Folkopedia - User contributions [en]

Jack Elliott

2008-09-01T09:13:12Z

PeteWood:

Jack Elliott was a miner from Birtley in County Durham. He and his wife Em brought up four children in the 1930s and 40s, and the family sang continually in the house, in the streets, and at the pub. Their songs ranged from kids' game songs to Child ballads, but it's probably for their pit songs that they are best known. The Elliotts came to prominence in the folk revival due to the interests of Ewan MacColl,Bert Lloyd and others, and helped bring about the concept of industrial folk song. There was also a strong political and social feeling in the way the family sang which suited the temperament of the times. Jack Elliott and brother Reece in particular show how humour and sheer determination helped them and their families cope with some pretty rotten conditions. Jack unfortunately died in 1966, but the family continue the tradition to this day, and the Birtley Folk Club, founded in 1962, still meets at the Buffalos' club every Wednesday. Jack and his family are the subject of a 2008 biography (see below and [[The Elliotts of Birtley]]}.

Jack and his family featured in many recordings and documentaries, notably the following:

The Elliotts of Birtley, LP on Folkways, 1962, from recordings made by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, still available from the Library of Congress. (http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/)

Jack Elliott of Birtley, [[Leader Records]] [[LEA 4001]], 1969, from amateur recordings of Jack, and the first record issued on Bill leader's label.

The Elliotts of Birtley, Pete Wood, Herron Publishing 2008. A biography of the family with a forward by Peggy Seeger.

The Elliotts of Birtley

2008-09-01T09:12:00Z

PeteWood:

The County Durham mining family who were such an important force in the 1960s folk revival, with a folk club still thriving as it nears its 50th anniversary. Jack Elliott and brother Reece were descended from a mystery foundling born in 1832, and four generations of them worked at Cotia pit at Fatfield, lived in Browns’ Buildings at Barley Mow, south of Birtley, and sang song all their lives, in the pub and at home. Jack’s four children Pete, Doreen, John, and Len continued the singing tradition after their mother and father’s deaths in the late 1960s. The first three, and their partners Pat, Bryan, and Pam, became known as the “The Elliotts of Birtley” as they appeared at festivals and clubs throughout the UK and abroad. Robust in their singing, their politics, and their atheism, they endeared people to them from far and wide, and are a legend within the folk community. As well as their singing, their values are an example to us all.

Three products have used the title "The Elliotts of Birtley":

'''''The Folkways LP'''''
Recorded in 1961 by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger this remains a landmark recording, involving as it does conversation, discussion, songs from kids' street songs to ballads, and tunes from Jack Elliott. The quality of the material, recording, presentation, and informative notes are second to none in folk music albums.

'''''The Cassette'''''
A 1992 audio cassette put out by the family.

'''''The Biography'''''
Pete Wood’s 2008 book “The Elliotts of Birtley” is a study of the family's history, their singing character, and the way the songs came to them. It analyses the Elliotts' status in their local community and their importance in the folk revival of the 1960s. It explores how their strong socialist beliefs and atheism helped strengthen their resolve in times of hardship and political struggle, and in an extensive chapter relates their songs to the history of folk song nationally and particularly in the North East of England. It also has the "dots" for the main family songs, and a piece from Doreen Elliott which tells how the sounds "have gone from the streets".

See also [[Jack Elliott]]

The Elliotts of Birtley

2008-08-31T16:47:40Z

PeteWood: New page: The County Durham mining family who were such an important force in the 1960s folk revival, with a folk club still thriving as it nears its 50th anniversary. Jack Elliott and brother Reece...

The County Durham mining family who were such an important force in the 1960s folk revival, with a folk club still thriving as it nears its 50th anniversary. Jack Elliott and brother Reece were descended from a mystery foundling born in 1832, and four generations of them worked at Cotia pit at Fatfield, and lived in Browns’ Buildings Barley Mow, south of Birtley. Jack’s four children and their partners continued the singing tradition after their mother and father’s deaths inthe late 1960s, and as the “The Elliotts of Birtley” became well known and loved at festivals and clubs throughout the UK and abroad. Robust in their singing, their politics, and their atheism, they endeared people to them from far and wide, and are a legend within the folk community. As well as their singing, their values are an example to us all.

Three products have used the title "The Elliotts of Birtley":

'''''The Folkways LP'''''
Recorded in 1961 by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger this remains a landmark recording, involving as it does conversation, discussion, songs from kids' dtreet somgs to ballads, and tunes from Jack Elliott. The quality of the material, recording, presentation, and informative notes are second to none in folk music albums.

'''''The Cassette'''''
A 1992 audio cassette put out by the family.

'''''The Biography'''''
Pete Wood’s 2008 book “The Elliotts of Birtley” is a study of the family's history,their singing character, and the way the songs came to them. It analyses the Elliotts' status in their local community and their importance in the folk revival of the 1960s. It explores how their strong socialist beliefs and atheism helped strengthen their resolve in times of hardship and political struggle, and in an extensive chapter relates their songs to the history of folk song nationally and particularly in the North East of England.

See also [[Jack Elliott]]

Jack Elliott

2008-08-31T16:27:08Z

PeteWood:

Nelson

2007-12-28T10:22:08Z

PeteWood: /* '''Nelson in folk song''' */

== '''Nelson in folk song''' ==

Horatio Nelson is widely regarded as the greatest English military hero since Alfred the Great. The battle of Trafalgar in 1805 established Britain’s maritime hegemony, which lasted for over a century, and elevated the country to an international status which it still enjoys long after it lost its naval dominance. He was revered by the public to an extraordinary degree, in a period of maximum creativity for our folk songs. We would therefore expect a lot of songs about him in the oral tradition. It seems not. Broadsides, yes. Forty-odd different songs have been identified, though it’s very hard to separate them, what with all the “borrowing” of titles, phrases and whole verses that went on between the printers. The Nelson legend continued to keep the likes of Pitts of London, Harkness of Preston, and Kendrew of York making money until at least 60 years after the event. But little seems to have got through via the oral transmission route.

The best known is undoubtedly '''''Bold Nelson’s Praise''''', collected in 1909 by [[Cecil Sharp]] from 70-year old Tom Gardiner of Blackwell in Warwickshire. The song is full of the sort of jingoism we find in the broadsides rather than oral tradition, and set to the popular and glorious [[Princess Royal]] tune. It has been very popular in the current folk revival, so you’d expect it to have been as popular with old singers in the 1900s. But it seems not, as Sharp’s is the only time it has been found. Moreover, it is not to be found amongst the broadsides, and although Sharp rearranged the singer’s version prior to publication, the phraseology is quite different than most of the broadsides. One possibility is that the song was written after the heyday of the broadsides, perhaps as late as the 100th anniversary of Trafalgar in 1905, and maybe by somebody in the West Midlands. Tom Gardiner had it, but maybe it just hadn’t travelled very far. By then you see, there was no broadside trade, music hall was on the wane, and most people by now had lost interest in the subject. Remarkable then that the phrase has stuck. (In 2005, there were innumerable articles, radio programmes, websites, and shows dedicated to Trafalgar, almost all of them entitled ''Bold Nelson’s Praise''!)

'''''Nelson’s Monument''''' is not about the Trafalgar Square job, but the Great Yarmouth construction of the 1840s. The song was the third most popular amongst the broadsides, and one of the few that got passed on orally. [[Vaughan Williams]] collected it from Daniel Wigg of Hampshire in 1909, noting down only one verse (though the full version collected from the same singer in 1907 is in the Gardiner manuscripts), and in the 1950s [[Peter Kennedy]] got it from [[Harry Cox]], and the Hudlestons got it from Arthur Wood of Middlesbrough. Interesting that the song has hardly been heard in the current [[folk revival]]. Another song hardly ever heard is '''''Admiral Nelson''''', published in [[''The English Folksinger'']] as having been collected from a streetsinger of Plymouth. A glorious, dignified tune, with a text that seems much more in keeping with a seaman’s viewpoint. '''''Nelson’s Death & Victory''''' is the title of many 19th century broadsides, but like ''Bold Nelson’s Praise'', it has only been collected once from the tradition, this time as late as 1971, again in Warwickshire. [[Roy Palmer]] got it from chainmaker [[George Dunn]], who only had part of the song. Roy was able to provide the missing verses from a print by Kendrew of York in his highly influential publication [[''The Valiant Sailor'']].

The final song worthy of mention is regarded by many as the very best song about Nelson, and yet is a recent creation. '''''The Death of Nelson''''' is sung by Louis Killen, and was first recorded by [[A. L. Lloyd]] in a "Trafalgar 150" BBC radio broadcast in 1955. As Bert disclosed in the notes to the Topic LP ''The Valiant Sailor'', he “did a job on it”. The tune and first verse coming from the Daniel Wigg recording of ''Nelson’s Monument'' (see above), he assembled the rest from two broadsides entitled ''The Death of Nelson'', one from Henry Such of London, and the other from William Forth of Pocklington, near York. Lloyd “filleted” these two prints in a manner that suited his chosen tune, and produced a song of unsurpassed elegance and seeming authenticity.

One thing that comes out of this limited survey is that traditional songs can be interfered with to very positive effect. Rather than create a new song about Nelson, most have taken the fragments we have inherited and tried to get a feel of whatever the original was. Thanks to them. However, always remember that quality is in the ear of the beholder!

Nelson

2007-12-24T15:05:29Z

PeteWood: New page: == '''Nelson in folk song''' == Horatio Nelson is widely regarded as the greatest English military hero since Alfred the Great. The battle of Trafalgar in 1805 established Britain’s ma...

== '''Nelson in folk song''' ==

Horatio Nelson is widely regarded as the greatest English military hero since Alfred the Great. The battle of Trafalgar in 1805 established Britain’s maritime hegemony, which lasted for over a century, and elevated the country to an international status which it still enjoys long after it lost its naval dominance. He was revered by the public to an extraordinary degree, in a period of maximum creativity for our folk songs. We would therefore expect a lot of songs about him in the oral tradition. It seems not. Broadsides, yes. Forty-odd different songs have been identified, though it’s very hard to separate them, what with all the “borrowing” of titles, phrases and whole verses that went on between the printers. The Nelson legend continued to keep the likes of Pitts of London, Harkness of Preston, and Kendrew of York making money until at least 60 years after the event. But little seems to have got through via the oral transmission route.

The best known is undoubtedly '''''Bold Nelson’s Praise''''', collected in 1909 by [[Cecil Sharp]] from 70-year old Tom Gardiner of Blackwell in Warwickshire. The song is full of the sort of jingoism we find in the broadsides rather than oral tradition, and set to the popular and glorious “Princess Royal” tune. It has been very popular in the current folk revival, so you’d expect it to have been as popular with old singers in the 1900s. But it seems not, as Sharp’s is the only time it has been found. Moreover, it is not to be found amongst the broadsides, and although Sharp rearranged the singer’s version prior to publication, the phraseology is quite different than most of the broadsides. One possibility is that the song was written after the heyday of the broadsides, perhaps as late as the 100th anniversary of Trafalgar in 1905, and maybe by somebody in the West Midlands. Tom Gardiner had it, but maybe it just hadn’t travelled very far. By then you see, there was no broadside trade, music hall was on the wane, and most people by now had lost interest in the subject. Remarkable then that the phrase has stuck. (In 2005, there were innumerable articles, radio programmes, websites, and shows dedicated to Trafalgar, almost all of them entitled ''Bold Nelson’s Praise''!)

'''''Nelson’s Monument''''' is not about the Trafalgar Square job, but the Great Yarmouth construction of the 1840s. The song was the third most popular amongst the broadsides, and one of the few that got passed on orally. [[Vaughan Williams]] collected it from Daniel Wigg of Hampshire in 1909, noting down only one verse (though the full version collected from the same singer in 1907 is in the Gardiner manuscripts), and in the 1950s [[Peter Kennedy]] got it from [[Harry Cox]], and the Hudlestons got it from Arthur Wood of Middlesbrough. Interesting that the song has hardly been heard in the current [[folk revival]]. Another song hardly ever heard is '''''Admiral Nelson''''', published in ''The English Folksinger'' as having been collected from a streetsinger of Plymouth. A glorious, dignified tune, with a text that seems much more in keeping with a seaman’s viewpoint. '''''Nelson’s Death & Victory''''' is the title of many 19th century broadsides, but like ''Bold Nelson’s Praise'', it has only been collected once from the tradition, this time as late as 1971, again in Warwickshire. Roy Palmer got it from chainmaker [[George Dunn]], who only had part of the song. Roy was able to provide the missing verses from a print by Kendrew of York in his highly influential publication ''The Valiant Sailor''.

The final song worthy of mention is regarded by many as the very best song about Nelson, and yet is a recent creation. '''''The Death of Nelson''''' is sung by Louis Killen, and was first recorded by Bert Lloyd in a "Trafalgar 150" BBC radio broadcast in 1955. As Bert disclosed in the notes to the Topic LP ''The Valiant Sailor'', he “did a job on it”. The tune and first verse coming from the Daniel Wigg recording of ''Nelson’s Monument'' (see above), he assembled the rest from two broadsides entitled ''The Death of Nelson'', one from Henry Such of London, and the other from William Forth of Pocklington, near York. Lloyd “filleted” these two prints in a manner that suited his chosen tune, and produced a song of unsurpassed elegance and seeming authenticity.

