The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?

Subject: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: nutty
Date: 02 Oct 07 - 07:14 AM

I have just acquired a book of folksongs (with music) published in 1811.
I thought Mudcatters may be interested to see what songs were popular enough to warrant being published in book form rather than just as broadsides.

THE ENGLISH MUSIC REPOSITORY

A choice selection of esteemed English Songs adapted for The Voice, Violin and German Flute
Published by Oliver and Boyd, Netherbow, Edinburgh, 1811

CONTENTS

Ah! tell me ye swains - THE COTTAGERS DAUGHTER
A boat, a boat, haste to the ferry - A CATCH FOR THREE VOICES
A sup of good whisky will make you glad - A SUP OF GOOD WHISKY
A rose-tree in full bearing - A ROSE TREE IN FULL BEARING
Ah! where can fly my souls true love - HENRY'S COTTAGE MAID
All in the Downs the fleet was moor'd - BLACK-EY'D SUSAN
A jolly Jack Tar, but a little time since - A JOLLY JACK TAR
As pensive one night in my garret I sat - THE LAST SHILLING
Adieu! Adieu! my only life - THE SOLDIER'S ADIEU

Bright Chanticleer proclaims the dawn - OLD TOWLER
Beneath the silent rural cell - GLEE FOR THREE VOICES
By the gaily circling glass - BY THE GAILY CIRCLING GLASS
Behold poor Will just come from drill - THE AWKWARD RECRUIT

Care, thou canker of our joys - THE MIDNIGHT BOWL
Cease, rude Boreas, blust'ring railer - THE STORM
Come all ye jolly sailors bold - THE ARETHUSA

Dear Tom this brown jug - THE BROWN JUG
Drink to me only with thine eyes - GLEE FOR THREE VOICES
Deep in a vale a cottage stood - DULCE DOMUM
Dear is my little native vale - DEAR IS MY LITTLE NATIVE VALE
Dame Nature one day in a comical mood - THE ORIGIN OF OLD BACHELORS

Ere bright Rosina met my eyes - ERE BRIGHT ROSINA
Ere around the huge oak - ERE ROUND THE HUGE OAK

Fame let thy trumpet sound - THE KINGS ANTHEM
From night till morn I take my glass - FROM NIGHT TILL MORN
For England, when with fav'ring gale - THE HEAVIVG OF THE LEAD
Fairest of the virgin train - THE FAIRY
Fair Ellen like a lily grew - FAIR ELLEN
Feyther put me to the school - THE GREAT BOOBY

Go patter to lubbers and swabs, do ye see - POOR JACK

Her mouth, which a smile - HER MOUTH WHICH A SMILE
How sweet in the woodlands - HOW SWEET THE WOODLANDS
Ho, why dost thou shiver and shake - GAFFER GRAY
Here, a sheer hulk, lies poor Tom Bowling - THE SAILOR'S EPITAPH
How great is the pleasure - CATCH FOR THREE VOICES
How blest has my time been - HOW BLEST MY TIME HAS BEEN

Ize a Yorkshireman just come from town - THE YORKSHIRE CONCERT
I've kissed and I've prattled - THE MAID OF THE MILL
I am a brisk and sprightly lad - YEO, YEO
In a mouldering cave, a wretched retreat - THE DEATH OF WOLFE
In gaudy courts with aching hearts - IN GAUDY COURTS
I've plenty of lovers that sue me in vain - THE BOLD SOLDIER
In the downhill of life - TOMORROW
In the dead of night - IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT
In the praise of Queen Bess - THE GOLDEN DAYS WE NOW POSSESS

Little think the townsman's wife - LIRA LIRA LA
Life's like a ship in constant motion - THE SAILOR'S ALLEGORY
Lightly tread, 'tis hallow'd ground - GLEE FOR THREE VOICES
Let's seek the bower of Robin Hood - LET'S SEEK THE BOWER

My friends, so good-humour'd - THE CHAPTER OF POLITICIANS
My Mam is no more and my dad's in his grave - THE COTTAGE ON THE MOOR
My name d'ye see's Tom Tough - YO HEAVE HO
Ma chere ami, my darling fair - MA CHERE AMIE
My Merry gentle people pray - HOW TO NAIL 'EM

