Moonlight in Vermont - arranged and performed by Aaron Lington

I felt inspired today to write and record another arrangement for guitar, 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, and 2 bass clarinets after all of your kind words about the arrangement I did on "Stardust." Thank you for that.

So - here's another song that I adore. "Moonlight in Vermont" written in 1944 by Karl Suessdorf (music) and John Blackburn (lyrics). This song has been recorded by artists as diverse as Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Seth MacFarlane, and Willie Nelson. Again, it is the latter's recording that first introduced me to this wonderful song and my guitar playing here is a tip of the hat to Willie.

This song is a model of creativity.

Form: AABA
Here's a super cool fact (perhaps some of you knew) - none of the lines rhyme in this song and the A sections are in haiku. Simply amazing.

Here are the lyrics:
Pennies in a stream
Falling leaves a sycamore
Moonlight in Vermont

Icy finger waves
Ski trails down the mountain side
Snow light in Vermont

Telegraph cables, they sing down the highway
And travel each bend in the road

People who meet in this romantic setting
Are so hypnotized by the lovely

Evening summer breeze
Warbling of the meadowlark
Moonlight in Vermont
You and I and Moonlight in Vermont

These lyrics are full of imagery, are programmatic and very romantic. There is something wistful and nostalgic about it.

The harmony is fairly straightforward - a lot of I, vi, ii, V (and variants) and some modal borrowing here and there; it's a product of its era for sure. The bridge goes up a 1/2 step (in this case to B major from G major) and then again another 1/2 step (to C major) which eventually acts as a IV chord to get us to the V and back to the I for the last A. Succinct and logical.

I hope you all enjoy!