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V'la l'bon vent is a French Canadian folksong of uncertain origin, with some sources arguing that it was a Voyageur rowing song and others claiming that it is of Acadian origin. Regardless of its place of origination, it's good fun. This setting is for four-part chorus with piano accompaniment; the accompaniment is optional, but if it's left out, it should be replaced with some percussion to keep a strict beat - preferably spoons for authenticity, assuming that hiring a large number of people to row in water simultaneously and in rhythm is out of the question.
The four choral voices each take their turns with the main chorus melody and with the lead in the verses, giving each a moment in the spotlight. The accompanist gets a little bit of the short shrift, mainly acting as rhythm section to the choir, so much so that they're replaceable by a pair of everyday kitchen implements if the need arises.
The form of the piece is very straightforward - two chorusses, followed by a verse, and repeat until out of verses. Each chorus is made more complex in its repeat, adding voices, adding rhythmic complexity, sometimes changing the key. Each verse is marked by a shift into five-beat bars, and is presented in a traditional AAB form, with one voice introducing the verse and the others responding. The intended end result is a constant build to the emotional climax of the piece, starting from the benign (Derrière chez-nous y'a t'un etang - "Behind our home is a pond") and building to the tragic accidental killing of the precious white duck.
V'la l'bon vent itself is a fun childhood memory for me, and writing this arrangement was an enjoyable and challenging experience. Still more fun, though, was being privileged to give this work a test-run with the amazing Canadian Chamber Choir in a workshop they gave in Gretna, MB, in 2009. The constructive advice, both on my compositional and my conducting technique, has been very useful in the intervening years. So here's hoping that there's someone out there can have as much fun with this as I have!