Now the sun is in the west - THE CUCKOO
No More I'll court the town-bred fair - BONNY BET
Never till now I knew loves smart - LOVE'S FATAL POWER

Oh, happy tawny Moor - HAPPY TAWNY MOOR
Once the gods of the Greeks - THE ORIGINS OF BRITISH LIBERTY
Of all the girls that are so smart - SALLEY IN OUR ALLEY
Over the mountain and over the moor - THE BEGGER GIRL
O listen, listen to the voice of love - LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF LOVE
Oh think of my fate, once I freedom enjoyed - THE GALLEY SLAVE
O we sail'd to Virginia - THE DEATH OF ADMIRAL BENBOW
O say, simple maid - INKLE AND YARICO
Over pipe, port or snuff-box - HOW TO TELL A STORY
On Richmond hill there lives a lass - THE LASS OF RICHMOND HILL


Prepare, prepare to be hailed on board - THE GALLANT LIEUTENANT

Say, have ye in the valley seen - ALLEN BROOKE OF WINDERMERE
Somehow my spindle I mislaid - SOMEHOW MY SPINDLE I HAVE MISLAID
Sweet is the ship that, under sail - LOVELY NAN
Since truth has left the shepherd's tongue - MARIAN'S COMPLAINT

The meadows looked cheerful - THE LASSES OF DUBLIN
To England's fame another ray - THE DEATH OF NELSON
The twins of Latona, so kind to my boon - THE TWINS OF LATONA
'Tis said we vent'rous die-hards - WIVES AND SWEETHEARTS
The Romans in England they once did sway - THE CHAPTER OF KINGS
The wealthy fool with gold in store - THE FRIEND AND PITCHER
Then farewell, my trim built wherry - POOR TOM
Tho' the fate of battle on tomorrow wait - THE TOBACCO-BOX
Taste life's glad moments - TASTE LIFE'S GLAD MOMENTS
The fav'rites of fortune - THE SWEET SOCIAL HOUR
The blush of Aurora now tinges the morn - THE BLUSH OF AURORA
The sun sets in night - THE CHEROKEE INDIAN DEATH SONG
'Twas post meridian, half past four - THE SAILORS JOURNAL
To Bachelors Hall we good fellows invite - BACHELORS HALL
To Anacreon in heav'n - TO ANACREON IN HEAVEN
'Tis too late for a coach - CATCH FOR THREE VOICES
To our Musical Club - CATCH FOR THREE VOICES
Tom Starboard - TOM STARBOARD
The morn returns in saffron dress - THE MORN RETURNS
Thy fatal shafts unerring move - THE FATAL SHAFTS
Tho' far beyond the mountains - OWEN
To my muse give attention - GOLDEN DAYS OF GOOD QUEEN BESS

When Britain first at Heaven's command - RULE BRITANNIA
When William at eve meets me - WHEN WILLIAM AT EVE
When my money was gone - THE DISCONSOLATE SAILOR
When first a babe upon the knee - LITTLE BESS THE BALLAD SINGER
While I hang on your bosom - PARTING MOMENTS
With an honest old friend - WITH AN HONEST OLD FRIEND
Were I oblig'd to beg my bread - SOMEBODY

Your pardon, kind gentlefolks pray - A PEEP AT THE FORTY THIEVES
Ye gentlemen of England - YE GENTLEMEN OF ENGLAND
Ye mariners of England - YE MARINERS OF ENGLAND
You care of money? ah, care no more - THE POOR BLACK BOY

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 02 Oct 07 - 09:53 AM

what a treasure.

sandra

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 02 Oct 07 - 12:33 PM

What is particularly interesting about books of this sort is that they actually include the music. The majority of 19th century popular song anthologies didn't. The songs themselves were well known in their time and texts are quite easily found, but here they appear in a more informative context, especially if, as the title suggests, they include accompaniments in the style of the day.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: curmudgeon
Date: 02 Oct 07 - 03:14 PM

Thank you for posting this, nutty.

