The Happy Wanderer

File:Happywanderer.jpg

Original recording by the Obernkirchen Children's Choir

"The Happy Wanderer" ("Template:Langr" or "Template:Langr") is a popular song. The original text was written by Template:Ill (1791–1877).<ref name=sigismund>"Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann", Volksliederarchiv Template:Webarchive (+score)</ref><ref name=ffs>Template:Cite web</ref>

The present tune was composed by Template:Ill shortly after World War II. The work is often mistaken for a German folk song, but it is an original composition. Möller's sister Edith conducted a small amateur children's and youth choir in the district of Schaumburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, internationally named Obernkirchen Children's Choir, in Germany named Template:Ill.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She adapted Sigismund's words for her choir.<ref name=sigismund />

In 1953, a BBC radio broadcast of the choir's winning performance at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod turned the song into an instant hit. On 22 January 1954 the song entered the UK singles chart and stayed on the chart—only a Top 12 at the time—for 26 non-consecutive weeks, peaking at Number 2 (for five consecutive weeks). Another version by the British vocal ensemble The Stargazers reached number 12 in April of 1954.<ref>"Chart Log UK, 1952–1962, Mike Sagar – Pat Suzuki, zobbel.de</ref>

The amateur choir, many of whose original members were war orphans, turned into an international phenomenon in the following years. The group performed on many international tours under the name Obernkirchen Children's Choir and recorded several albums. They made two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show (29 November 1964 and 11 December 1966).<ref>Template:Discogs artist</ref>

Die Isarspatzen, Herbert Beckh und das Tanzorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks Munich have recorded a German version of the song "Der fröhliche Wanderer". Electrola released that recording in 1955 as catalog number EG 8082.<ref>Template:Discogs master; Template:Discogs release</ref>

The song's German lyrics have been translated into several languages, and it has since become a choir classic. The first adaptation into another language was done by a Belgian woman, Andrée Mazy, who translated it into Dutch-Flemish and French.<ref name= PM185>Published Music: Catalog of Copyright Entries, 3rd series, vol. 9, part 5A, no. 1, p. 185, EFO-32388, Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, January–June 1955.</ref> Since in Dutch folk songs "valderi-valdera" (pronounced "falderi-faldera") is more common than the German "falleri-fallera", she used the Dutch model in both versions. When Antonia Ridge was writing the English lyrics,<ref name = PM185 /> she became acquainted with the French version of the song, with "valderi-valdera", pronounced with a true soft /v/ instead of the voiceless /f/, and used it in the English version mainly for euphonic reasons (less military sounding).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During WWII, a more military version of the song became immensely popular with the German paratroopers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Although Friedrich-Wilhelm Möller reportedly composed "Template:Langr" shortly after World War II, Steven Spielberg's 1993 historical drama film, Schindler's List, set during the war, contains a scene in which a group is singing the tune, mixed with another German folk song, in a nightclub during that war.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Milton Delugg wrote an arrangement and is sometimes incorrectly credited as the composer of the song. A number of English-language sources credit Edith Möller and Florenz Siegesmund with writing the words, the implication being (apparently) that they were written at the same time as the tune. However, the German sources all credit the original words to either Friedrich Sigismund,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> F. Sigismund,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or Florenz Friedrich Sigismund<ref name=ffs/> and give the dates as either 1788–1857 or early 19th century.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> All German sources agree that the words to the popular version were adapted by Edith Möller.

The song also became the unofficial anthem of Major League Baseball's Montreal Expos (since relocated to become the Washington Nationals).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

"The Happy Wanderer" was selected as the winner of Trinidad's 1955 Road March title, awarded to the song which was most played by steelbands during that year's Trinidad and Tobago Carnival season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was the only time a non-calypso song had been awarded this honour.

Melody

<score sound raw> \header { tagline = ##f } \layout { indent = 0 \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } }

global = { \key c \major \time 2/2 \partial 2 }

chordNames = \chordmode { \global \set ChordNames.midiInstrument = #"acoustic guitar (nylon)" \set chordChanges = ##t

 s2 | c,1 | c, | c, | c, | c, | c, | g,:7~ | g,2
 g,2 | g,1 | g, | c, | c, | f, | c,2 g,:7 | c,1~ | c,2
 s2 | g,1:7~ | g,2:7 s | c,1~ | c,2 s | g,1:7~ | g,2:7
 s2 | c,1 | c, | g,:7~ | g,2:7 s | c,1~ | c, | f, | c,2 g,:7 | c,1~ | c,2 \bar "|."

}

tenorVoice = \relative c { \global

 g2 | g g | g2. f4 | f2 e | e2.
 e4 | e2 e | g e | f1~ | f2
 g2 | g b | b2. b4 | c2 g | g2.
 g4 | a2 f | e d | c1~ | c4 r
 g'4. g8 | b1~ b2 g4. g8 | c1~ | c2
 g4. g8 | d'1~ | d2 g,4. g8 | e'4 d c b | c b a g | b1~ | b2
 g4. g8 | c1~ | c2 g | a f | e d | c1~ | c2\bar "|."

}

verse = \lyricmode {

 Mein Va -- ter war ein Wan -- ders -- mann,
 Und mir steckt’s auch im Blut;
 Drum wandr’ ich flott so lang ich kann,
 Und schwen -- ke mei -- nen Hut,
 Va -- ler -- ri, va -- le -- ra, va -- ler -- ri,
 va -- le -- ra a a a a a, va -- le -- ri, va -- le -- ra,
 Und schwen -- ke mei -- nen Hut.

} verseE = \lyricmode {

 I love to go a- -- wan -- der -- ing,
 a -- long the moun -- tain track,
 and as I go, I love to sing,
 my knap -- sack on my back.
 \repeat unfold 23 { \skip 1}
 my knap -- sack on my back.

}

chordsPart = \new ChordNames \chordNames tenorVoicePart = \new Staff \with { midiInstrument = "accordion"} { \tenorVoice } \addlyrics { \verse } \addlyrics { \verseE }

\score {

 <<
   \chordsPart
   \tenorVoicePart
 >>
 \layout { }
 \midi { \tempo 4=256 }

} </score> Source<ref>"Edition F: 'Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann' , Template:Ill; "German and English lyrics", adamvaughan.org</ref>

External links

• Chart of All Time – 1954, UK Chart History of 1954
• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0048099

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• "Pigtailed Angels", from Fifty Glorious Weeks 1947–1996, Template:ISBN (history of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod)

• Template:YouTube, by the Obernkirchen Children's Choir (1953). Video – 3:01 minutes. Published on July 7, 2010 – 118,015 views by February 7, 2019.
• Template:YouTube, by the Frank Weir Choir (1954). Video – 2:43 minutes, with lyrics. Published on December 27, 2011 – 95,116 views by August 19, 2019.
• Template:YouTube, by Heidis Erben (2011a). Video – 2:56 minutes. Published on Jun 5, 2011 – 41,936 views by December 26, 2019.
• Template:YouTube, by Heidis Erben (2011b). Video – 2:39 minutes. Published on August 28, 2011 – 128,067 views by December 26, 2019.
• Template:YouTube, from Campout at Walt Disney World. Video – 2:46 minutes, with lyrics. Published on April 5, 2011 – 74,246 views by July 20, 2019.
• Template:YouTube, by The Ringgold Band (2013). Video – 6:20 minutes. Published on September 2, 2013 – 7,475 views by July 20, 2019.