3774)  WILLIE'S FATAL VISIT  The DT text is taken from Child, and there is no tune recorded for it.  Bronson prints one from Christie's Traditional Ballad Airs (1876); Christie's text is similar (he said that he learned it from his paternal grandmother), so this is the closest match we are likely to get.  Christie gives a second, variational strain to the melody, which apparantly was a habit of his; Bronson makes clear his opinion that these second strains were usually of Christie's own invention: I have therefore made a midi of the first strain only, and omitted Christie's decorations, which are also, presumably, editorial.  This gives us a four-line melody; the first verse of the Child text is of six lines, so the second two melody lines should be repeated to accommodate the words in that case.

2262)  MARRIAGE OF SIR GAWAINE  There is no known tune for this ballad.  Bronson gives what may perhaps be a very distant American relative, but is not entirely convinced that there is a real connection; best just to give up on this one.

1054)  FAIR MARY OF WALLINGTON  The text in the DT is Child's example #91C.  Bronson comments: "The only trace of a tune for this ballad is connected with a traditional Norfolk version, beginning My father was the first good man, which was being sung in the early nineteenth century to some form of O Ponder Well.  (Notes and Queries, series 2, XX, p.193)."  Under the entry for The Hunting of the Cheviot (Child #162), Bronson comments further that this tune was used in The Beggar's Opera, and also sometimes used for The Children in the Wood, and refers to a version printed by Bruce and Stokoe in Northumbrian Minstrelsy (1882).  I have made a midi, then, from the notation in that book.  In order for the text of the first verse to fit, "seven" needs to be taken as one syllable ("se'en"); I have also split the eighth note at the beginning of line 3 into two sixteenth notes.  Though we now have a singable set, it should be stressed that the joining of text and melody is pure conjecture, though based on Bronson's research: there is no evidence that this version of the ballad (or any of the other versions in Child) were ever sung to this particular melody.

1165)  FLODDEN FIELD  According to Bronson, there is no tune known for this.

LULLIN' THE LITTLIN'  This isn't in the DT yet, but is marked as harvested.  Midi made from the notation in Isla St.Clair's The Song and the Story (1981).

LITTLE CHANCE  This isn't in the DT yet, and isn't marked as harvested, either, but it's well worth it.  Midi made from the notation in A.L. Lloyd's Folk Song in England (source, Jack Elliott of Birtley).

2338)  MILLER TAE MY TRADE  The DT text was taken from a recording by Ray Fisher, who learnt it from Lucy Stewart of Fetterangus.  I don't have this version, though I have heard Ray sing it.  Midi made from the notation in Sheila Douglas' The Sang's The Thing (1992) of a set from Willie MacKenzie of Elgin.  The tune has had to be modified to accommodate the DT text (and my memory of tune and phrasing); specifically:

Bar 11: second quarter-note ("trade") split into two eighths ("trade, aye")
Bar 13: two eighth-notes ("made, an'") combined into one quarter ("made.")
Bar 14: first (quarter) note replaced by one eighth; fourth (eighth) note replaced by one quarter.
Bar 15: third (quarter) note changed to three-eighths; final note removed.
Bar 16: one eighth rest and two eighth notes (A) interpolated at the beginning; original first note (quarter) replaced by two eighths, the second raised to A.  The rest is unchanged, but obviously runs into an extra bar.

2953)  ROBIN CAM' TO THE WREN'S DOOR  Two variants are given in the DT file, one apparantly from the singing of Mrs. Burns.  Another variant was contributed by Burns to the Scots Musical Museum; midi made from the notation in James Kinsley's Burns: Poems and Songs (OUP, 1971) and slightly modified in one place to accommodate the words.

2923)  REYNARD THE FOX (3)  More usually known as  You Gentlemen of High Renown  (not Reknown, as the file has it!)  This appears to be the version recorded by The Young Tradition, who called it The Fox Hunt.  The tune they used (I don't know where they got it) is fairly different from the Copper Family tune, though obviously a close relative.  Midi made by ear from the YT's recording, with the usual caveat as to the accuracy of my ear and my knowledge of musical theory.  The YT sang "brush" rather than "slabs" in the final verse, incidentally.

3172)  SKEWBALL  DT text apparantly transcribed by ear from a Steeleye Span record.  There are a number of mistakes, beginning with the layout, which shows the song as eleven 2-line stanzas, where it should be six of four lines each.  Bearing this in mind:

Verse 1 line 3: "Oh, the marvel" should be Arthur Marvel

Verse 4. The second half is missing, and should read:

Up spoke the noble horse, "Ride on, my noble master
For we're halfway round the course, and now we'll see who's faster."

Verse 5 line 1: "for they have 200 guineas" should be for the good Two Hundred Guineas
Verse 5 line 2: "The settle shall be of gold when we become the winners" should be (And) the saddle shall be of gold when we pick up our winnings

S. Span said nothing about their source in their sleevenotes; in fact they got it from A.L. Lloyd, who remarked "This version is Irish in origin".  Midi made from a transcription in The Song and the Story by Isla St. Clair and David Turnbull (1981).

2411)  MY COLLIER LADDIE  This is the version published by Burns, though the DT file makes no mention of him.  Midi made from the notation in Kinsley's Burns: The Poems and Songs (1969).

1051)  FAIR ELIZA  This is the version published by Burns, though the DT file makes no mention of him.  Midi made from the notation in Kinsley's Burns: The Poems and Songs (1969).

Further to FAREWEILL TAE WHISKY/ JOHNNY MY MAN above, I now also have Belle Stewart's version, which she learnt from her brother, Donald MacGregor (Till Doomsday in the Afternoon,MacColl & Seeger, 1986) .  It's different enough from the Ord set to warrant posting as an alternative, so I'll send that in too.

Malcolm