Many years ago, I heard recording of Patrick Galvin singing "A Sup of Good Whisky" and the tune was essentially "The Irish Washerwoman." Any similarity to the tune in your book?

I also would relly like to see the words for "The Heaving of the Lead." If you could somehow get a photocopy to Micca, he could bring it over in November.

Thanks - Tom

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: nutty
Date: 02 Oct 07 - 03:17 PM

tom - If you can PM me an email addy . I can scan them and send them to you

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Oct 07 - 03:57 PM

It seems to be a re-edit of the Edinburgh Musical Repository, first published a few decades earlier, with less Scottish material and more English (the giveaway is "To Anacreon in Heaven", which seems to have been an obscure song anywhere outside Edinburgh until the Americans took it up). It would be interesting to see how this was advertised; chances are there will be ads in newspapers in most major cities in the UK. At this period you would often find an ad for a new music book would be placed by a local music shop, "where can be had..." everything from pianos and bugles to flute lessons.

It's nice to have tune title and first line paired like that.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: nutty
Date: 02 Oct 07 - 04:27 PM

It doesn't actually do that in the book index Jack. It gives only the first lines and then gives the title on the actual song page.

I put them together as I thought it would be easier for people to identify the material.

The book was also printed in London, probably before the Edinburgh edition as "Crosby's English Musical Repository" which seems to have been much more upmarket as it had illustrations as well.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 02 Oct 07 - 06:47 PM

and what, precisely, was a German flute?

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: Sorcha
Date: 02 Oct 07 - 07:23 PM

Probably a keyed/Bohem system flute? As opposed to an open hole flute?
(did I spell that right?--Bhoehm? summat like that)

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Oct 07 - 07:43 PM

A German flute is a transverse flute, as opposed to a recorder ("common flute"). A book of 1811 would not have assumed a flute had any keys at all (or maybe just an E flat/D sharp). The Boehm flute was not invented until 1832 and didn't really take over until much later.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: GUEST,LTS pretending to work
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 06:22 AM

It's pretty up to the mark if it includes a song about the death of Nelson and was published in 1811 - a mere 6 years after the battle of Trafalgar.

I'd be really interested in obtaining a copy of this book... I don't suppose you'd consider donating it?! :D I'll settle for a looksee.

Well, it's worth a try!

LTS

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: nutty
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 06:28 AM

SORRY LIZ ......

I've waited a long time to own something like this, so I decided to be self-indulgent and spend some of my son's inheritance.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: GUEST,LTS still pretending
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 06:34 AM

Good for you!

Although maybe you might consider showing it to EFDSS and asking them to consider a reprint?

LTS

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: The Sandman
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 06:37 AM

Not many of the songs have survived to the present day in oral form.
Dick Miles

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: nutty
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 06:44 AM

I can't say I agree with you there Dick .... I was suprised at how many I recognised.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: Sorcha
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 08:24 AM

OK, my flute answer was just a guess. I didn't know when Boehm was introduced.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: GUEST,Neil D
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 09:38 AM

"To Anacreon In Heaven" is the drinking song that gave us the tune for "The Star Spangled Banner". How fascinating to have a copy of it, with music, three years before the latter was even written. Is "The Cuckoo" the same one we are familiar with. You know, the silly bird that never sings before the first day of July?

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: Snuffy
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 09:54 AM

Just an impression, but it seems to have quite a lot of Dibdin-like songs. Does the book name author or composer for any of the songs?

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: nutty
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 09:56 AM

No Neil ..... The Cuckoo is, sadly, a totally different song.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: nutty
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 10:26 AM

Unfortunately Snuffy - there is an awful lot of Dibdin in any publication of this age.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 10:56 AM

Neil D.: "To Anacreon.." predates this book by years. As I said, it occurred in the Edinburgh Musical Miscellany of 1792 - and I haven't seen any earlier citation for it. I haven't checked any of the earlier publications that led up to that book, but I'd be surprised if it was written in Edinburgh. Nobody working there at the time was composing tunes in a similar style.

