The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #140608   Message #3232367
Posted By: Stower
01-Oct-11 - 07:40 PM
Thread Name: Tune Req: Pre-1700 winter & Christmas tunes, pls
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Pre-1700 winter & Christmas tunes, pls
Ann N, I did think of Dowland's Fine Knacks for Ladies, and thanks, Jan, for your song suggestions - we already have plenty (i.e. too many) of songs for the programme and we're specifically looking for tunes.

Mick, another reason for not doing Fine Knacks is because I had discovered The Pedlar opening of his Packe on the English Broadside Ballad Archive - similar sentiment to Dowland's song but I prefer to sing Pedlar simply on the basis that people won't know it but they'll likely know the Dowland song.

The question of authorship before days of copyright can be difficult to fathom. I think all of Holborne's tunes - as far as I know - were original (whereas Dowland, Byrd, etc. did a fair bit of doing clever things with existing tunes and putting their name to it, as was the way in the renaissance), so I suspect Nowel's Galiard in the FVB is a resetting of the Holborne original. Thanks for the offer of PMing you for the scan - since I read music terribly slowly but lute tab quickly I'll stick with Holborne's piece - but thank you!

Marje, thanks for the info on The Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols -I have the New Oxford Book, which is a lot fuller and more detailed than the 'old' one. We already do Grow'th the Holly and Coventry Carol - thanks for the tip-off about the others.

Mo, thanks for the info from the EFDSS journal on farmyard songs - I'll look that up.

Thank you all - you've all been very kind and helpful. And if there are any more suggestions ...?

Stower