Vocal Solo Arrangement: St.Maarten National Anthem

While in school, Robert was asked to sing the St.Maarten National Anthem at the upcoming White Coat Ceremony. The only copy on hand was a very old, poorly/inaccurately notated sheet of "music".  I did my best to FIX it in accordance with the ACTUAL  rhythm and notes that most people use when singing it.

Originally, after fixing all the faux pas (like 5 beats in a 4/4 measure, etc) I changed the rhythm even moreso that it would be easy for anyone to perform. But after listening to several youtube vidoes of native islanders singing their beloved Anthem, I went back and tried to make it as close to the original as possible out of respect to the local tradition. That meant bouncing back and forth between 3/4 and 4/4 quite a bit in the beginning of the song. Also, the original sheet music was in G Major which means that it was somewhat out of reach of the general populace, unless you are a confident tenor or a soprano. I took it down a third to E Major, so that more people could sing it without so much stress. Ha!

It went over pretty well at the Ceremony because they asked him to do it again the next semester!  :D






Oh sweeeeeeeeeet St. Maarten's land.......
click here to download the PDF of EM sheet music:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3A_oLvMRe-cU1JOS0g5WnBOb1U/view?usp=sharing

Here is a PDF of E FLAT Major, in case you find that easier on the fingers or the voice.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3A_oLvMRe-cRG1jdmpvN3psVWM/view?usp=sharing


And here is the streamlined version for those who want a consistent rhythm the entire piece:
E Major all in 3/4 time:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3A_oLvMRe-cdnZuSnZuYk1oUXc/view?usp=sharing
E Flat Major all in 3/4 time:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3A_oLvMRe-cd0l6cGRWTFdreXM/view?usp=sharing