One thing that comes out of this limited survey is that traditional songs can be interfered with to very positive effect. Rather than create a new song about Nelson, most have taken the fragments we have inherited and tried to get a feel of whatever the original was. Thanks to them. However, always remember that quality is in the ear of the beholder!

John barleycorn

2007-12-13T14:25:46Z

PeteWood: New page: == John Barleycorn (also Sir John Barleycorn) == One of the most popular folk songs in the rural tradition, the broadside trade, and the folk revival. Versions from the tradition are...

== John Barleycorn (also Sir John Barleycorn) ==

One of the most popular folk songs in the rural tradition, the broadside trade, and the [[folk revival]]. Versions from the tradition are overwhelmingly English in origin, despite the likely origin of the theme in Scotland. It is commonly regarded as a drinking song, but here is a “standard” version of the text:

;There came three men out of the west, their victory to try
;And they have taken a solemn oath poor Barleycorn should die
;They took a plough and ploughed him in and harrowed clods on his head
;And then they took a solemn oath John Barleycorn was dead

;There he lay sleeping in the ground till rain from the sky did fall
;Then Barleycorn sprung up his head and so amazed them all
;There he remained till midsummer and looked both pale and wan
;Then Barleycorn he got a beard and so became a man

;Then they sent men with scythes so sharp to cut him off at knee
;And then poor little barleycorn they served him barbarously
;Then they sent men with pitchforks strong to pierce him through the heart
;And like a dreadful tragedy they bound him to a cart

;And then they brought him to a barn a prisoner to endure
;And so they fetched him out again and laid him on the floor
;And they sent men with holly clubs to beat the flesh from his bones
;But the miller he served him worse than that for he ground him between two stones

;Oh Barleycorn is the choicest grain that ever was sown on land
;It will do more than any grain by the turning of your hand
;It will make a boy into a man and a man into an ass
;It will change your gold into silver and your silver into brass

;It will make a huntsman hunt the fox that never wound his horn
;It will bring the tinker to the stocks that people may him scorn
;It will put sack into a glass and claret in the can
;And it will cause a man to drink till he neither can go nor stand

Note that beer is not mentioned until the last couple of verses, when the more ludicrous effects of drunkenness are described, and there is no mention of the brewing processs. Mostly it describes the barbarous treatment given to the barley plant by farmers, imagining the plant to be a human creature. Whilst the basic theme was put into verse early in the 16th century in Scotland, it took a London songwriter in Shakesperean times to come up with the brilliant idea of making him a knight. In the opening verses of “The Pleasant Ballad of Sir John Barleycorn” first printed in 1624, there are three knights, Richard Beere, Thomas Good Ale, and William White Wine, who come from the north and swear to kill Sir John. Why? Because these creatures can only be made by the death of the barley plant. Then it all makes sense……..! But anthologists have found it difficult to classify the song, having placed it such diverse categories as “Good Company”, “Rural Life”, “Sport and Diversion”, “Songs of Ceremony”, and “The Joys and Curse of Drink”. Perhaps this very uniqueness is the reason for its popularity, and why it has attracted the largest number of different tunes over the years. The character has escaped from the folk world on many occasions. He’s been used in diatribes from teetotalists, and as a drunken sleuth by the American author Jack London. In the 1970s, folk rock artist John Renbourne and rock group Traffic issued albums of this name. And there are countless inns, diners, and hotels with the Barleycorn name, especially in America. The power of a good idea!

Back to the song though. There is little doubt that the Jacobean “Pleasant Ballad” is the progenitor of the song we know today, but how, where, and when that arose is uncertain. Sometime around the mid 1700s certainly, but it could be England or Scotland. Many people think the latter because of the sheer popularity of Burns in the early 19th century, and therefore his version of the song, which he admits he patched together from fragments he’d remembered from boyhood. Although most versions do not dwell on drink, there is a separate evolutionary route where these aspects are to the fore. This met its final flourishing in the 1850s with the song “Hey John Barleycorn”, written by a professional songwriter. A salutation to beer it is, with nothing about farming. It is interesting to note that the Copper family of Sussex, the quintesscence of the English tradition, has this song, which was collected by the family from a local roadworker, but did not have a version of John Barleycorn.

An article by Peter Wood on the analysis of the evolution of the song is be found in the 2004 issue of [http://fmj.efdss.org/ Folk Music Journal].

Regional

2007-12-11T21:33:58Z

PeteWood: /* North-East */

==North-East==

'''''Folkworks''''' is probably the best known of the regional folk development organisations. Based at The Sage in Gateshead it runs a variety of projects and has links with the degree in folk music at Newcastle University. [http://www.thesagegateshead.org/folkworks/index.aspx Folkworks] [http://www.ncl.ac.uk/undergraduate/course/W340/Folk_and_Traditional_Music Folk Degree]

==North-West==

'''''Folkus''''' is a folk arts development organisation funded by ACE and Lancashire County Council to support folk activity in their region. [http://www.folkus.co.uk/home.htm web site]

'''''Furness Tradition''''' is a voluntarily run folk arts facilitating organisation based in Ulverston, South Cumbria. Furness Tradition also runs an annual festival in Ulverston in July. [http://www.furnesstradition.org.uk web site]

==Yorkshire and Humberside==

'''''Yorkshire Folk Arts''''' state ''Every one of the 5 million people in Yorkshire and the Humber should be aware of folk arts and have a chance to take part; and every child in every school in the region should have the chance to learn traditional music, song and dance.'' [http://www.yorkshire-folk-arts.com/ web site]

'''''Ryburn 3 Step''''', based in Ripponden in the Pennines, run a staggering number of events each year, a large proportion of which are classes for local people. [http://www.ryburn3step.org.uk/ web site]

'''''Yorkshire Dales Workshop''''' founded by Geoff and Liz Bowen and based in Glusburn between Keighley and Skipton. Run a variety of projects for schools and the public. [http://www.ydw.org.uk/ web site]]

==East Anglia==

'''''East Anglian Traditional Music Trust''''' operate out of their headquarters in Stowmarket and run a comprehensive programme of events, workshops, school and community projects, etc. [http://www.eatmt.org.uk/ web site]

==South-East==

'''''South East Folk Arts Network''''' (SEFAN) are active in their area, '' "offering an
information, advisory, co-ordinating and networking service
for the traditional arts in the region" ''. [http://www.sefan.org.uk/AboutUs.html web site]

'''''Electric Voices''''' is a folk arts organisation based in Guildford, Surrey, and is run by Lawrence and Linda Heath. Concerts are based in the Electric Theatre,Guildford,(from where the organisation derives its name, and the main site where concerts have now been held for 10 years since 1997 ), Cranleigh Arts Centre, and Farnham Maltings. Electric Voices also organise the Music Institute Folk Club in Guildford, and the Godalming Borough Hall (GBH) Ceilidhs (which have now been running for over 30 years).They have now been hosting the "Maypoles to Mistletoe" show at the Electric Theatre for 10 years, which holds the record for longevity at that venue (as it also does at Hawth in Crawley, Sussex where it has been running even longer !) [http://www.electricvoices.org.uk/ web site]

==South West==

'''''Wren Trust''''' based in Okehampton, run workshops and schools projects based on local traditions and songs. [http://www.wrenmusic.co.uk/ web site]

Princess Royal

2007-07-02T19:03:08Z

PeteWood: presentational changes, minor additions

== The story of a tune ==

''The Princess Royal'' is one of the most ubiquitous of traditional tunes. Irish scholars say it was written by the great harper and composer [[O’Carolan]] around about 1725, who called it ''Miss MacDermott'' after the daughter of one of his many patrons. It’s a bit surprising then that its first publication by Walsh in 1730 named it after the then English King’s eldest daughter, still a child, who had been given the title only three years earlier. People are still arguing about the tune’s origin, but it went on to have a most fascinating life. Three 18th century English collections included it, and the celebrated Scots fiddler and composer [[Gow|Neil Gow]] published it in the 1790s. He’d modified it in interesting ways since Walsh’s version, and even today, when somebody starts it up, you wonder which version they’re going to use.

Owen Roe O’Sullivan, a poet and adventurer from the Sliabh Luachra region of County Kerry, having already served as a soldier in the British army, was by 1782 in the Royal Navy, serving with Admiral Rodney’s fleet in the West Indies when he defeated the French fleet in the Battle of the Saintes, a victory that saved Britain’s Caribbean colonies, even though they were losing their American ones. There is a story that O’Sullivan was to be hanged for a misdemeanour, and wrote a song about the glorious defeat of the French by the wonderful Rodney (actually a bit of a rogue, who had only been recalled by the admiralty to take on the West Indies Station because he was so good a commander and they hadn’t anybody better for the job!). The legend is that the Admiral was so pleased by this paeon of praise that he pardoned the sailor poet. Whatever the details, he did write the song, and used a version of Princess Royal. We should note that after O’Sullivan’s death two years after the sea battle, a tune was composed called Lament for the death of Owen Roe O’Sullivan which is one of the grandest and most moving of all Irish airs.
O’Sullivan’s song was called [[Rodney’s Glory]], a title that is well known to Irish dancers as a long dance, and to musicians as a popular tune used for the dance. Many of the best Irish musicians of the 20th century have recorded it, including [[Willie Clancy]], Martyn Byrnes, and Paddy Glackin. What is intriguing here is why the tune should catch on with this title, named after an Admiral of the oppressive English occupation, if it was already known in Ireland as Miss MacDermott. Does this suggest that it was not, after all, an O’Carolan composition, but a tune written for an English princess?

In the 1790s, two events helped keep the pot boiling, in terms of the song’s “nationality”. In July 1792, there was a festival in Belfast where “the last of the blind Irish harpers” assembled for three days of music and competition. The organiser was Edward Bunting, an eminent musicologist who was convinced, like Walter Scott with Scots ballads a little later, and Sharp with English folk song at the end of the nineteenth century, that a vital piece of culture was about to disappear. In a sense he was right, for within twenty years most of them were dead, and nobody was following in their footsteps. Bunting noted the tunes they played during these three days, and what the musicians had to say. The harpers told him, without any doubt, that ''The Princess Royal'' was composed by O’Carolan, and was really ''Miss MacDermott''. So, definitely Irish then. At about this time, a musical impressario William Shield, from Durham, had come across a poem about a sea battle some years earlier where the the French ship ''La belle poule'' had been well beaten by the British frigate ''Arethusa''. Shield put the ''Princess Royal'' tune to the poem and included it in his musical play ''Lock and Key'' produced in London in 1796. Whatever the fate of the show, or origin of the tune, the song ''The Arethusa'' was a big hit, and both song and tune entered the 19th century Englishman’s mind as thoroughly patriotic.

As ''Pax Britannica'' established itself after Waterloo in 1815, few in England were aware of Bunting and O’Carolan. The tune was seen as English, and expressed itself in that most quintessential aspect of Englishness, [[morris dancing]]. Most of the Cotswold sides had a dance called ''The Princess Royal'' to the tune of that name, and though most morris sides ceased in the late nineteenth century, the revival sides we now enjoy have carried on the old tradition as closely as possible. It is interesting that six sides use the tune in a minor key, more or less as Walsh’s 1730 print, and five play the tune in major, and although we are familiar with the latter through its’ being used on the seminal recording [[Morris On]], which version is largely based on Abingdon, the major key seems unique to the morris.

During the current folk revival, if you’d asked for a song about Nelson, the victor at Trafalgar, the response would have probably have been ''Bold Nelson’s Praise''. The reason for this song’s popularity is not likely to be the overblown jingoism of its words so much as the fact that the tradition was found to have very few songs about [[Nelson]], a hero revered by seaman and public alike on an unprecedented scale. As with ''The Arethusa'', he was well represented in the broadsides of the early 19th century, but most of these were so poor that they never entered the oral tradition. The other reason for its popularity is undoubtedly that it uses the tune ''The Princess Royal''. Intriguingly, the song was collected only once, by Cecil Sharp in Warwickshire in 1909. It is hardly conceivable that the song was not more widespread, unless, noting the date of Sharp’s hearing it, it had been written for the centenary of Trafalgar four years earlier. Perhaps the singer himself, or somebody else from the West Midlands, had seen fit to write a new song for the occasion, and had used what by then was viewed as a very patriotic English tune.

To return to the matter of who wrote the tune: Bunting heard from the Arthur O'Neill, one of the harpers at the 1792 Belfast festival that O'Carolan had composed it; in 1810 Farrell quoted this in print for the first time; in 1910 Grattan Flood insisted after diligent musical analysis that nobody but O'Carolan could have written it; and in the 1950s Donal O'Sullivan "confirmed" that in the light of all this evidence it was an O'Carolan tune, written about 1725 in honour of one of the Roscommon MacDermott's daughters (despite there having apparently been no daughters recorded in the previous two generations). The only person arguing against this seems to be Kidson, who asserted in 1894 and again in 1910 in response to Grattan Flood, that it was "English, early 18th century", and written for the King's daughter.

Neither party has substantial evidence, it would seem. Particularly puzzling, if it was Irish, is why would [[London Music Publishers|Walsh]], the first person to print the tune, take an O'Carolan tune, written five years previously, and rename it after Princess Anne, who had been made up to Princess Royal just three years previously? If he needed to present a tune of that title, in order to please King George II, surely he could have written one? The other puzzling thing, but which may contain the answer, is why Walsh called it "The Princess Royal, The New Way", and why Wright in 1735 called it "The New Princess Royal". Was it in fact a dance they were referring to? There is a reference to ''La Princess Royale''in later editions of Playford, using a tune called ''Ianthe''.

