This Fire

Song Notes

This chant was written for a wedding, which was to close with the whole assembled throng circled around a great fire, chanting these words. Unfortunately, it was really raining, so we went under a covered shelter and used a giant can of sterno for the flame. It still worked, and the song has been a well-received chant around fires at festivals and camps ever since. It is best to teach the parts separately, and it really sounds nice if you can take the time to teach the harmonies in each part. If you teach everyone all the parts, they can choose the one they like, and jump around from part to part as the song goes on, (and on, and on, which sometimes happens if the fire’s hot and the spirit’s right!) I’ve also done it as a concentric circle dance, where those in the center cluster face out while singing the soprano lines, (part 3), the next group encircles them, while also facing outwards and singing the bass line or “engine”, (part 1), and the final outer circle faces inwards and sings the alto and tenor lines. (part 2). A simple side- step can keep the circles moving past each other, while making appropriate hand gestures to deepen the effect.