"Subject: RE: Maritime work song in general
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 15 Nov 22 - 09:57 AM

Hi Phil,
Does that Dana Seaman's Manual have any useful info on chanties?

Regarding the discipline and lack of verbal communication on the stricter merchant ships, this was very likely because many of the men and officers would have been ex RN and old habits die hard."

Steve:
Two Years Before the Mast is choc-a-bloce with references to maritime work song. 1842AD: No 'chanties' anywhere by anybody... so far. Agreed?

...this was very likely because... Check your post history in the other thread. What you like to think is the foundation of your chanty narrative. Change the thinker, change the likes.

Me? A singing fifer would be 'not likely.' I find the singing fiddlers and drummers pretty much the same in the pre-1842 document record.