Further Reading:

For full detail in concise form:
* The Fiddlers Companion website:http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/PRIN_PY.htm for The Princess Royal, and use the same index to look up the other titles in this article.

For discussion, see the following:
* Francis O'Neill Irish Folk Music, 1910, 1973
* Donal O'Sullivan, Carolan, 1958
* Daniel Corkery, The Hidden Ireland 1924,1967 Chapter 10 on Owen Roe O’Sullivan
* Roly Brown, The Arethusa: a peculiarly English Glory, http://www.mustrad.org.uk/enth45.htm. As well as the subject of the title, covers many other Princess Royal aspects.

Princess Royal

2007-06-25T14:47:16Z

PeteWood: New page: == The story of a tune == ''The Princess Royal'' is one of the most ubiquitous of traditional tunes. Irish scholars say it was written by the great harper and composer O’Carolan aro...

== The story of a tune ==

''The Princess Royal'' is one of the most ubiquitous of traditional tunes. Irish scholars say it was written by the great harper and composer [[O’Carolan]] around about 1725, who called it ''Miss MacDermott'' after the daughter of one of his many patrons. It’s a bit surprising then that its first publication by Walsh in 1730 named it after the then English King’s eldest daughter, still a child, who had been given the title only three years earlier. People are still arguing about the tune’s origin, but it went on to have a most fascinating life. Three 18th century English collections included it, and the celebrated Scots fiddler and composer [[Neil Gow]] published it in the 1790s. He’d modified it in interesting ways since Walsh’s version, and even today, when somebody starts it up, you wonder which version they’re going to use.
Owen Roe O’Sullivan, a poet and adventurer from the Sliabh Luachra region of County Kerry, having already served as a soldier in the British army, was by 1782 in the Royal Navy, serving with Admiral Rodney’s fleet in the West Indies when he defeated the French fleet in the Battle of the Saintes, a victory that saved Britain’s Caribbean colonies, even though they were losing their American ones. There is a story that O’Sullivan was to be hanged for a misdemeanour, and wrote a song about the glorious defeat of the French by the wonderful Rodney (actually a bit of a rogue, who had only been recalled by the admiralty to take on the West Indies Station because he was so good a commander and they hadn’t anybody better for the job!). The legend is that the Admiral was so pleased by this paeon of praise that he pardoned the sailor poet. Whatever the details, he did write the song, and used a version of Princess Royal. We should note that after O’Sullivan’s death two years after the sea battle, a tune was composed called Lament for the death of Owen Roe O’Sullivan which is one of the grandest and most moving of all Irish airs.
O’Sullivan’s song was called [[Rodney’s Glory]], a title that is well known to Irish dancers as a long dance, and to musicians as a popular tune used for the dance. Many of the best Irish musicians of the 20th century have recorded it, including [[Willie Clancy]], Martyn Byrnes, and Paddy Glackin. What is intriguing here is why the tune should catch on with this title, named after an Admiral of the oppressive English occupation, if it was already known in Ireland as Miss MacDermott. Does this suggest that it was not, after all, an O’Carolan composition, but a tune written for an English princess?
In the 1790s, two events helped keep the pot boiling, in terms of the song’s “nationality”. In July 1792, there was a festival in Belfast where “the last of the blind Irish harpers” assembled for three days of music and competition. The organiser was Edward Bunting, an eminent musicologist who was convinced, like Walter Scott with Scots ballads a little later, and Sharp with English folk song at the end of the nineteenth century, that a vital piece of culture was about to disappear. In a sense he was right, for within twenty years most of them were dead, and nobody was following in their footsteps. Bunting noted the tunes they played during these three days, and what the musicians had to say. The harpers told him, without any doubt, that ''The Princess Royal'' was composed by O’Carolan, and was really Miss MacDermott. So, defintely Irish then. At about this time, a musical impressario William Shield, from Durham, had come across a poem about a sea battle some years earlier where the the French La belle poule had been well beaten by the British frigate ''Arethusa''. Shield put the Princess Royal tune to the poem and included it in his musical play Lock and Key produced in London in 1796. Whatever the fate of the show, or origin of the tune, the song ''The Arethusa'' was a big hit, and both song and tune entered the 19th century Englishman’s mind as thoroughly patriotic.

As ''Pax Britannica'' established itself after Waterloo in 1815, few in England were aware of Bunting and O’Carolan. The tune was seen as English, and expressed itself in that most quintessential aspect of Englishness, [[morris dancing]]. Most of the Cotswold sides had a dance called ''The Princess Royal'' to the tune of that name, and though most morris sides ceased in the late nineteenth century, the revival sides we now enjoy have carried on the old tradition as closely as possible. It is interesting that six sides use the tune in a minor key, more or less as Walsh’s 1730 print, and five play the tune in major, and although we are familiar with the latter through its’ being used on the seminal recording [[Morris On]], which version is largely based on Abingdon, the major key seems unique to the morris.

During the current folk revival, if you’d asked for a song about Nelson, the victor at Trafalgar, the response would have probably have been ''Bold Nelson’s Praise''. The reason for this song’s popularity is not likely to be the overblown jingoism of its words so much as the fact that the tradition was found to have very few songs about [[Nelson]], a hero revered by seaman and public alike on an unprecedented scale. As with ''The Arethusa'', he was well represented in the broadsides of the early 19th century, but most of these were so poor that they never entered the oral tradition. The other reason for its popularity is undoubtedly that it uses the tune ''The Princess Royal''. Intriguingly, the song was collected only once, by Cecil Sharp in Warwickshire in 1909. It is hardly conceivable that the song was not more widespread, unless, noting the date of Sharp’s hearing it, it had been written for the centenary of Trafalgar four years earlier. Perhaps the singer himself, or somebody else from the West Midlands, had seen fit to write a new song for the occasion, and had used what by then was viewed as a very patriotic English tune.

To return to the matter of who wrote it the tune: Bunting heard from the "last of the blind harpers" at the 1792 Belfast festival that O'Carolan had composed it; in 1810 Farrell quoted this in print for the first time; in 1910 Grattan Flood insisted after diligent musical analysis that nobody but O'Carolan could have written it; and in the 1950s Donal O'Sullivan "confirmed" that in the light of all this evidence it was an O'Carolan tune, written about 1725 in honour of one of the Roscommon MacDermott's daughters (despite there having apparently been no daughters recorded in the previous two generations). The only person arguing against this seems to be Kidson, who asserted in 1894 and again in 1910 in response to Grattan Flood, that it was "English, early 18th century", and written for the King's daughter.

Neither party has substantial evidence, it would seem. Particularly puzzling, if it was Irish, is why would Walsh, the first person to print the tune, take an O'Carolan tune, written five years previously, and rename it after Princess Anne, who had been made up to Princess Royal just three years previously? If he needed to present a tune of that title, in order to please King George II, surely he could have written one? The other puzzling thing, but which may contain the answer, is why Walsh called it "The Princess Royal, The New Way", and why Wright in 1735 called it "The New Princess Royal". Was it in fact a dance they were referring to? "

Further Reading:

For full detail in concise form:
* The Fiddlers Companion website:http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/PRIN_PY.htm for The Princess Royal, and use the same index to look up the other titles in this article.

For discussion, see the following:
* Francis O'Neill Irish Folk Music, 1910, 1973
* Donal O'Sullivan, Carolan, 1958
* Daniel Corkery, The Hidden Ireland 1924,1967 Chapter 10 on Owen Roe O’Sullivan
* Roly Brown, The Arethusa: a peculiarly English Glory, http://www.mustrad.org.uk/enth45.htm. As well as the subject of the title, covers many other Princess Royal aspects.

Yorkshire

2007-06-03T23:06:08Z

PeteWood:

Yorkshire, the largest county in England, with both heavy industry and a great agricultural and fishing tradition, has much to offer the folk enthusiast. Unlike the other northern counties, its songs were much collected in the first folk revival, notably by [[Frank Kidson]]. It has continued to be collected for songs, in the 1950s by Nigel and Mary Hudleston, and since then by Steve Gardham among others. There is a strong dialect poetry tradition, and in the south west, it has the still vibrant Sheffield [[village carols]]. There are pace eggers and mummers in the west of the county, and it is the home of the English [[longsword]] dance tradition. Traditional dance tunes go back a long way, with important sources such as the 18th century [[Joshua Jackson]] Collection

===Tune Manuscripts===

* [[Joshua Jackson]]

* [[Lawrence Leadley]]

===Longsword Sides===

* [[Flamborough]]

* [[Grenoside]]

* [[Handsworth]]

* [[Castleford Longsword]]

* [[Kirkburton Rapier Dancers]]

* [[Ryburn Longsword]]

* [[Spen Valley Longsword]]

[[Category:County]]

Cumbria

2007-06-03T22:36:02Z

PeteWood:

An ancient name which was revived in the 1974 local government act which joined Cumberland, Westmoreland, and the Furness district of Lancashire into one authority. The traditional culture that first comes to mind for the region is hunting songs. ''John Peel'' of course is internationally known, but there is a huge tradition of singing at hunt suppers and “mayorings”. The best source for these is ''Songs of the Fell Packs'' published by the Melbreak Hunt from the Loweswater area. The county has a poor record of other traditional songs. Cecil Sharp visited on at least three separate occasions between 1905 and 1915, recording one song on each occasion. Peter Kennedy made several recordings in the 1950s, mostly of hunting songs. The other notable collector in the area was Frank Warriner, who collected no less than 42 songs in 1930, but whose provenance is unfortunately not recorded. The collection is in the [[Vaughan Williams Memorial Library]] at Cecil Sharp House. Keith Gregson published ''Cumbrian Songs and Ballads'' in 1980.

==Seasonal Events==

September - [[Egremont Crab Fair]]

==Tune Manuscripts==

[[Browne|The Browne Family Ms]]

Talk:A. L. Lloyd

2007-04-30T17:32:46Z

PeteWood:

[[User:Andyturner|Andyturner]] 21:56, 29 April 2007 (BST)
Copied text from Wikipedia article. Also copied the references - but these don't seem to work here. Is is something which needs to be enabled on the server, or have I missed out something crucial? (or should I just delete them / integrate into article text?)

[[User:Andyturner|Andyturner]] 13:31, 30 April 2007 (BST)
To answer my own question, the required extension has not been installed on this server (<ref> not listed under Parser extension tags at [[Special:Version]]) - see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes#Compatibility_with_other_MediaWiki_sites
I'll leave the refs on the Bert Lloyd page alone for the moment.

Andy-elsewhere on Folkopedia, I have put a link to the Wikipedia items on Lloyd, MacColl, and Child. I though we might have our own items eventually, but these will do for now.
--[[User:PeteWood|PeteWood]] 18:32, 30 April 2007 (BST)

Northumberland

2007-04-24T21:15:39Z

PeteWood: /* Tyneside Song Books */

Northumberland is rich in traditional music and song. It has the unique Northumbrian pipes with its own brand of dance music, it has rapper sword dance, it has border ballads, one of the strongest broadside and chapbook collection outside the capital, and Tyneside music hall. It is known for shanties and keelmen songs and those magnificent creations of Ned Corven, Geordie Ridley, and J P Robson. It has traveled the world with ''Bobby Shaftoe, Cushie Butterfield,'' and ''Water of Tyne''. Its very dialect sings.

=== Tyneside Song Books ===

Joseph Ritson, an eminent scholar from the north east, was the first to at least try to find what ordinary people were singing, and produced a series of garlands in the last 30 years of the eighteenth century. He was the first to print three songs which are still favourite traditional songs: ''Elsie Marley, The Collier’s Rant,'' and ''The Keel Row,'' is almost as synonymous with the region as ''Bobby Shaftoe''. Shortly after Ritson, John Bell, a Newcastle printer, surveyor, and obsessive collector of everything old, published his seminal ''Rhymes of Northern Bards'', published in 1812, which printed ''Bobby Shaftoe, Buy Broom Besoms, Dollia,'' and ''Water of Tyne'' for the first time. Two later 19th century song collections were as important as Bell’s. Stokoe and Reay’s ''Folk Songs of Northern England'', published in 1892, took almost all the songs from the 1882 ''Northumbrian Minstrelsy'', and added a significant number of other Tyneside and Northumbrian songs. The Minstrelsy had introduced us to many fine songs, such as ''Blow the Wind Southerly, Captain Bover, Derwentwater’s Farewell, I Drew My Ship, The Fair Flower of Northumberland,'' and ''The Oak and the Ash,'' but the later additions were in the main much more robust Tyneside songs of great earthiness and vitality, many of them written during the period, and in contrast to the worthiness and antiquity of most of the original Minstrelsy songs. Here we have some real gems, such as ''Dance to thi daddy, John Peel, Skipper’s Wedding, The Fiery Clock Face,'' and ''The Folks of Shields''. At virtually the same time as Stokoe and Reay’s book, the final edition of THomas Allan’s ''Tyneside Songs'' was published, which in terms of quantity surpassed them all, and some would say matched them in quality. The wealth of material from the streets and music halls, notably by JP Robson, Ned Corvan, and Geordie Ridley,helped to define Tyneside song culture for all time. There are hundreds of songs in Allan, and copious notes on the songwriters and quayside characters such as Blind Willie, which paint a wonderful picture of life in “the toon” at the height of the industrial revolution.
Of the four collections so far discussed, it is notable that Bell and Allan have more “street songs”, which appear to be the sort of songs that ordinary people like, and as both of them were in it for the money, they are more likely to have the popular songs. Academics such as the committee that put together the Minstrelsey would have frowned on some of this material, but there was more to come. Catcheside-Warrington’s ''Tyneside Songs'' was first published in 1912 by the Newcastle music shop J.G. Windows, and was still in print only ten years ago*. It is not often mentioned in academic analyses, but it is outstanding in two respects. It was the first to include the music, and it included songs like ''Cushie Butterfield, The Lambton Worm,'' and ''The Blaydon Races'', which have been identified with Tyneside around the world for 100 years. It was these books which many a northeast family had in the piano stool in the years between the wars, and afterwards in the late 40s and early 50s, and which played a crucial role in keeping this culture alive during the first half of the 20th century.

