If you’ve ever sung “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” (with or without actual beer drinking involved), then you know perfectly well the answer to the title’s question. The lyrics simply list a set of reasons why it’s always, always a good idea to drink beer, or ale, or anything else alcoholic, rather than to consume anything else. And since this is a folk song there are a number of variations; I’ll include these as well as the lyrics in the John Rutter arrangement that the Cherry Creek Chorale will perform in our October concert, “Harmony and Hops.” (Be sure to come if you can! Here’s the link to buy your tickets.)
Rutter set this text to his own music instead of that found in the original 15th century manuscript, calling upon the accompanists (either the original small orchestra or the piano reduction) to convey a sense of increasing inebriation even while the choir is supposed to maintain “strong rhythm and well-projected text” to the end.”1 The Chorale will try to fulfill this direction!