It's a fairly weird tune for any place and era, but ny guess is that it was sent in by a gentleman amateur composer from England, who maybe also bunged the editors a few quid to get it included.

It didn't catch on at all in Britain as far as I can tell.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: nutty
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 11:34 AM

I also have another book called "The Vocal Library" which was printed in 1818 and has the lyrics of 1834 songs.

This book attributes TO ANACREON IN HEAVEN to R TOMLINSON

By Googling - I have found a Tomlinson (possibly him) mentioned in Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century as a composer of musical productions in the mid 1700's

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: EuGene
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 11:44 AM

Niel D. & Jack Campin: Actually, "To Anacreon in Heaven" was not a well known piece anywhere, as it was not something sung by or for the general public, but rather was the official theme song of the Anacreon Literary Society. This was a serious book club and not a bunch of drunks. They did generally meet in a tavern, as did most clubs, civic groups, political parties, etc. Meeting in a tavern in itself did not indicate that the group was a bunch of rowdies slugging it down and yelling "evoe!" or "chug-a-lug spodie odie" - - rather many a tavern was similar to a modern day community center or hotel lounge where meetings were held. The drunks and party animals sought out the wilder taverns where club meetings were unlikely to be held.

Were "To Anacreon in Heaven" to have been a rousing drinking song, it probably would have been more widely known and published in some songbooks.

Eu

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: nutty
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 11:55 AM

A broadside in the Bodleian Museum does state that the song was sung in The Crown and Anchor tavern in the Strand.

There are also a number of other broadsides that where it is noted that they were sung to the "Anacreon in Heaven" tune - so I would suggest that it was relatively well known.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: EuGene
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 02:06 PM

nutty:

I do understand that "To Anacreon in Heaven" was not totally unknown, as the taverns where the Anacreon Society met and sung it were public places, but what I was saying was that it was not any where as well known as many of the other standard tavern songs. For that reason "Anacreon" is not found in most of the contemporary songbooks where many other drinking songs were found.

Although it may have been sung in a number of taverns, the source and reason for the song had nothing to do with revelry. It is not that
unusual today to hear "The Star Spangled Banner", "God Bless America", "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "Amazing Grace", and other "serious" songs sung in a bar or party. I have sang all of the above in bars & clubs from California, to Wisconsin, Maryland, New Joisey, Florida, and points between, and would daresay none were written to be sung to the klink of a tankard of ale.

Eu

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 02:07 PM

Particularly NOT Amazing Grace!! (unless it's the version about the lady and the ping pong balls).

LTS

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: EuGene
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 02:36 PM

Liz: Yes, I was the wretch, I suppose. Never learned to handle the drinking, so I went to AA about 10 years ago. Never learned to sing either, but have not found an anonymous singers group, so I still make my normal bullfrog noises.

Eu

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: nutty
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 03:21 PM

When you sing the Star Spangled Banner you are singing a tune that has been around for the past 200 years.
If it hadn't been 'popular' it would never have lasted that long.

Granted the words were unlikely to be understood by the general public, they would belong to the more educated scholars but they were definitely about wine , women and song.

'While thus we agree, our toast let it be
May our club flourish happy, united and free
And long may the sons of Anacreon entwine
The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine'

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: EuGene
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 06:37 PM

Nutty:

I think someone called this an "Abilene Paradox", as it appears we agree on this to a great extent. They common key is in the words you used, . . . the more educated scholars . . ." I never meant that wine, women, and song were not referred to in the song, as the members any organization founded by fans of Anacreon would certainly indulge in those three things so much enjoyed by the poet himself.

However, those Anacreon Society folks were not of the drunken unwashed masses belting out the song in dingy barrooms amidst the mud, the blood, and beer. Scholars for some reason, maybe educational arrogance, don't (at least publicly) enjoy their liquor with quite the same rambunctious glee and gusto as I and my fellow rednecks did.

So, although the tune may well have drifted down to many hangouts of the far from literary folks, and did, generally with a variety of different lyrics being used (most having nothing to do with Anacreon or literature of any scholarly sort), contrary to the old wives tale, the tune was adopted not from the local rowdy bar, but rather from its more distinguished source.