PS. It may be that Catcheside-Warrington will be re-issued shortly with guitar chords!

[[Category:County]]

County Durham

2007-04-24T21:06:11Z

PeteWood:

Durham as presently defined is mostly associated with rapper sword dances and pit songs. However, the county historically includes the Tyneside connurbation south of the river Tyne, and therefore shares in the vibrant song culture of that area, described briefly in [[Northumberland]]. Gateshead was also the home of [[Geordie Ridley]] of ''Blaydon Races'' fame, and [[James Hill]], the famous Tyneside fiddler and composer. In the current revival, the traditional pit songs have come mostly from [[Jack Elliott]] of Birtley, and Bert Draycott of Fishburn, who is also a prolific songwriter. Foremost among revival singers are Louis Killen and Bob Davenport, both Gateshead men. Rapper sword dancing has been particularly strong in the Gateshead area, where Swalwell, Winlaton, and High Spen are the longest established sides, and whose dances are an essential part of the rapper repertoire. The boxing day Greatham Sword Dance, from the Hartlepool area, is the most northerly example of the English longsword tradition.

County Durham

2007-04-23T20:10:45Z

PeteWood: New page: Durham as presently defined is mostly associated with rapper sword dances and pit songs. However, the county historically includes the Tyneside connurbation south of the river Tyne, and t...

Durham as presently defined is mostly associated with rapper sword dances and pit songs. However, the county historically includes the Tyneside connurbation south of the river Tyne, and therefore shares in the vibrant song culture of that area, described briefly in [[Northumberland]]. Gateshead was also the home of [[Geordie Ridley]] of ''Blaydon Races'' fame, and [[James Hill]], the famous Tyneside fiddler and composer. In the current revival, the traditional pit songs have come mostly from [[Jack Elliott]] of Birtley, and Bert Draycott of Fishburn, who is also a prolific songwriter. Foremost among revival singers are Louis Killen and Bob Davenport, both Gateshead men. Rapper sword dancing has been particularly strong in the Gateshead area, where Swalwell and High Spen are the longest established sides, and whose dances are an essential part of the rapper repertoire.

Children's Songs

2007-04-23T19:18:15Z

PeteWood:

Many of the nursery rhymes and game songs that we learn as children are traditional, in that they are old, with no known author, and seem by their nature to be timeless. Despite many peoples' attempts to assign historical significance to them, there is rarely much evidence to support the contentions, although there are exceptions which most scholars accept, such as ''Ring a ring a roses'' being derived from the Black Death of the 14th century. The way in which childrens' songs pass through the community, and the variations you find in different parts of the country, make a fascinating topic for study, and in this country the leaders in the field are Iona and Peter Opie, two of whose many books on the subject are:

* ''The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren'', I & P Opie, 1959 and 2001, NYRB

* ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'', I & P Opie, 1992, OUP

Traditional collections of Nursery Rhymes include:

*''Nursery Rhymes and Country Songs'', M H Mason, 1909, Metzler & Co.

* ''Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales of England'', James Orchard Haliwell, 1849, reprinted 1970, The Bodley Head

Songs of Heroes and Villains

2007-04-21T11:28:42Z

PeteWood: New page: Everybody loves a hero, and some villains are secretly admired. Highwaymen and pirates are popular in song (''Turpin Hero'', ''Captain Kidd''), and although we sometimes salute our militar...

Everybody loves a hero, and some villains are secretly admired. Highwaymen and pirates are popular in song (''Turpin Hero'', ''Captain Kidd''), and although we sometimes salute our military heroes as in ''General Wolfe'', there are many fine songs about Napoleon and almost none about Wellington. (Interestingly, it's the other way round with the Navy, where songs about Nelson eclipse all others).

Children's Songs

2007-04-21T11:20:10Z

PeteWood: New page: Many of the nursery rhymes and game songs that we learn as children are traditional, in that they are old, with no known author, and seem by their nature to be timeless. Despite many peopl...

Many of the nursery rhymes and game songs that we learn as children are traditional, in that they are old, with no known author, and seem by their nature to be timeless. Despite many peoples' attempts to assign historical significance to them, there is rarely much evidence to support the contentions, although there are exceptions which most scholars accept, such as ''Ring a ring a roses'' being derived from the Black Death of the 14th century. The way in which childrens' songs pass through the community, and the variations you find in different parts of the country, make a fascinating topic for study, and in this country the leaders in the field are Iona and Peter Opie, two of whose many books on the subject are:

* ''The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren'', I & P Opie, 1959 and 2001, NYRB

* ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'', I & P Opie, 1992, OUP

Traditional collections of Nursery Rhymes include:

*''Nursery Rhymes and Country Songs, M H Mason, 1909, Metzler & Co.

* ''Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales of England, James Orchard Haliwell, 1849, reprinted 1970, The Bodley Head

Ritual Songs

2007-04-21T10:45:30Z

PeteWood: New page: Many of our folk songs arise from cermonies or rituals, or are just seasonal. Carols for Christmas, Easter, and May Day, Wassail songs would come under this heading, as would pace egg and ...

Many of our folk songs arise from cermonies or rituals, or are just seasonal. Carols for Christmas, Easter, and May Day, Wassail songs would come under this heading, as would pace egg and mummers' songs. There are special songs like ''The Shrove Tuesday Song'', ''Hunting the Wren'', ''Hal-an-Tow'', and the ''Padstow May Song''.

* Sections on soldiers' songs are to be found in ''[[The Folk Songs of Britain]]''

Songs of Comedy and Diversion

2007-04-21T10:34:53Z

PeteWood: New page: Many folk songs are comic, arising from many subjects, and some songs are just whimsical fantasies. Songs about legendary animals such as ''Froggy went a courtin'', ''The Derby Ram'', and ...

Many folk songs are comic, arising from many subjects, and some songs are just whimsical fantasies. Songs about legendary animals such as ''Froggy went a courtin'', ''The Derby Ram'', and ''The Herrin's Head'' fall into this category, as do ''Tom Pearce'' and ''Rothesay-O''. We could also include sports and pastimes like ''Heenan and Sayers'', ''The Cock Fight'', or ''The Rigs of the Fair''.

* Sections on these songs are to be found in ''[[Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland]]'' and ''[[The Folk Songs of Britain]]''

Northumberland

2007-04-19T15:49:18Z

PeteWood:

Northumberland is rich in traditional music and song. It has the unique Northumbrian pipes with its own brand of dance music, it has rapper sword dance, it has border ballads, one of the strongest broadside and chapbook collection outside the capital, and Tyneside music hall. It is known for shanties and keelmen songs and those magnificent creations of Ned Corven, Geordie Ridley, and J P Robson. It has traveled the world with ''Bobby Shaftoe, Cushie Butterfield,'' and ''Water of Tyne''. Its very dialect sings.

== Tyneside Song Books ==

Joseph Ritson, an eminent scholar from the north east, was the first to at least try to find what ordinary people were singing, and produced a series of garlands in the last 30 years of the eighteenth century. He was the first to print three songs which are still favourite traditional songs: ''Elsie Marley, The Collier’s Rant,'' and ''The Keel Row,'' is almost as synonymous with the region as ''Bobby Shaftoe''. Shortly after Ritson, John Bell, a Newcastle printer, surveyor, and obsessive collector of everything old, published his seminal ''Rhymes of Northern Bards'', published in 1812, which printed ''Bobby Shaftoe, Buy Broom Besoms, Dollia,'' and ''Water of Tyne'' for the first time. Two later 19th century song collections were as important as Bell’s. Stokoe and Reay’s ''Folk Songs of Northern England'', published in 1892, took almost all the songs from the 1882 ''Northumbrian Minstrelsy'', and added a significant number of other Tyneside and Northumbrian songs. The Minstrelsy had introduced us to many fine songs, such as ''Blow the Wind Southerly, Captain Bover, Derwentwater’s Farewell, I Drew My Ship, The Fair Flower of Northumberland,'' and ''The Oak and the Ash,'' but the later additions were in the main much more robust Tyneside songs of great earthiness and vitality, many of them written during the period, and in contrast to the worthiness and antiquity of most of the original Minstrelsy songs. Here we have some real gems, such as ''Dance to thi daddy, John Peel, Skipper’s Wedding, The Fiery Clock Face,'' and ''The Folks of Shields''. At virtually the same time as Stokoe and Reay’s book, the final edition of Allen’s ''Tyneside Songs'' was published, which in terms of quantity surpassed them all, and some would say matched them in quality. The wealth of material from the streets and music halls, notably by JP Robson, Ned Corvan, Geordie Ridley and others helped to define Tyneside song culture for all time. There are hundreds of songs in Allen, and copious notes on the songwriters and quayside characters such as Blind Willie, which paint a wonderful picture of life in “the toon” at the height of the industrial revolution.
Of the four collections so far discussed, it is notable that Bell and Allen have more “street songs”, which appear to be the sort of songs that ordinary people like, and as both of them were in it for the money, they are more likely to have the popular songs. Academics such as the committee that put together the Minstrelsey would have frowned on some of this material, but there was more to come. Catcheside-Warrington’s ''Tyneside Songs'' was first published in 1912 by the Newcastle music shop J.G. Windows, and was still in print only ten years ago*. It is not often mentioned in academic analyses, but it is outstanding in two respects. It was the first to include the music, and it included songs like ''Cushie Butterfield, The Lambton Worm,'' and ''The Blaydon Races'', which have been identified with Tyneside around the world for 100 years. It was these books which many a northeast family had in the piano stool in the years between the wars, and afterwards in the late 40s and early 50s, and which played a crucial role in keeping this culture alive during the first half of the 20th century.

PS. It may be that Catcheside-Warrington will be re-issued shortly with guitar chords!

[[Category:County]]

Hunting and Poaching Songs

2007-04-19T15:43:11Z

PeteWood: New page: Hunting songs are almost always jolly songs with lots of choruses, about the day itself, the company, the open air, the dogs, the nobility of the quarry, and on most occasions the fox or h...

Hunting songs are almost always jolly songs with lots of choruses, about the day itself, the company, the open air, the dogs, the nobility of the quarry, and on most occasions the fox or hare seems to escape, as in ''The Howden Hare'' or ''The brown hare of Whitebrook Head''. They come from a time when the morality of hunting was not questioned. Poaching songs are usually adventure songs, about the thrill of the moonlit night, and the eternal contest with the gamekeeper. The better ones also comment on the iniquity of the squire owning so much when poor folk are starving, and are often linked to the barbarity of the legal system of the late 18th and early 19th centuries which led to many fine [[transportation songs]].

Sections on this theme are to be found in ''[[Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland]]'', ''[[The Folk Songs of Britain]]'', and ''[[The Voice of the People]]''.

Song

2007-04-19T08:32:07Z

PeteWood: /* The Folk Revival */

''Category Editor: Dr Vic Gammon''

There are many thousands of songs. There are many song collections and many versions of the same song. Where to start looking? That's the problem.

Note. Our intention is not to restrict this initiative to English Song, but to use the present headings as a starting point to view whatever develops from wherever it comes.

==Traditional Songs by Theme==

It's often difficult to categorise a song. Is the song of a Thames Bargeman a sea song or an industrial one? Likewise a Fishing song. Many industrial or rural songs had a political dimension. It doesn't do to worry too much about it - the categories are really just a rough guide to get to something that fits the browser's interest and in the spirit of the Wiki might lead to somewhere altogether unexpected!
Some [[Song Books]] are arranged by theme.
Here are some of the common themes in folk song:

'''[[Songs of Love and Marriage]]''' ''romantic, unrequited, happy and unhappy wedlock, spinsters and batchelors, broken tokens''

'''[[Songs of Seduction]]''' ''brief, bawdy, passionate and tragic

'''[[Songs of Country Life]]''' ''millers, blacksmiths, cobblers''

'''[[Songs of Good Company]]''' ''drinking, carousing, conviviality''

'''[[Hunting and Poaching Songs]]''' ''the fox, the hare, transportation''

'''[[Sea Songs]]''' ''press gangs, men o' war, fishing & whaling, jack on shore''

'''[[Soldiers' Songs]]''' ''the king's shilling, bloody battles''

'''[[Songs of Comedy and Diversion]]''' ''comical tales, legendary animals, marvels''

'''[[Ritual Songs]]''' ''folk ceremonies, mummer's plays''

'''[[Songs of the Road]]''' ''travellers, gypsies and journeymen''

'''[[Political and Historical Songs]]''' ''rebellion, reform, great events''

'''[[Ballads]]'''

'''[[Children's Songs]]''' ''rhymes, game songs''

'''[[Songs of Heroes and Villains]]''' ''Highwaymen, scoundrels, and adventurers, real and fictitious''

'''[[Industrial Songs]]''' ''pits and mills''

==Traditional Singers==

==='''[[English Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Scottish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Irish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[North American Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Australian Source Singers]]'''===

==Performance==
''section editor Chris Coe''

This is a tricky section to think of including. One doesn't always associate folk song and 'performance' but some of the techniques applied by the traditional singers can bear scrutiny, especially by those who want to sing the same sort of songs.

