amazing Grace is presented as the familiar tune, except that the meter has been altered
from 3/4 to 4/4. It consists of 4 4-measure phrases.
SECTION
Intro – Morning
Song (theme A)
(variation 1)
MEASURE EVENT AND SCORING
1-6
instrumental – performed on flute or recorder,
percussion underneath
Theme A
(variation 2)
7-12
Sung in unison
Theme A
(Variation 3)
13-19
Theme A
(Variation 4)
20-28
STB sing in unison; A has harmony; the final cadence
of the repetition of this melody is done in canon, in 1/2
measure intervals
Sung in four voice canon at one measure intervals,
SATB order
Interlude
29-32
percussion
Amazing Grace
(theme B) with
Theme A
32-47
Theme A
(variation 5)
48-54
Interesting rhythm here: Amazing Grace is traditionally
in 3/4, but here it is converted to 4/4 to work with
Morning song.
32-47: Descant or solo sings Amazing Grace (can be
doubled by recorder or flute) as a partner song with the
Morning Song (sung in unison in remaining voices)
At ms. 40, Amazing Grace continues as a canon
between Descant line and lower voices; at ms. 44 lower
voices sing harmony against the final cadence of
Amazing Grace
Sung in unison – cadence is like variation 3
Theme A
(variation 6)
55-63
Sung in four voice canon as in variation 4
Coda
(Variation 7)
63-end
Theme A, solo flute or recorder
© Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Pauly. All rights reserved.