Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance

Subject: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 20 - 03:39 PM

Hello

We are searching for an English Waltz that we could sing and have live music for at an English Country Dance.
We are trying to create a fun event for a local English Country Dance group where we could sing a lovely waltz for dancers.

Any suggestions would be so great! Thanks for the help!!

Any leads or ideas are welcomed!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Feb 20 - 04:03 PM

Margaret's Waltz
Michael Turner's (actually by Mozart)
The Wild Hills of Wannies (Northumbrian version of a Scottish tune)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 05 Feb 20 - 04:57 PM

Just went through the prints of my trad repertoire and for Scarborough Fair it says waltz rhythm.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: GUEST,SB
Date: 06 Feb 20 - 01:26 AM

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do - is perfect.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 06 Feb 20 - 12:37 PM

I’m assuming you mean familiar tunes from the country dance repertoire. There are some waltzes, but the waltz as a dance tends to postdate early dance collections like Playford’s. Nevertheless, you can slow down jigs like Daphne (Hit and Miss) to provide good waltzes, but tracking down the words to sing to them might be difficult.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: Mo the caller
Date: 06 Feb 20 - 01:27 PM

If you want to sing a lot of the good old songs are in Waltz time.
My Bonny lies over the ocean.
Skye Boat Song, Ca the ewes, Westering home or I love a Lassie (if you can include Scottish).
Daisy, Daisy; She was a sweet little dickie bird; Two little girls in blue (as a set).
You are my honeysuckle.
How much is that doggie in the window (popular in England in the 50s, might have been written by an American for all I know).
Star of the County Down (probably an English tune, but the Irish words are better know).
All round my hat.
Polly Oliver.
etc.etc.
There seem to be a lot of Irish songs wishing they were back home in --- which callers sing for waltzing, between Irish Set dances.

I've just reread the first post. Do you want it for free waltzing are you calling something like Circle Waltz. My preference for that would be a 32 bar tune (Scarborough Fair is 16) as the dance is in 2 16 bar sections so you keep the partner you've got when the tune changes.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: G-Force
Date: 06 Feb 20 - 01:54 PM

The Man in the Moon

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Feb 20 - 11:23 AM

Hello

I should say these is for free waltzing! Our very first time to try this.

I am checking all the suggestions that have been sent in the thread.

Thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: G-Force
Date: 07 Feb 20 - 02:54 PM

Free waltzing. I guess that means that it doesn't have to be a 16-bar or 32-bar tune? In that case, Hard Times of Old England is a great song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 11:12 AM

Plenty of Northumbrian waltzes, no need for some of the vaguely Irish/Scots ones here- listen to the Cheviot Ranters or Jack Armstrong's Barnstormers.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 06:28 PM

Another vote for Michael Turner's: lovely tune, and very singable if you choose the right key: only an octave range.
Margaret's would be a bit tricky to sing when it comes to all those leaps in the second part - unless you leave them out and only sing the top note each time! Range well over an octave too, so more demanding to sing.
(Skye Boat Song and My Bonnie are not English, btw!)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 06:56 PM

Yes, we use Michael Turner’s, or Captain O’Kane, a lot for folk waltz dances, but I’m unaware of any lyrics you could sing to them. Assuming that your country dancers can do freestyle waltzing (not a given), I wonder if they would prefer something more strict tempo, because these folk melodies do not always work that well for the ballroom waltz in my experience, and certainly not for the Viennese waltz. Just saying....

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 08:21 PM

Maybe the OP Guest could clarify whether he/she is looking for a nice waltz tune to which his/her own lyrics could be set to suit the occasion in question:
or whether you're looking for an existing song with readymade words that happens to be in waltz time?
I had put the former interpretation on the request, (and this would be so much more personal, and lovely if you can do it), while it seems some respondents have gone for the latter.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 04:41 AM

Good point - are we being led a merry dance here?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 07:58 AM

How about Anniversary Waltz, as sung by Vera Lynn? That sounds relatively English!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: English Waltz for English Country Dance
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 08:58 AM

I prefer Al Jolson’s Anniversary Waltz myself, but a bit too Yiddish methinks.