Who best represents English music?

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Peg
Date: 07 Apr 03 - 01:36 PM

thanks for the info on Paul, Hester! He was in Boston not long agao in fact and I really wish I'd made the effort to see the show. I will definitely get that CD...

I saw Dave Webber and Annie Fentiman at a house concert a few months ago. They were great, although I admit I do get sick of hearing their songs too often...when they were touring locally the local Celtic music show just played a couple of their songs to death until I wanted to scream (mainly that one about "carve the music of the wind into the wood")...theirs is music to be enjoyed for its uniqueness, and yet judging from the people at the house concert, everyone has listened to is all often enough that they know it all by heart...which makes me think they compose these "new traditional" songs for their "sing-along" appeal, which rubs me the wrong way, somehow...like penning a sure-fire top 40 tune...maybe it's just me. I'd like to hear them do more actual traditional music...

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: greg stephens
Date: 07 Apr 03 - 06:22 PM

Ray Davies of the Kinks and Vaughan Williams for "known author "music.
the people of England for the folk.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: greg stephens
Date: 07 Apr 03 - 06:24 PM

I'd like to have put John Dowland in, but I dont believe he was English.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 07 Apr 03 - 07:20 PM

Accounts differ; Dowland's early years are not well documented. I think he's generally considered now to have been born in London or Westminster, though Grattan Flood claimed that he was Irish (Grattan Flood also claimed that Sumer is Icumen In and God Save the King were Irish tunes; he is a bit of an embarrassment to serious scholars of Irish music), and that claim seems to have seeped into "received wisdom" in some cases.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: alanabit
Date: 08 Apr 03 - 02:42 AM

Ray Davies - there's an interesting choice from an old folker. Yet I can hardly think of anyone who is more archetypally English or does such excellent character sketches of modern English people.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: greg stephens
Date: 08 Apr 03 - 03:28 AM

Not so much of the "old" thank you, alanabit!

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 08 Apr 03 - 04:46 AM

Surely, place of birth or passport is no hindrance to representing the music of country X...Martyn W-R does a fair job of representing Aussie music, for example, and so does Eric B, though Sussex- and Scotland-born respectively.

So I'd say let Dowland's nomination stand, wherever his mum happened to be when she gave birth.

Otherwise we're but a small step from bigotry and pigeonholing

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST,Bystander
Date: 08 Apr 03 - 06:05 AM

Almost every singer/muso on the folk scene seems to have been nominated on this thread but if you asked the 'man in the street' I doubt if more than one in a thousand would have heard of any of them. Out of interest, who would the 'man in the street' nominate? If you are at work now, ask the persons next to you and let us know.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST,James
Date: 08 Apr 03 - 07:21 AM

The Guy next to me says Martin Carthy.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Snuffy
Date: 08 Apr 03 - 08:46 AM

If the 'man in the street' was asked to name a folk song, it would probably be from the Dubliners, or else something he learned in primary school (from the C#, RVW etc collections)

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST,Guest: English Jon out of Coma
Date: 08 Apr 03 - 09:16 AM

I thought it was me. ;)

Anyway, at least my computer seems to work now.

Cheers

EJ

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Apr 03 - 10:32 AM

Snuffy, the thread says 'Who best represents English Music', nothing about folk songs. Also is it English music today or English music two hundred years ago, Purcell or Fat Boy Slim?

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST,JohnB
Date: 08 Apr 03 - 12:19 PM

Hi Hester, we are not too far from the big TO, basically Orangeville area. We don't get out too much, mostly small local stuff. Brampton FF, Millrace in Cambridge. The Morris things in Toronto. The group is called Triangl. There usd to be 8 of us in a group called Octamerous, we got around a bit more in our 8 years together. Say hi if we meet, there again how will we know each other. I have a beard, the two ladies don't.
JohnB

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: AJR
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 01:46 PM

Sting singing Dowland song (the instrumental version on lute is Earl of Essex galliard (I thnk) was a pleasant surprise I have herd Peter Pears singing it and Alfred Deller)

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Lucius
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 02:02 PM

Go to the list that has "Rolling Stone's Top 100 Guitarists of all Time" and pick out the ones that sound English. That, or narrow your term, "English music" down a bit.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 02:08 PM

Where are we going to send the lucky winner to represent us.