The intimate fireside delivery of [[Walter Pardon]].......

[[Lizzie Higgins]] taking a deep breath, expanding to be a 'giant' and setting forth..........

[[Johnny Doughty]] turning his cap sideways and singing the [[Herring's Head]].....

And any one who has seen [[Jock Duncan]] perform the [[Two Sisters]] will have a vivid understanding of song delivery with gestures....

Watch this space.

--[[User:JohnnyAdams|JohnnyAdams]] 22:46, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

==Resources==

===Recordings===
====Commercially Available Recordings====
''Currently available or deleted''

* [[Kyloe Records]]
* [[Leader Records]]
* [[Musical Traditions Records]]
* [[Topic Records]]
* [[Veteran]]
* [[Wildgoose Records]]
* [[New World Records]]

=== Books & Bibliographies===
Books of and about folk songs abound and seem to increase at an exponential rate. It is ironic that computerisation and digitalisation, which make this site possible, also make it much easier and cheaper to publish new books. In addition, many rare and inaccessible books from the past have been scanned and placed on the web in recent years, which has helped more and more people to find songs and contribute to scholarship and discussion. Probably the most complete and recent listing of books is the one given immediately below. After that, there follows a short selection of some important books.

====Bibliographies====

[http://www.efdss.org/songbib3.pdf English Folk Song Bibliography: An Introductory Bibliography Based on the Holdings of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Third Edition, edited by David Atkinson]

====Books====
* [[Books before 1900]]

* [[Song Books]]

* [[Folk Song Scholarship]]

===Indexes===

* The [[Vaughan Williams Memorial Library]] [http://library.efdss.org online index] including
** [[Cecil Sharp]]
** [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]
** [[Maud Karpeles]]
** [[Lucy Broadwood]]
** [[H.E.D. Hammond]]
** [[Francis Collinson]]
** [[George Gardiner]]
** [[Percy Grainger]]

The site also gives you access to the [http://library.efdss.org/cgi-bin/textpage.cgi?file=aboutRoud&access=off Roud Index], compiled by Steve Roud.

The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 143,000+ references to songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is the most important finding aid for traditional song ever compiled, and not even the most casual researcher can afford to do without it.

Folk revival

2007-04-19T08:31:30Z

PeteWood: New page: Contributors to Folkopedia frequently mention the "Folk Revival". What they normally mean is the quite sudden increase of interest in traditional song and music starting with pioneers in t...

Contributors to Folkopedia frequently mention the "Folk Revival". What they normally mean is the quite sudden increase of interest in traditional song and music starting with pioneers in the 1950s and establishing itself in the 1960s with an explosion in the number of clubs and later festivals. Much has been written about the reasons for this, and this site will probably have a major section. The revival is sometimes called the "second folk revival", the first having been the major collecting activities of the 1890s and early 1900s, including the formation of the Folk Song Society in June 1898.

Lancashire

2007-04-19T08:25:09Z

PeteWood: New page: Lancashire, in common with most counties in the north of England and the midlands, did not feature much in the first folk revival. That is to say, Sharp, Hammond, Vaughan Williams and ...

Lancashire, in common with most counties in the north of England and the midlands, did not feature much in the first [[folk revival]]. That is to say, Sharp, Hammond, Vaughan Williams and the rest didn’t come collecting. The less well known, but splendid Anne Geddes Gilchrist got some fine sea songs from the Southport area, but generally the county has manifested a different kind of song culture. Lancashire dialect poetry was astoundingly successful in the late 19th and early 20th century and many of the poems have been put to music, so vibrant a chord did they strike in the hearts and minds of working folk. The big names were Ben Brierley, Sam Laycock, Edwin Waugh, and Ammon Wrigley, whose publications are legion, and still widely available. What is not always appreciated is that the writers and songs came from such a small area, on the very south east tip of the county. The centre of this tradition was Oldham, a town that deserves the title “Cottonopolis” more than Manchester, which lies very close to Cheshire and the west riding of Yorkshire. It was near here that the legendary [[John o’ Greenfield]] arose from the pen of Joseph Lees, a weaver, giving rise to a whole tradition of 16 songs during the 19th century. During the folk revival, the few traditional Lancashire songs were “recovered” by the younger generation led by [[Harry Boardman]], and were supplemented by the humourous creations and performances of people like Mike Harding, Bernard Wrigley, The Oldham Tinkers, and Les Barker, again all based in the south-east of the county. Other things which mark Lancashire out are Clog Morris, which it shares with Cheshire, Pace egging, which it shares with Yorkshire, and the Britannia Cocount Dancers of Bacup, which it shares with nobody in the world!

The definitive 19th century collection of folk songs and folk-lore were published by the same authors in the same year:
* ''Ballads and Songs of Lancashire'', Harland and Wilkinson, 1882, John Heywood, and reprinted by EP in 1976.
* ''Lancashire Folk-Lore'', Harland and Wilkinson, 1882, John Heywood, and reprinted by S.R. publishers in 1972

Songs of Good Company

2007-04-18T09:11:37Z

PeteWood:

There are many songs about having a good time with friends, usually with a lot of beer in an inn. Many, such as ''Good Ale'', extol the health benefits of alcoholic beverage, whereas others, such as ''Farewell to Whisky'', take the opposite view.

''A Taste of Ale'' by Roy Palmer, 2000, Green Branch, Lechlade is an excellent collection of songs about beer and ale

and

''The Tale of Ale'' compiled by Vic Gammon, Free Reed Records, is a classic album of song, music and anecdote.

Two anthologies with sections on drinking songs are ''[[The Singing Island]]'' and ''[[Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland]]'', and ''[[The Voice of the People]]'' has an album on the theme.

Drinking Songs

2007-04-18T09:06:23Z

PeteWood: Drinking Songs moved to Songs of Good Company: preferred title

#REDIRECT [[Songs of Good Company]]

Songs of Good Company

2007-04-18T09:06:23Z

PeteWood: Drinking Songs moved to Songs of Good Company: preferred title

There are many songs about alcohol, most of them about beer, except north of the border where songs about whisky abound, and west of Bristol, where songs extolling the juice of the apple are to be found.

''A Taste of Ale'' by Roy Palmer, 2000, Green Branch, Lechlade is an excellent collection of songs about beer and ale

and

''The Tale of Ale'' compiled by Vic Gammon, Free Reed Records, is a classic album of song, music and anecdote.

Collections often use euphemisms, such as "Songs of Good Company" to label this section.

Two anthologies with sections on drinking songs are: ''[[The Singing Island]]'' and ''[[Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland]]''.

Two collections of sound recordings with drinking songs are: ''[[The Voice of the People]]'' and ''[[The Folk Songs of Britain]]''.

Industrial Songs

2007-04-18T08:51:39Z

PeteWood:

The folk revival of the early 20th century revealed songs from the rural parts of England, and the songs reflected the life of farm labourers or rural craftsmen. Even at that time, these songs were seen by many as belonging to a bygone era. Most English working people by then lived in large cities and towns, and worked in factories, mines, and other places of intense mechanisation and industrialisation. Before the 1960s, it was assumed that these people did not have any "folk songs", but when the second revival came about, the two people who are said to be most responsible for it both found this not to be the case. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.L._Lloyd Bert Lloyd] had been employed by the National Coal Board in the late 1950s to find songs from miners, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewan_MacColl Ewan MacColl] at the same time was engaged in researching the [[radio ballads]], many of which were concerned with heavy industry.

Industrial songs are overwhelmingly about two industries, mining and cotton or woolen mills, and mostly concerned with the hardship and misery of the job or the even worse situaion of being out of work.
Books and recordings of industrial aonsg are to be found in:
* ''One Hundred Songs of Toil'', Karl Dallas, 1974, Wolfe.
* ''[[The Singing Island]]''
* ''The Urban and Industrial Songs of the Black Country and Birmingham'', Jon Raven, 1977, Broadside

Soldiers' Songs

2007-04-18T08:36:30Z

PeteWood: New page: Soldier's songs, songs about the army, or war are commonly concerned with recruiting parties, (for willing or unwilling recruits), such as ''The White Cockade'' or ''Twa Recruiting Sergean...

Soldier's songs, songs about the army, or war are commonly concerned with recruiting parties, (for willing or unwilling recruits), such as ''The White Cockade'' or ''Twa Recruiting Sergeants''; the girls left behind, like ''The Trooper and the Maid'' or ''The Manchester Angel''; great battle stories like ''Bold General Wolfe'' or ''The Plains of Waterloo''; hardships such as ''The Kerry Recruit'' or ''The deserter''; and death, such as ''Young Jamie Foyers'' or ''The battle of Alma''

* Sections on soldiers' songs are to be found in ''[[The Singing Island]]'' and ''[[The Folk Songs of Britain]]''

* ''The Cruel Wars'', Karl Dallas, 1967, Wolfe is a monograph on soldiers' songs,
as is the much older

* ''Barrack Room Ballads'' by Rudyard Kipling

Song

2007-04-17T18:25:22Z

PeteWood: /* Traditional Songs by Theme */

''Category Editor: Dr Vic Gammon''

There are many thousands of songs. There are many song collections and many versions of the same song. Where to start looking? That's the problem.

Note. Our intention is not to restrict this initiative to English Song, but to use the present headings as a starting point to view whatever develops from wherever it comes.

==Traditional Songs by Theme==

It's often difficult to categorise a song. Is the song of a Thames Bargeman a sea song or an industrial one? Likewise a Fishing song. Many industrial or rural songs had a political dimension. It doesn't do to worry too much about it - the categories are really just a rough guide to get to something that fits the browser's interest and in the spirit of the Wiki might lead to somewhere altogether unexpected!
Some [[Song Books]] are arranged by theme.
Here are some of the common themes in folk song:

'''[[Songs of Love and Marriage]]''' ''romantic, unrequited, happy and unhappy wedlock, spinsters and batchelors, broken tokens''

'''[[Songs of Seduction]]''' ''brief, bawdy, passionate and tragic

'''[[Songs of Country Life]]''' ''millers, blacksmiths, cobblers''

'''[[Songs of Good Company]]''' ''drinking, carousing, conviviality''

'''[[Hunting and Poaching Song]]s''' ''the fox, the hare, transportation''

'''[[Sea Songs]]''' ''press gangs, men o' war, fishing & whaling, jack on shore''

'''[[Soldiers' Songs]]''' ''the king's shilling, bloody battles''

'''[[Songs of Comedy and Diversion]]''' ''comical tales, legendary animals, marvels''

'''[[Ritual Songs]]''' ''folk ceremonies, mummer's plays''

'''[[Songs of the Road]]''' ''travellers, gypsies and journeymen''

'''[[Political and Historical Songs]]''' ''rebellion, reform, great events''

'''[[Ballads]]'''

'''[[Children's Songs]]''' ''rhymes, game songs''

'''[[Songs of Heroes and Villains]]''' ''Highwaymen, scoundrels, and adventurers, real and fictitious''

'''[[Industrial Songs]]''' ''pits and mills''

==Traditional Singers==

==='''[[English Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Scottish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Irish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[North American Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Australian Source Singers]]'''===

==Performance==
''section editor Chris Coe''

This is a tricky section to think of including. One doesn't always associate folk song and 'performance' but some of the techniques applied by the traditional singers can bear scrutiny, especially by those who want to sing the same sort of songs.

The intimate fireside delivery of [[Walter Pardon]].......

[[Lizzie Higgins]] taking a deep breath, expanding to be a 'giant' and setting forth..........

[[Johnny Doughty]] turning his cap sideways and singing the [[Herring's Head]].....

And any one who has seen [[Jock Duncan]] perform the [[Two Sisters]] will have a vivid understanding of song delivery with gestures....

Watch this space.

--[[User:JohnnyAdams|JohnnyAdams]] 22:46, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

==Resources==

===Recordings===
====Commercially Available Recordings====
''Currently available or deleted''

* [[Kyloe Records]]
* [[Leader Records]]
* [[Musical Traditions Records]]
* [[Topic Records]]
* [[Veteran]]
* [[Wildgoose Records]]
* [[New World Records]]

=== Books & Bibliographies===
Books of and about folk songs abound and seem to increase at an exponential rate. It is ironic that computerisation and digitalisation, which make this site possible, also make it much easier and cheaper to publish new books. In addition, many rare and inaccessible books from the past have been scanned and placed on the web in recent years, which has helped more and more people to find songs and contribute to scholarship and discussion. Probably the most complete and recent listing of books is the one given immediately below. After that, there follows a short selection of some important books.

====Bibliographies====

[http://www.efdss.org/songbib3.pdf English Folk Song Bibliography: An Introductory Bibliography Based on the Holdings of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Third Edition, edited by David Atkinson]

====Books====
* [[Books before 1900]]

* [[Song Books]]

* [[Folk Song Scholarship]]

===Indexes===

* The [[Vaughan Williams Memorial Library]] [http://library.efdss.org online index] including
** [[Cecil Sharp]]
** [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]
** [[Maud Karpeles]]
** [[Lucy Broadwood]]
** [[H.E.D. Hammond]]
** [[Francis Collinson]]
** [[George Gardiner]]
** [[Percy Grainger]]

The site also gives you access to the [http://library.efdss.org/cgi-bin/textpage.cgi?file=aboutRoud&access=off Roud Index], compiled by Steve Roud.

