50 Nursery Songs

50 Nursery Songs by Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967).  Edited by Geoffry Russell-Smith. For Voice (Book). BH Kodaly. Softcover. 50 pages. Boosey & Hawkes #M060035234. Published by Boosey & Hawkes.

Part of the Kodaly Choral Method, this collection of 55 nursery songs is not meant to be sight-singing material. These songs are composed to provide very simple note and rhythm patterns for the very young singers. The five-note (pentatonic scale) is employed so as to avoid the use of semi-tones (half steps) at an age when certainty of intonation is only just developing. The first songs are in fact written on two notes (tones) only, later progressing to three, four and five.