If this liasion position is with Northern Ireland - Margaret Thatcher has a lot of experience.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Andy Jackson
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 03:16 PM

Well I read all the way through and have to add a couple of names:

Tom and Barbara Brown

When they perform you know why we love the songs.

Andy

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 05:22 PM

pip and merry

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 02:00 AM

The best thing about English music is its variety.
Strawhead / Alistair Anderson / Johny Collins
Byrd / Handel (yes, I know, but thats the thing really, we're a mongrel race)

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST, Grimmy
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 07:32 AM

Handel (yes, I know, but thats the thing really, we're a mongrel race)

You don't need to be English to 'represent English music'.

Max Bruch's Scottish Fantasy is more 'scottish' than any scots composer managed.

Some of the most quintessentially 'english' films ever made were directed by Emeric Pressburger.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 08:20 AM

I notice the name Richard Thompson keeps popping up, as good as he is it's all pan American.

eric

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Lizzie Cornish
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 08:26 AM

Show of Hands! :0) :0) :0)

Seth Lakeman!

And Ashley Hutchings!

Fairport Convention

Coope Boyes & Simpson

Martin Carthy

Bob Copper

Norma Waterson

Eliza Carthy

Jim Causley

Jim Moray

Jackie Oates

Mike Waterson

Witches of Elswick

Demon Barbers

Peter Bellamy

Tim Van Eyken

Mawkin

John Kirkpatrick



And more than a few on here too!


Albion Heart:
http://www.myspace.com/samandlizzie

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Lizzie Cornish
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 08:47 AM

B***** forgot to blue clicky thingy! :0)

Albion Heart

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: The Sandman
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 12:16 PM

John Cage.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 12:46 PM

Anyone apart from the english it seems

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 12:52 PM

Martin Carthy gets my vote. He's got more LPs and CDs out than anyone else on the previous lists. Also his involvement with other group projects is what most performers would accomplish in 2 or 3 lifetimes.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST,ib48
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 12:54 PM

Definately Ray Davies,the kinks

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: greg stephens
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 01:04 PM

Vaughan Williams, Holst, Elgar, Delius. The quintessential English composers of the 20th century, not an English surname in sight! Highly mongrel country.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST,Bardan
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 01:12 PM

For a horrible moment I thought someone had written Rolf Harris, but it turned out to be Roy. Thank God!

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: The Sandman
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 01:16 PM

harry cox.

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 07 - 07:20 AM

Rambling Sid Rumpo

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 07 - 08:33 AM

DJs

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Tim theTwangler
Date: 03 Mar 07 - 08:02 AM

PS: Thanks Breezy, I don't think England is ready to hand over stewardship of its music to the cradle of civilisation yet, though ;->
As you say George we Brits are too proud to let the Africans take it over just yet.
I suppose you would have to define Britishness wouldnt you ?
And that is different to every man and his dog on the planet.
I would Say that with "Freinds like these" and songs as good as that We identify a little of what we would hope Britishness is in the things we admire and take it for ourselves.
LIke the Empire for Example.
George I will give the cradle of European Civilisation.
LOL

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Teribus
Date: 04 Mar 07 - 05:10 AM

alanabit - 05 Apr 03 - 02:35 AM

"McGrath of Harlow - and he's Irish. Then again, our best general was Wellesly - and he was Irish too!"

When someone mentioned his Irish nationality to Wellington, he came out with the statement, "Just because a man is born in a stable, it does not make him a horse".

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 04 Mar 07 - 05:24 AM

Of course the answer is in the title - The Who!

Quintessentially English. turn it up to 11!

Subject: RE: Who best represents English music?
From: autolycus
Date: 04 Mar 07 - 05:36 AM

Repetition,teribus.



   This thread seems to me now to have answered the question, on the assumptions that:-

   a)   the question can correctly be answered by lots of names - there's nothing in the question that means the answer has to be just one,      and

   b)   the question could have been "Whose music most proclaims itself to be English?" and the questioner's meaning would be the same.


   I'd repeat the vote for Anon. and Trad. on the grounds that they are least likely to have had non-English influences.

   (Insofar,that is. as uninfluenced English is a coherent,sensible concept. So 'least likely' is a vital phrase.)



    [I wonder where the original qhestioner be,and if they be alright]


      Ivor