The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 143,000+ references to songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is the most important finding aid for traditional song ever compiled, and not even the most casual researcher can afford to do without it.

==The Folk Revival==
Contributors to ''Folkopedia'' frequently mention the "Folk Revival". What they normally mean is the quite sudden increase of interest in traditional song and music starting with pioneers in the 1950s and establishing itself in the 1960s with an explosion in the number of clubs and later festivals. Much has been written about the reasons for this, and this site will probably have a major section. The revival is sometimes called the "second folk revival", the first having been the major collecting activities of the 1890s and early 1900s, including the formation of the Folk Song Society in June 1898.

Talk:The Folk Songs of Britain

2007-04-17T18:17:26Z

PeteWood:

Andy. If you are intending to set up a page for each LP in the Caedmon series, listing songs etc, that's fine. Perhaps on reflection, as you have separate pages for Child Ballads 1 and 2, that is your intention. But if you are setting up a subject page, that might cause some confusion. As these various compliations use different titles for the same themes, I have attempted to rationalise this site's on the main song page, and am adding a page on each of them. Happy to have these change, but perhaps we only need one site on, for instance, sailor's songs.

--[[User:PeteWood|PeteWood]] 21:53, 16 April 2007 (BST)

Pete. I was merely setting up separate pages for each LP (like we have for each of the VOTP volumes). But there could be a clash of page titles with pages about courtship etc. Do I need to change the title of these pages to e.g. Songs of Seduction (Folk Songs of Britain) to avoid ambiguity?

[[User:Andyturner|Andyturner]] 13:09, 17 April 2007 (BST)

Andy. I think your suggestion makes sense, but there are other questions arising in my mind. At the moment, to keep it simple, my theme pages just refer to the two series without specifying a volume. They could be more specific, though I don't think it necessary. I am at present erring on the side of the novice who wants to find out more about folk song rather than a reference for the experts, although we have to find a way of doing both. I am also a bit wary of setting up too many blank pages before we have more experience, as they're a bit tricky to delete or to change once you've got them! (I see that on Voice of the People you have set up a page for every singer and every song in the series. Does this mean every folk song will have its own page on the site?). Another point I'm not sure about is whether every time we mention a person or subject that happens to have a page, we need to direct the reader to it. Maybe so, but it just makes reading a bit disjointed. All these points are occurring to me as we go, and I'm asking questions rather than making statements. I'd welcome more discussion on these points.

--[[User:PeteWood|PeteWood]] 19:17, 17 April 2007 (BST)

Talk:The Folk Songs of Britain

2007-04-16T20:53:42Z

PeteWood: New page: Andy. If you are intending to set up a page for each LP in the Caedmon series, listing songs etc, that's fine. Perhaps on reflection, as you have separate pages for Child Ballads 1 and 2, ...

The Folk Songs of Britain

2007-04-16T20:47:18Z

PeteWood:

'''The Folk Songs of Britain'''

A Ten Volume Series of sound recordings, compiled by [[Peter Kennedy]] and [[Alan Lomax]], assisted by [[Shirley Collins]].

Originally published in America on Caedmon Records, 1961 onwards, and later in the UK on [[Topic Records|Topic]] in 1968.

The songs were collected from traditional singers all over the British Isles by the editors mainly in England, and by [[Hamish Henderson]] in Scotland, and [[Seamus Ennis]] and [[Sean O'Boyle]] in Ireland. The series helped provide the repertoire and singing styles not only of luminaries like [[Ewan MacColl]] and [[Bert Lloyd]], but those hundreds who came to the revival from the late 1950s onwards. Expanded versions of the original LPs were released on CD by [[Rounder]] in 2000, but the series has been somewhat overshadowed by the later collection [[The Voice of the People]].

The 10 LPs in the series are:

* Volume 1 [[Songs of Courtship]]
* Volume 2 [[Songs of Seduction]]
* Volume 3 [[Jack of all trades]]
* Volume 4 [[The Child Ballads 1]]
* Volume 5 [[The Child Ballads 2]]
* Volume 6 [[Sailormen and Serving Maids]]
* Volume 7 [[Fair Game and Foul]]
* Volume 8 [[A Soldier's Life for me]]
* Volume 9 [[Songs of Ceremony]]
* Volume 10 [[Animal Songs]]

Political and Historical Songs

2007-04-16T20:43:07Z

PeteWood: New page: There are many songs which detail historical events, particularly battles, hangings, and rebellions. Whilst the Folk Revival was ushered in on a wave of very political songs such as the CN...

There are many songs which detail historical events, particularly battles, hangings, and rebellions. Whilst the Folk Revival was ushered in on a wave of very political songs such as the CND songs, Irish rebel songs, and union songs, the traditional songs were often more subtle in their attack on the cruelty of the bosses and the establishment.

Roy Palmer is a scholar who has produced many antholgies on particular themes, and three relevant to this one are:

* ''A Touch on the Times'', Roy Palmer, 1974, Penguin Education. Subtitled ''Songs of Social Change 1770 to 1914'', this is a fascinating mix of potent fine songs, old photographs, and historical commentary from the author. J B Priestly called the book "revealing, funny, pathetic, and a measure of authentic social detail."

* ''The Sound of History'', Roy Palmer, 1988, OUP. Covering broadly similar subjects to "A Touch on the Times", this is a more academic treatment of the subject, but equally simulating.

* ''A Ballad History of England'', Roy Palmer, 1979, B.T.Batsford. The book covers "from 1588 to the present day",and is exactly what its title claims.

Songs of Country Life

2007-04-16T20:18:17Z

PeteWood:

Many of our folk songs concern traditional crafstmen and traders such as millers, blacksmiths, cobblers, tailors, shepherds, brewers, merchants, and farmers. We hear how hard life is for the labouring man, how tailors and cobblers are scorned, merchants reviled, of blacksmith's lusts and millers' sons and daughters. Many of these are amongst the funniest of our songs, recounting unfortunate predicaments of one kind or another.

Songs like these are found in every anthology. Those with specific sections include ''[[The Singing Island]]'', ''[[Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland]]'', and ''Everyman's Book of English Country Songs'', Roy Palmer, 1979, Dent.

Two collections of sound recordings with albums of on this theme are: ''[[The Voice of the People]]'' and ''[[The Folk Songs of Britain]]''.

The Folk Songs of Britain

2007-04-16T08:42:21Z

PeteWood: New page: '''The Folk Songs of Britain''' A Ten Volume Series of sound recordings, compiled by Peter Kennedy and Alan Lomax, assisted by Shirley Collins. Originally published in America on Caedmon...

'''The Folk Songs of Britain'''

A Ten Volume Series of sound recordings, compiled by Peter Kennedy and Alan Lomax, assisted by Shirley Collins.

Originally published in America on Caedmon Records, 1961 onwards, and later in the UK on Topic Topic Records in 1968.

The songs were collected from traditiomal singers all over the British Isles by the editors maily in England, and by Hamish Henderson in Scotland, and Seamus Ennis and Sean O'Boyle in Ireland. The series helped provide the repertoire and singing styles of not only luminaries like Ewan MacColl and Bert Lloyd, but those hundreds who came to the revival from the late 1950s onwards. Unfortunately it is now difficult to obtain, and has been somewhat overshadowed by the later collection [[The Voice of the People]].

The 10 LPs in the series are:

* Volume 1 Courtship
* Volume 2 Seduction
* Volume 3 Jack of all trades
* Volume 4 The Child Ballads 1
* Volume 5 The Child Ballads 2
* Volume 6 Sailormen & Serving Maids
* Volume 7 Fair Game & Foul
* Volume 8 A Soldier's Life for me
* Volume 9 Songs of Ceremony
* Volume 10 Animal Songs

Songs of Country Life

2007-04-16T08:20:37Z

PeteWood: New page: Many of our folk songs concern traditional crafstmen and traders such as millers, blacksmiths, cobblers, tailors, shepherds, brewers, merchants, and farmers. We hear how hard life is for t...

Many of our folk songs concern traditional crafstmen and traders such as millers, blacksmiths, cobblers, tailors, shepherds, brewers, merchants, and farmers. We hear how hard life is for the labouring man, how tailors and cobblers are scorned, merchants reviled, of blacksmith's lusts and millers' sons and daughters. Many of these are amomgst the funniest of our songs, recounting unfortunate predicaments of one kind or another.

Songs like these are found in every anthology. Those with specific sections include ''[[The Singing Island]]'' and ''[[Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland]]'' and ''Everyman's Book of English Country Songs'', Roy Palmer, 1979, Dent.

Two collections of sound recordings with albums of on this theme are: ''[[The Voice of the People]]'' and ''[[The Folk Songs of Britain]]''.

Songs of the Road

2007-04-16T07:57:19Z

PeteWood: New page: There are many traditional songs about travellers, gypsies, journeymen, pedlars, commercial travellers and the like. Most of our travellers' songs come from two areas, the north east of Sc...

There are many traditional songs about travellers, gypsies, journeymen, pedlars, commercial travellers and the like. Most of our travellers' songs come from two areas, the north east of Scotland, and the rural south of England. In Scotland, two traveller families have given us many songs, the Stewarts of Blairgowrie, and the Robertson/Higgins families, in particular the incomparable [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannie_Robertson Jeannie Robertson.] Two of the best known English singers are Phoebe Smith and "Queen" Caroline Hughes. There is a recent article on travellers in ''English Dance and Song'' Winter 2006 [http://eds.efdss.org/back_copies/EDS_Winter2006.html].

Books with travellers' songs include:

* ''Travellers' Songs from England and Scotland'', Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, 1977, Routledge and Kegan Paul. Probably the most representative collection of songs.

* ''Till Doomsday in the afternoon'', Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, 1986, Manchester University Press. A major biography of the Stewarts of Blairgowrie with 70 songs, as well as a study of the way the songs are passed on, tales, jokes, riddles and childrens' songs.

For a delightful account of the life of a scottish traveller, read

* ''The Yellow on the Broom'', Betsy Whyte, 2001, Birlinn.

Two anthologies with sections on the theme are: ''[[The Singing Island]]'' and ''[[Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland]]''.

The collection of sound recordings ''[[The Voice of the People]]'' has an album of traveller' songs.

Songs of Seduction

2007-04-15T18:01:36Z

PeteWood: New page: This is a very common theme in traditional song, and along with love and marriage songs feature in more than half of the songs in the Greig Duncan Collection from the Aberdeenshire area. A...

This is a very common theme in traditional song, and along with love and marriage songs feature in more than half of the songs in the Greig Duncan Collection from the Aberdeenshire area. Although a lot of these songs might be considered vulgar or obscene by some, the subject often brings out the highest standards of wit and artistic expression.

All anthologies will have a lot of these songs. A couple specialising in songs of love and seduction are:

* ''The Seeds of Love'', Stephen Sedley, 1967, Essex Music. Lots of fine songs here, often collated from several sources, or "based on" a source.

* ''The Merry Muses of Caledonia'', Robert Burns, 1966, Panther Books. A paperback reprint of the original 1800 publication. Burns was of course famous for his poetry and his passion for the "fair sex".

Two anthologies with sections on the theme are: ''[[The Singing Island]]'' and ''[[Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland]]''.

Two collections of sound recordings with songs of seduction are: ''[[The Voice of the People]]'' and ''[[The Folk Songs of Britain]]''.

Songs of Love and Marriage

2007-04-15T17:54:14Z

PeteWood: New page: This is probably the commonest topic in traditional song. For example, along with songs of seduction, the theme has more than half of the songs in the Greig Duncan Collection from the Aber...

This is probably the commonest topic in traditional song. For example, along with songs of seduction, the theme has more than half of the songs in the Greig Duncan Collection from the Aberdeenshire area. There's a lot of topics, from grand passion, parting of lovers, the broken token theme, the trials and tribulations of marriage, and the loneliness of the ageing batchelor or spinster.

All anthologies will have a lot of these songs. One spcialising in the theme is:

* ''The Seeds of Love'', Stephen Sedley, 1967, Essex Music. Lots of fine songs here, often collated from several sources, or "based on" a source.

Two anthologies with sections on love songs are: ''[[The Singing Island]]'' and ''[[Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland]]''.

Two collections of sound recordings with love songs are: ''[[The Voice of the People]]'' and ''[[The Folk Songs of Britain]]''.

Song

2007-04-15T17:32:15Z

PeteWood: /* Traditional Songs by Theme */

''Category Editor: Dr Vic Gammon''

There are many thousands of songs. There are many song collections and many versions of the same song. Where to start looking? That's the problem.

Note. Our intention is not to restrict this initiative to English Song, but to use the present headings as a starting point to view whatever develops from wherever it comes.

