The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #117700   Message #2543854
Posted By: peregrina
20-Jan-09 - 07:41 AM
Thread Name: England's County Anthems
Subject: RE: England's County Anthems
Now then....
Classed by whom?
I think that some of the same problems arise with seeking 'county anthems' for this kind of list as the old 'national musical instrument' thread-- namely the question of how identities and labels are created. By identities I mean how 'we'--for any given 'we'-- are pushed to define ourselves against, and in distinction to, others; by 'labels' I mean how others construct an image and a label for others, for 'them', when those others do not choose that label.

If you were going to do such an exercise for, say, the U.S., I am sure people from Texas might not want 'Yellow Rose of Texas', nor those from Virginia, 'Carry me back to Ol' Virginny'. Even though those choices might speak to outsiders, locals might see them as pandering to outsiders.

If you are going to go for only regionally produced words and tunes then you wouldn't you have to rule out Ilkley Moor as well anyway?

Yorkshire is the largest of the regions, and very diverse--it can hardly be represented by a single moor.

And it has a fantastic trove of far moor--I mean more--interesting songs here:

Yorkshire Songs at the Yorkshire Garland site

For my part, I've never yet heard 'On Ilkley Moor' sung in a Yorkshire folk club--maybe others like to think we all have flat caps, whippets and stand on moors eating wensleydale cheese all day!!! If so, come visit Yorkshire and see for yourself, or visit the Garland website instead.

Good luck with your project whatever you decide. (For myself, I would be far moor, I mean more, interested in a collection of regional songs that dug up and dusted off little known regional treasures from each county--imaginative choices, fantastically performed, with thoughtful and informative notes.)