The Leatherwing Bat

“The Leatherwing Bat” is a traditional American folk song arranged by Vijay Singh for 2 part treble voices and piano.  Vijay honors the original melody and lyrics but uses a more modern harmonic treatment in the piano to create a stunning and ultimately sing-able effect. 

The piece is strophic with a refrain and the lyrics tell a story of unrequited love with various animals as references.  Strong rhythmic variations and melody keep the music interesting, and the repetitive refrain in canon teaches part independence. 

This is an excellent teaching tool for English diction, vowel unification and consonant articulations.  Rhythmic tongue clicks add interesting texture to contrast the melody, and a brief slower section introduces tempi variations.  Singers and audiences alike will love this piece, and it would be a strong festival choice!

Type of ensemble:  This piece is written for two part treble voices. It is an excellent choice for concert program or large group festival.

Story line:  The Leatherwing Bat is a traditional American folk song. It tells the story of unrequited love and how each individual was affected by a lost partner. The bat and the birds all have different stories to tell but the outcome is very similar. 

Technique teaching points: This is an excellent teaching tool for diction, independent part singing and vocal balance and blend. 

Program placement: This selection is a great change-of-pace piece and could be placed following a slow ballad or quiet part of your program.It will also serve as an excellent adjudication piece for festival performance.

Product Includes: Sheet Music * Lyric Sheet *  Soprano MP3  * Alto MP3  * Piano MP3 * FullMix MP3