==Traditional Songs by Theme==

It's often difficult to categorise a song. Is the song of a Thames Bargeman a sea song or an industrial one? Likewise a Fishing song. Many industrial or rural songs had a political dimension. It doesn't do to worry too much about it - the categories are really just a rough guide to get to something that fits the browser's interest and in the spirit of the Wiki might lead to somewhere altogether unexpected!
Some [[Song Books]] are arranged by theme.
Here are some of the common themes in folk song:

'''[[Songs of Love and Marriage]]''' ''romantic, unrequited, happy and unhappy wedlock, spinsters and batchelors, broken tokens''

'''[[Songs of Seduction]]''' ''brief, bawdy, passionate and tragic

'''[[Songs of Country Life]]''' ''millers, blacksmiths, cobblers''

'''Songs of Good Company''' ''drinking, carousing, conviviality''

'''Hunting and Poaching Songs''' ''the fox, the hare, transportation''

'''[[Sea Songs]]''' ''press gangs, men o' war, fishing & whaling, jack on shore''

'''Soldiers Songs''' ''the king's shilling, bloody battles''

'''Songs of Comedy and Diversion''' ''comical tales, legendary animals, marvels''

'''[[Ritual Songs]]''' ''folk ceremonies, mummer's plays''

'''[[Songs of the Road]]''' ''travellers, gypsies and journeymen''

'''[[Political and Historical Songs]]''' ''rebellion, reform, great events''

'''[[Ballads]]'''

'''[[Children's Songs]]''' ''rhymes, game songs''

'''Songs of Heroes and Villains''' ''Highwaymen, scoundrels, and adventurers, real and fictitious''

'''[[Industrial Songs]]''' ''pits and mills''

==Traditional Singers==

==='''[[English Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Scottish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Irish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[North American Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Australian Source Singers]]'''===

==Performance==
''section editor Chris Coe''

This is a tricky section to think of including. One doesn't always associate folk song and 'performance' but some of the techniques applied by the traditional singers can bear scrutiny, especially by those who want to sing the same sort of songs.

The intimate fireside delivery of [[Walter Pardon]].......

[[Lizzie Higgins]] taking a deep breath, expanding to be a 'giant' and setting forth..........

[[Johnny Doughty]] turning his cap sideways and singing the [[Herring's Head]].....

And any one who has seen [[Jock Duncan]] perform the [[Two Sisters]] will have a vivid understanding of song delivery with gestures....

Watch this space.

--[[User:JohnnyAdams|JohnnyAdams]] 22:46, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

==Resources==

===Recordings===
====Commercially Available Recordings====
''Currently available or deleted''

* [[Kyloe Records]]
* [[Leader Records]]
* [[Musical Traditions Records]]
* [[Topic Records]]
* [[Veteran]]
* [[Wildgoose Records]]
* [[New World Records]]

=== Books & Bibliographies===
Books of and about folk songs abound and seem to increase at an exponential rate. It is ironic that computerisation and digitalisation, which make this site possible, also make it much easier and cheaper to publish new books. In addition, many rare and inaccessible books from the past have been scanned and placed on the web in recent years, which has helped more and more people to find songs and contribute to scholarship and discussion. Probably the most complete and recent listing of books is the one given immediately below. After that, there follows a short selection of some important books.

====Bibliographies====

[http://www.efdss.org/songbib3.pdf English Folk Song Bibliography: An Introductory Bibliography Based on the Holdings of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Third Edition, edited by David Atkinson]

====Books====
* [[Books before 1900]]

* [[Song Books]]

* [[Folk Song Scholarship]]

===Indexes===

* The [[Vaughan Williams Memorial Library]] [http://library.efdss.org online index] including
** [[Cecil Sharp]]
** [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]
** [[Maud Karpeles]]
** [[Lucy Broadwood]]
** [[H.E.D. Hammond]]
** [[Francis Collinson]]
** [[George Gardiner]]
** [[Percy Grainger]]

The site also gives you access to the [http://library.efdss.org/cgi-bin/textpage.cgi?file=aboutRoud&access=off Roud Index], compiled by Steve Roud.

The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 143,000+ references to songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is the most important finding aid for traditional song ever compiled, and not even the most casual researcher can afford to do without it.

==The Folk Revival==
Contributors to ''Folkopedia'' frequently mention the "Folk Revival". What they normally mean is the quite sudden increase of interest in traditional song and music starting with pioneers in the 1950s and establishing itself in the 1960s with an explosion in the number of clubs and later festivals. Much has been written about the reasons for this, and this site will probably have a major section. The revival is sometimes called the "second folk revival", the first having been the major collecting activities of the 1890s and early 1900s, including the formation of the Folk Song Society in June 1898.

Song

2007-04-15T15:17:04Z

PeteWood: /* Traditional Songs by Theme */

''Category Editor: Dr Vic Gammon''

There are many thousands of songs. There are many song collections and many versions of the same song. Where to start looking? That's the problem.

Note. Our intention is not to restrict this initiative to English Song, but to use the present headings as a starting point to view whatever develops from wherever it comes.

==Traditional Songs by Theme==

It's often difficult to categorise a song. Is the song of a Thames Bargeman a sea song or an industrial one? Likewise a Fishing song. Many industrial or rural songs had a political dimension. It doesn't do to worry too much about it - the categories are really just a rough guide to get to something that fits the browser's interest and in the spirit of the Wiki might lead to somewhere altogether unexpected!
Some [[Song Books]] are arranged by theme.
Here are some of the common themes in folk song:

'''Songs of Love and Marriage''' ''romantic, unrequited, happy and unhappy wedlock, spinsters and batchelors''

'''Songs of Seduction''' ''brief, bawdy, passionate and tragic

'''Songs of Country Life''' ''millers, blacksmiths, cobblers''

'''Songs of Good Company''' ''drinking, carousing, conviviality''

'''Hunting and Poaching Songs''' ''the fox, the hare, transportation''

'''[[Sea Songs]]''' ''press gangs, men o' war, fishing & whaling, jack on shore''

'''Soldiers Songs''' ''the king's shilling, bloody battles''

'''Songs of Comedy and Diversion''' ''comical tales, legendary animals, marvels''

'''Ritual Songs''' ''folk ceremonies, mummer's plays''

'''Songs of the Road''' ''travellers, gypsies and journeymen''

'''Political and Historical Songs''' ''rebellion, reform, great events''

'''Ballads'''

'''Children's Songs''' ''rhymes, game songs''

'''Songs of Heroes and Villains''' ''Highwaymen, scoundrels, and adventurers, real and fictitious''

'''[[Industrial Songs]]''' ''pits and mills''

==Traditional Singers==

==='''[[English Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Scottish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Irish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[North American Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Australian Source Singers]]'''===

==Performance==
''section editor Chris Coe''

This is a tricky section to think of including. One doesn't always associate folk song and 'performance' but some of the techniques applied by the traditional singers can bear scrutiny, especially by those who want to sing the same sort of songs.

The intimate fireside delivery of [[Walter Pardon]].......

[[Lizzie Higgins]] taking a deep breath, expanding to be a 'giant' and setting forth..........

[[Johnny Doughty]] turning his cap sideways and singing the [[Herring's Head]].....

And any one who has seen [[Jock Duncan]] perform the [[Two Sisters]] will have a vivid understanding of song delivery with gestures....

Watch this space.

--[[User:JohnnyAdams|JohnnyAdams]] 22:46, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

==Resources==

===Recordings===
====Commercially Available Recordings====
''Currently available or deleted''

* [[Kyloe Records]]
* [[Leader Records]]
* [[Musical Traditions Records]]
* [[Topic Records]]
* [[Veteran]]
* [[Wildgoose Records]]
* [[New World Records]]

=== Books & Bibliographies===
Books of and about folk songs abound and seem to increase at an exponential rate. It is ironic that computerisation and digitalisation, which make this site possible, also make it much easier and cheaper to publish new books. In addition, many rare and inaccessible books from the past have been scanned and placed on the web in recent years, which has helped more and more people to find songs and contribute to scholarship and discussion. Probably the most complete and recent listing of books is the one given immediately below. After that, there follows a short selection of some important books.

====Bibliographies====

[http://www.efdss.org/songbib3.pdf English Folk Song Bibliography: An Introductory Bibliography Based on the Holdings of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Third Edition, edited by David Atkinson]

====Books====
* [[Books before 1900]]

* [[Song Books]]

* [[Folk Song Scholarship]]

===Indexes===

* The [[Vaughan Williams Memorial Library]] [http://library.efdss.org online index] including
** [[Cecil Sharp]]
** [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]
** [[Maud Karpeles]]
** [[Lucy Broadwood]]
** [[H.E.D. Hammond]]
** [[Francis Collinson]]
** [[George Gardiner]]
** [[Percy Grainger]]

The site also gives you access to the [http://library.efdss.org/cgi-bin/textpage.cgi?file=aboutRoud&access=off Roud Index], compiled by Steve Roud.

The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 143,000+ references to songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is the most important finding aid for traditional song ever compiled, and not even the most casual researcher can afford to do without it.

==The Folk Revival==
Contributors to ''Folkopedia'' frequently mention the "Folk Revival". What they normally mean is the quite sudden increase of interest in traditional song and music starting with pioneers in the 1950s and establishing itself in the 1960s with an explosion in the number of clubs and later festivals. Much has been written about the reasons for this, and this site will probably have a major section. The revival is sometimes called the "second folk revival", the first having been the major collecting activities of the 1890s and early 1900s, including the formation of the Folk Song Society in June 1898.

Song

2007-04-15T12:55:02Z

PeteWood: /* Traditional Songs by Theme */

''Category Editor: Dr Vic Gammon''

There are many thousands of songs. There are many song collections and many versions of the same song. Where to start looking? That's the problem.

Note. Our intention is not to restrict this initiative to English Song, but to use the present headings as a starting point to view whatever develops from wherever it comes.

==Traditional Songs by Theme==

It's often difficult to categorise a song. Is the song of a Thames Bargeman a sea song or an industrial one? Likewise a Fishing song. Many industrial or rural songs had a political dimension. It doesn't do to worry too much about it - the categories are really just a rough guide to get to something that fits the browser's interest and in the spirit of the Wiki might lead to somewhere altogether unexpected!
Some [[Song Books]] are arranged by theme.
Here are some of the common themes in folk song:
===[[Sea Songs]]===

===Rural country trades, work and crafts ===

===[[Industrial Songs]]===

===Love Songs===

===Songs of Seduction===

===[[Drinking Songs]]===

===Hunting and Poaching Songs===

===Songs of work, occupation and trade===

* Fishing

===Songs of Diversion===

===Travellers' Songs===

===Ceremonial Songs===

===Political Songs===

===[[Ballads]]===

==Traditional Singers==

==='''[[English Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Scottish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Irish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[North American Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Australian Source Singers]]'''===

==Performance==
''section editor Chris Coe''

This is a tricky section to think of including. One doesn't always associate folk song and 'performance' but some of the techniques applied by the traditional singers can bear scrutiny, especially by those who want to sing the same sort of songs.

The intimate fireside delivery of [[Walter Pardon]].......

[[Lizzie Higgins]] taking a deep breath, expanding to be a 'giant' and setting forth..........

[[Johnny Doughty]] turning his cap sideways and singing the [[Herring's Head]].....

And any one who has seen [[Jock Duncan]] perform the [[Two Sisters]] will have a vivid understanding of song delivery with gestures....

Watch this space.

--[[User:JohnnyAdams|JohnnyAdams]] 22:46, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

==Resources==

===Recordings===
====Commercially Available Recordings====
''Currently available or deleted''

* [[Kyloe Records]]
* [[Leader Records]]
* [[Musical Traditions Records]]
* [[Topic Records]]
* [[Veteran]]
* [[Wildgoose Records]]
* [[New World Records]]

=== Books & Bibliographies===
Books of and about folk songs abound and seem to increase at an exponential rate. It is ironic that computerisation and digitalisation, which make this site possible, also make it much easier and cheaper to publish new books. In addition, many rare and inaccessible books from the past have been scanned and placed on the web in recent years, which has helped more and more people to find songs and contribute to scholarship and discussion. Probably the most complete and recent listing of books is the one given immediately below. After that, there follows a short selection of some important books.

====Bibliographies====

[http://www.efdss.org/songbib3.pdf English Folk Song Bibliography: An Introductory Bibliography Based on the Holdings of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Third Edition, edited by David Atkinson]

====Books====
* [[Books before 1900]]

* [[Song Books]]

* [[Folk Song Scholarship]]

===Indexes===

* The [[Vaughan Williams Memorial Library]] [http://library.efdss.org online index] including
** [[Cecil Sharp]]
** [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]
** [[Maud Karpeles]]
** [[Lucy Broadwood]]
** [[H.E.D. Hammond]]
** [[Francis Collinson]]
** [[George Gardiner]]
** [[Percy Grainger]]

The site also gives you access to the [http://library.efdss.org/cgi-bin/textpage.cgi?file=aboutRoud&access=off Roud Index], compiled by Steve Roud.

The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 143,000+ references to songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is the most important finding aid for traditional song ever compiled, and not even the most casual researcher can afford to do without it.

==The Folk Revival==
Contributors to ''Folkopedia'' frequently mention the "Folk Revival". What they normally mean is the quite sudden increase of interest in traditional song and music starting with pioneers in the 1950s and establishing itself in the 1960s with an explosion in the number of clubs and later festivals. Much has been written about the reasons for this, and this site will probably have a major section. The revival is sometimes called the "second folk revival", the first having been the major collecting activities of the 1890s and early 1900s, including the formation of the Folk Song Society in June 1898.

Song

2007-04-15T10:45:57Z

PeteWood: /* Traditional Songs by Theme */

''Category Editor: Dr Vic Gammon''

There are many thousands of songs. There are many song collections and many versions of the same song. Where to start looking? That's the problem.

