Fourpence ha’penny or Variations on Frère Jacques – clarinet quartet

Category:

Description

Fourpence ha’penny is a set of variations based on the old canon Frère Jacques (or Bruder Martin)
– the idea for the title came from my father who always claims, jokingly, that I earn only fourpence ha’penny from my musical compositions.
(Of course I get a bit more than that!)

The canon could also be sung to words such as:

Fourpence ha’penny, fourpence ha’penny…
That’s your lot, that’s your lot!
You could be a rich man, oh you’d be be a rich man!
But you’re not, not so hot….

Video: