For all of us who take Ground Hog’s Day seriously, now is your chance to be rewarded! On Saturday, 
February 2nd at 7:30 p.m. in the USF concert hall, a diverse group of faculty and students in the 
School of Music will present a tribute to our furry little friends who live underground and have such a 
significant impact on our Winter weather. Since the Ground Hog is also known by such alternative 
names as the woodchuck and the whistle pig, there are many connection that one can make 
between our animal friend and music: For example, much early music has been composed over 
repeated bass patterns, often known as "ground basses," and hence playing such music makes the 
performers "ground hogs." The ground hog was also considered to be an edible delicacy in many 
parts of the United States, even to the point where the cooks would make ground hog gravy (yum!).



Including both vocal and instrumental performed by a significant number of music faculty and 
students, this Ground Hog’s Day tribute will include Renaissance and Baroque music over ground 
bass patterns, as well as by talented jazz studies majors from the Jazz Chamber Ensemble, which 
concentrates on repertory ranging from classic chamber jazz groups to contemporary works by 
modern jazz masters. Another featured instrumental selection on the program will be a Sonata for 
soprano recorder and piano by Brazilian composer Osvaldo Lacerda, which is obviously connected 
to the ground hog since a "whistle pig" must be similar to the soprano recorder (also known as a 
"whistle flute"). The USF Chamber Singers will also be featured in a performance of The Art of the 
Ground Round by P.D.Q. Bach, undoubtedly the most infamous son of J.S. Bach. This intriguing 
event, both humorous and serious, will conclude with the School of Music’s iPad faculty/student 
ensemble performing two works celebrating the ground hog --- an early American folk song that talks 
about hunting, shooting, cooking and eating the ground hog ("One Old Woman was the Mother of us 

All"), and a parody of one of the most famous songs by the late Elvis ("You ain’t nothin’ but a ground 

hog").