Australian bush songs encapsulate the pioneering spirit that built Australia.

But whilst they have been popular over many years with bush bands and solo singers, not at lot have been arranged for choirs. So here are new choral arrangements of four of my favourites.

Our bush heritage

Australia’s bush (folk) songs tell stories about the early pioneers of this great land. They tell us about the harsh treatment endured by the first convict settlers; the optimism of the early free settlers building a new life in the scrub; and the euphoria and the disappointments of the gold prospectors. We meet the squatters and the free selectors, the shearers and the drovers who laid the foundations of the economic boom times to come. Then there are the bush rangers and folk heroes, the jolly swagmen and the challenges faced by simple ‘bushies’ as they are ‘taken for a ride’ by the city-slickers in the ‘big smoke’.

My first four selections for choir

The first four of what I hope will be several more choral arrangements of Australian bush songs include:

  • Brisbane Ladies – drovers plying their trade between Brisbane and Augathella
  • The Old Palmer Song – prospectors set out for the goldfields near Cooktown in far North Queensland
  • Moreton Bay – a convict’s life in the harsh penal settlement at Moreton Bay; and
  • The Diamantina Drover – a contemporary song about a drover working at Old Cork Station on the banks of the Diamantina River.

Notes, samples and clips

Find out more about all of these titles by visiting my website where there are detailed notes, sample pages and audio clips available.

Purchase Australian bush songs online for immediate download

All titles are available for online purchase and immediate download. Simply go to my website, select your preferred title from the Catalogue and click on the Buy Now button in the right-hand sidebar.

Like to have a favourite Australian bush song arranged for choir?

If you have a favourite Australian bush song that you would like to have arranged for choir, please contact me with your request and I’ll do my best to have your idea realised.

Featured image: The Break Away! by Tom Roberts. Art Gallery of South Australia.