Like I said earlier, there are a lot of songs that are sung in bars and taverns that were never considered drinking songs.

In the meantime, I read somewhere that too much wine, women, and song will shorten a man's lifespan by 10 - 15 years, so I had to give up something. I quit reading.

Eu

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: M.Ted
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 06:54 PM

EuGene, In times past, the literary folks were a more rough an tumble crowd than they let on now. Chris Marlowe and Francois Villon come to mind--and, on the other hand, it seems that people of all classes tended to be better singers than you find now.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: EuGene
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 11:14 PM

M.Ted: Yes, I understand that folks were pretty wild in those days, even in what we would normally consider more formal settings today. Even though "Anacreon" was originally sang by literary folks as they enjoyed a few (or maybe even many) rounds, I doubt that it was ever relegated to the same role as "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" or other such tunes of the genre that we normally consider to be "drinking songs". "God Save the Queen (King)" was often sung by drunken revelers in British pubs, but I don't think I have ever heard anyone sing "My Country 'Tis of The" and call the tune an old English drinking song.

Nutty, my apologies for dragging your thread away from the 1811 Hit Parade . . . I owe you a round of cold brew, and we can sing "To Anacreon in Heaven" (or "God Save the Queen") as you pour it down the hatch.

By the way, I like Liz's idea of having the songbook reprinted and would love to buy a copy of it if they ever come available.

Eu

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: GUEST,LTS pretending to work
Date: 04 Oct 07 - 03:12 AM

I really think Malcolm Douglas should be co-erced into this campaign to get the whole book reprinted. EFDSS have this lovely new grant that they can't make up their minds how to spend, what better way than reproducing something that can be so well provenanced and bring such pearls to a wider singing audience.

LTS

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: Simon G
Date: 04 Oct 07 - 04:23 AM

Fairest of the virgin train - THE FAIRY

How did they know in 1811 that Richard Branson would run trains in 2007? If this proof of time travel?

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: Anglo
Date: 05 Oct 07 - 03:09 AM

Well, interesting. Just off the top of my head, and trying to be fairly certain I'm identifying songs correctly, songs that survived in tradition - or are at any rate still sung today (not always as "folk" songs) - include:

BLACK-EY'D SUSAN
THE STORM
THE ARETHUSA
THE DEATH OF ADMIRAL BENBOW
THE LASS OF RICHMOND HILL
TO ANACREON IN HEAVEN
RULE BRITANNIA
YE GENTLEMEN OF ENGLAND

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: GUEST,Neil D
Date: 05 Oct 07 - 09:33 AM

Congrats on a great acquisition.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: The Sandman
Date: 05 Oct 07 - 10:50 AM

nutty,Iam sure your book will give you great pleasure.Dick Miles

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: nutty
Date: 05 Oct 07 - 10:59 AM

That's the thing about books Dick ..... they continue to give pleasure.

I am only now realising how fortunate I was to invest in songbooks in the late 60's and early 70's. Many are now out of print and so obscure they are unlikely ever to be reprinted.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: EuGene
Date: 05 Oct 07 - 02:51 PM

Hey, nutty, will you be considering having EFDSS reprint that songbook, like Liz mentioned (or someone else, such as a university music dept. or whatever)? Eu

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: Folkiedave
Date: 05 Oct 07 - 03:18 PM

Carry on buying books Hazel, that's the main thing! OF course I have a slight vested interest.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 05 Oct 07 - 08:44 PM

Re: The Anacreontic Hymn , as I understand the title of that song to be, was recorded back in the mid-1960s. I heard it played on either or both the Les Claypool Show and the Skip Weshner back then (in Los Angeles). The performer sang in an almost countertenor range, which, I suppose, was meant to give it a 'period' cachet. I do not recall either the singer or the name of the LP.

Subject: RE: The 1811 Folk Music Hit Parade?
From: M.Ted
Date: 07 Oct 07 - 11:49 PM

It seems to me, though I may mis-remember, than someone did a paper and perhaps even a book that put forth the idea that this book was widely used in New England, and that many of the songs took on lives of their own in the regional folk music--anyone?