Note. Our intention is not to restrict this initiative to English Song, but to use the present headings as a starting point to view whatever develops from wherever it comes.

==Traditional Songs by Theme==

It's often difficult to categorise a song. Is the song of a Thames Bargeman a sea song or an industrial one? Likewise a Fishing song. Many industrial or rural songs had a political dimension. It doesn't do to worry too much about it - the categories are really just a rough guide to get to something that fits the browser's interest and in the spirit of the Wiki might lead to somewhere altogether unexpected!
Some [[Song Books]] are arranged by theme.
Here are some of the common themes in folk song:
===[[Sea Songs]]===

=Rural country trades, work and crafts =

===[[Industrial Songs]]===

===Love Songs===

===Songs of Seduction===

===[[Drinking Songs]]===

===Hunting and Poaching Songs===

===Songs of work, occupation and trade===

* Fishing

===Songs of Diversion===

===Travellers' Songs===

===Ceremonial Songs===

===Political Songs===

===[[Ballads]]===

==Traditional Singers==

==='''[[English Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Scottish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Irish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[North American Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Australian Source Singers]]'''===

==Performance==
''section editor Chris Coe''

This is a tricky section to think of including. One doesn't always associate folk song and 'performance' but some of the techniques applied by the traditional singers can bear scrutiny, especially by those who want to sing the same sort of songs.

The intimate fireside delivery of [[Walter Pardon]].......

[[Lizzie Higgins]] taking a deep breath, expanding to be a 'giant' and setting forth..........

[[Johnny Doughty]] turning his cap sideways and singing the [[Herring's Head]].....

And any one who has seen [[Jock Duncan]] perform the [[Two Sisters]] will have a vivid understanding of song delivery with gestures....

Watch this space.

--[[User:JohnnyAdams|JohnnyAdams]] 22:46, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

==Resources==

===Recordings===
====Commercially Available Recordings====
''Currently available or deleted''

* [[Kyloe Records]]
* [[Leader Records]]
* [[Musical Traditions Records]]
* [[Topic Records]]
* [[Veteran]]
* [[Wildgoose Records]]
* [[New World Records]]

=== Books & Bibliographies===
Books of and about folk songs abound and seem to increase at an exponential rate. It is ironic that computerisation and digitalisation, which make this site possible, also make it much easier and cheaper to publish new books. In addition, many rare and inaccessible books from the past have been scanned and placed on the web in recent years, which has helped more and more people to find songs and contribute to scholarship and discussion. Probably the most complete and recent listing of books is the one given immediately below. After that, there follows a short selection of some important books.

====Bibliographies====

[http://www.efdss.org/songbib3.pdf English Folk Song Bibliography: An Introductory Bibliography Based on the Holdings of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Third Edition, edited by David Atkinson]

====Books====
* [[Books before 1900]]

* [[Song Books]]

* [[Folk Song Scholarship]]

===Indexes===

* The [[Vaughan Williams Memorial Library]] [http://library.efdss.org online index] including
** [[Cecil Sharp]]
** [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]
** [[Maud Karpeles]]
** [[Lucy Broadwood]]
** [[H.E.D. Hammond]]
** [[Francis Collinson]]
** [[George Gardiner]]
** [[Percy Grainger]]

The site also gives you access to the [http://library.efdss.org/cgi-bin/textpage.cgi?file=aboutRoud&access=off Roud Index], compiled by Steve Roud.

The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 143,000+ references to songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is the most important finding aid for traditional song ever compiled, and not even the most casual researcher can afford to do without it.

==The Folk Revival==
Contributors to ''Folkopedia'' frequently mention the "Folk Revival". What they normally mean is the quite sudden increase of interest in traditional song and music starting with pioneers in the 1950s and establishing itself in the 1960s with an explosion in the number of clubs and later festivals. Much has been written about the reasons for this, and this site will probably have a major section. The revival is sometimes called the "second folk revival", the first having been the major collecting activities of the 1890s and early 1900s, including the formation of the Folk Song Society in June 1898.

Songs of Good Company

2007-04-12T15:03:43Z

PeteWood: New page: There are many songs about alcohol, most of them about beer, except north of the border where songs about whisky abound, and west of Bristol, where songs extolling the juice of the apple a...

Song

2007-04-12T14:50:25Z

PeteWood: /* Traditional Songs by Theme */

''Category Editor: Dr Vic Gammon''

There are many thousands of songs. There are many song collections and many versions of the same song. Where to start looking? That's the problem.

Note. Our intention is not to restrict this initiative to English Song, but to use the present headings as a starting point to view whatever develops from wherever it comes.

==Traditional Songs by Theme==

It's often difficult to categorise a song. Is the song of a Thames Bargeman a sea song or an industrial one? Likewise a Fishing song. Many industrial or rural songs had a political dimension. It doesn't do to worry too much about it - the categories are really just a rough guide to get to something that fits the browser's interest and in the spirit of the Wiki might lead to somewhere altogether unexpected!
Some [[Song Books]] are arranged by theme.

===[[Sea Songs]]===

===Rural Songs===

===[[Industrial Songs]]===

===Love Songs===

===Songs of Seduction===

===[[Drinking Songs]]===

===Hunting and Poaching Songs===

===Songs of work, occupation and trade===

* Fishing

===Songs of Diversion===

===Travellers' Songs===

===Ceremonial Songs===

===Political Songs===

===[[Ballads]]===

==Traditional Singers==

==='''[[English Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Scottish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Irish Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[North American Source Singers]]'''===

==='''[[Australian Source Singers]]'''===

==Performance==
''section editor Chris Coe''

This is a tricky section to think of including. One doesn't always associate folk song and 'performance' but some of the techniques applied by the traditional singers can bear scrutiny, especially by those who want to sing the same sort of songs.

The intimate fireside delivery of [[Walter Pardon]].......

[[Lizzie Higgins]] taking a deep breath, expanding to be a 'giant' and setting forth..........

[[Johnny Doughty]] turning his cap sideways and singing the [[Herring's Head]].....

And any one who has seen [[Jock Duncan]] perform the [[Two Sisters]] will have a vivid understanding of song delivery with gestures....

Watch this space.

--[[User:JohnnyAdams|JohnnyAdams]] 22:46, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

==Resources==

===Recordings===
====Commercially Available Recordings====
''Currently available or deleted''

* [[Kyloe Records]]
* [[Leader Records]]
* [[Musical Traditions Records]]
* [[Topic Records]]
* [[Veteran]]
* [[Wildgoose Records]]
* [[New World Records]]

=== Books & Bibliographies===
Books of and about folk songs abound and seem to increase at an exponential rate. It is ironic that computerisation and digitalisation, which make this site possible, also make it much easier and cheaper to publish new books. In addition, many rare and inaccessible books from the past have been scanned and placed on the web in recent years, which has helped more and more people to find songs and contribute to scholarship and discussion. Probably the most complete and recent listing of books is the one given immediately below. After that, there follows a short selection of some important books.

====Bibliographies====

[http://www.efdss.org/songbib3.pdf English Folk Song Bibliography: An Introductory Bibliography Based on the Holdings of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Third Edition, edited by David Atkinson]

====Books====
* [[Books before 1900]]

* [[Song Books]]

* [[Folk Song Scholarship]]

===Indexes===

* The [[Vaughan Williams Memorial Library]] [http://library.efdss.org online index] including
** [[Cecil Sharp]]
** [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]
** [[Maud Karpeles]]
** [[Lucy Broadwood]]
** [[H.E.D. Hammond]]
** [[Francis Collinson]]
** [[George Gardiner]]
** [[Percy Grainger]]

The site also gives you access to the [http://library.efdss.org/cgi-bin/textpage.cgi?file=aboutRoud&access=off Roud Index], compiled by Steve Roud.

The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 143,000+ references to songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is the most important finding aid for traditional song ever compiled, and not even the most casual researcher can afford to do without it.

==The Folk Revival==
Contributors to ''Folkopedia'' frequently mention the "Folk Revival". What they normally mean is the quite sudden increase of interest in traditional song and music starting with pioneers in the 1950s and establishing itself in the 1960s with an explosion in the number of clubs and later festivals. Much has been written about the reasons for this, and this site will probably have a major section. The revival is sometimes called the "second folk revival", the first having been the major collecting activities of the 1890s and early 1900s, including the formation of the Folk-Song Society in June 1898.

Sea Songs

2007-04-12T14:46:14Z

PeteWood:

Traditional sea songs are usually divided into two groups. [[Shanties]] were the songs sailors sang to help them with the hard work on board the big sailing ships like the "windjammers" of the 19th century. The songs the sailor sang for enjoyment and relaxation when he was "off watch" are often called [[forebitters]], and although many of them were stories about sailors or the sea, they could be any kind of song.

Here are some books of sea songs
* ''[[Shanties from the Seven Seas]]'', Stan Hugill, 1961, Routledge & Kegan Paul

* ''Ballads and Sea Songs of Newfoundland'' Elisabeth Bristol Greenleaf and Grace Yarrow Mansfield, 1933, Memorial University of Newfoundland

* ''Boxing The Compass - Sea Songs and Shanties'' - Roy Palmer, 2001, Herron Publishing (Previously ''The Oxford Book of Sea Songs'' - now expanded)

Two anthologies with sections on sea songs are: ''[[The Singing Island]]'' and ''[[Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland]]''.

Two collections of sound recordings with sea songs and shanties are: ''[[The Voice of the People]]'' and ''[[The Folk Songs of Britain]]''.

Song Books

2007-04-10T18:06:23Z

PeteWood: /* General Anthologies */

==General Anthologies==

Books of folk songs can be comprehensive anthologies of songs from a region, from a country, or a nation. Three important ones published in the early part of the current revival are:

* ''The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs'', A L Lloyd and Ralph Vaughan Williams, several editions from 1959 onwards, Penguin Books. Seventy songs selected from ''The Journal of the Folk-Song Society'', with music, and the book most favoured by singers in the '60s revival as a source of songs. A revised edition, with more detailed notes, bibliography and information on the source singers, was published by EFDSS as [[Classic English Folk Songs]] in 2003, and can be bought from http://folkshop.efdss.org/. Web pages devoted to additions and corrections, with supporting material, can be seen at http://www.folk-network.com/miscellany/penguin/

* ''[[The Singing Island]]'', Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, 1960, Mills Books. Another great favourite in the early revival. Mostly traditional songs, arranged by theme, and with music.

* ''[[Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland]]'', Peter Kennedy, 1975, Cassell. Again the songs are arranged by theme, largely using versions collected by Kennedy himself. Has music, and copious notes on each song, with useful references to other versions.

==Specific Subjects==
* ''Come All you Bold Miners'', A L Lloyd, second edition 1978, Laurence and Wishart

* ''A Taste of Ale'', Roy Palmer, 2000, Green Branch, Lechlade

* ''The Rambling Soldier'', Roy Palmer, 1977, Peacock Books

* ''Songs and Music of The Redcoats (1642 - 1902)'', Lewis Winstock, 1970, Leo Cooper Ltd

* ''One Hundred Songs of Toil'', Karl Dallas, 1974, Wolfe

* ''Shanties from the Seven Seas'', Stan Hugill, 1961, Routledge & Kegan Paul

* ''Ballads and Sea Songs of Newfoundland'' Elisabeth Bristol Greenleaf and Grace Yarrow Mansfield, 1933, Memorial University of Newfoundland

* ''The Oxford Book of Sea Songs'', Roy Palmer, 1986, Oxford University Press

* ''Boxing The Compass - Sea Songs and Shanties'' - Roy Palmer, 2001, Herron Publishing (Previously ''The Oxford Book of Sea Songs'' - now expanded)

==Collections==
Books which concentrate on the songs collected by one or two collectors.

* ''Cecil Sharp's Collection of English Folk Songs'', Maud Karpeles, 1974, Oxford University Press. About two-thirds of the songs and tunes collected in England in the early 1900s by the most prolific collector, mostly in their original forms, though not invariably accurately or completely transcribed by Dr Karpeles. In two volumes, but difficult to find except through university libraries and 'antiquarian' book dealers.
 

* ''The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection'', Pat Shuldham Shaw, Emily B Lyle and others, 1981-2002, Aberdeen University Press and Mercat Press. The entire collection of the two Scots collectors Gavin Greig and John Duncan, who worked in Aberdeenshire at the same time as Sharp and his contemporaries were collecting mainly in the south and east of England. Eight volumes: numbers 2, 4, 7 and 8 of which can still be got from the publishers.

* ''Marrow Bones'', ''The Wanton Seed'', ''The Constant Lovers'', and ''The Foggy Dew'', Frank Purslow, 1965 to 1973, EFDS Publications Ltd. A series of books with a selection of songs from the collections of Henry and Robert Hammond and George Gardiner, who collected mainly in Dorset and Hampshire respectively, again in the early 1900s. The books were intended for relative newcomers to folk song and, as was usual until very recently in 'popular' anthologies, many of the song texts were edited and collated in order to produce good 'singing' versions. A new, augmented edition of [[Marrow Bones]] will be published by EFDSS in spring 2007, and a new edition of [[The Wanton Seed]] is planned for early 2008.

* ''Folk Songs collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams'', Roy Palmer, 1983, J.M Dent

* ''Bushes and Briars, Folk Songs collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams'', Roy Palmer, 1999, Llanerch Press (As 1983 but with corrections)