St. Francis and the Birds (for mandolin quartet or ensemble) is a four part arrangement of a tune that I probably first wrote down sometime in the 1980s. It appears as melody with chords in the Contratopia Tunebook and I added a harmony part in 2012 and posted it to my So Many Tunes blog.

This version of the piece for mandolin ensemble came about because earlier in the summer of 2018 I created a four part version for SATB recorder ensemble and posted it to So Many Tunes. A friend in England asked about adapting it for mandolins and this is the result.

While I have written 25 or 30 pieces for mandolin orchestra (with more to come) I often hear from players who gather in smaller ensembles. I have arranged a number of short tunes (jigs, reels, waltzes, etc.) in other collections as trios with two mandolin parts and guitar chords. This piece, however, was written to accomodate a wider range of mandolin family options (including an option for guitarists who don't mind playing a single note line). The piece can played by 3 mandolins and an octave mandolin; or two mandolins, with a CGDA mandola replacing the third mandolin and a guitar, mandocello or octave mandolin playing the bottom part. Of course you are welcome to try any combination that works for your group.

As you can see I am presenting this sheet music under a Creative Commons License. My intention is to make it clear that you can use the written music for any non-commercial purpose as long as proper attribution is given. I would, however, very much like to know of any performances of this music for my records.

John Goodin, July, 2018

This music is free for your use as outlined in the Creative Commons License below but I am, with some hesitation, offering the opportunity to make a small donation via PayPal (whether you have a PayPal account or not) to help support this kind of publishing. Print out the music, try it with your group, it really is free. If you want to make a donation any amount is fine. You might consider asking each member of your orchestra or ensemble to donate a dollar, or you could "pass the hat" at a rehearsal or performance. No donation is necessary, my main interest is in sharing the music.

It's also perfectly all right to send a donation via personal check to: John Goodin, 408 Center Ave., Decorah, IA 52101.

Created on ... August 1, 2018