Aura Lee
Traditional · 1800s · Music by George R. Poulton, lyrics by W. W. Fosdick, 1861
Sing Aura Lee with pitch feedback
“Aura Lee” is transcribed here with its tonic on C4 at 88 bpm in 4 beats to the bar. The 12 notes span G3 to D4 — 7 semitones — which rates Medium to sing, and a full 4-pass session runs about 0:44.
7 semitones as transcribed. The practice room transposes it to sit in your own range.
- One time through
- 0:11 at 88 bpm
- A full session
- 0:44 — 4 passes
- Leaps of a third or more
- 3
Aura Lee lyrics, as transcribed here
- As the blackbird in the spring,
- 'neath the willow tree,
The songbook transcribes the opening phrase rather than the whole song, because 4 tight repetitions of a phrase you can hear yourself improve on beats one distracted run at the full thing.
Origin and copyright status
Published in 1861; Poulton died in 1867 and Fosdick in 1862. Long out of copyright.
- Attribution
- Music by George R. Poulton, lyrics by W. W. Fosdick, 1861
- Language
- English
Every melody in the songbook is public domain, which is why the whole thing can be sung in a browser without a licence. A specific recording or arrangement of the same tune can still be under copyright — this is our own transcription of the melody.
Genre, era and what it drills
Tags describe what the melody asks of a voice, not what it sounds like — “ballad” is the reason to pick it on a given day.