Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT

Subject: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 26 Feb 00 - 10:39 PM

There are quite a few songs on the DT that come from the repertoire of the Copper family of Rottingdean in Sussex. Not all have tunes attached to them as yet, so I thought I'd send some to the Mudcat Midi Site. They are as follows:

HONEST LABOURER (filename [lyrics] HONLABOR: here.)

MONTH OF MAY (filename [lyrics] MONTHMAY: here.)
Called by the Coppers, "The Pleasant Month of May".

SHEPHERD OF THE DOWNS (filename [lyrics] SHEPDOWN: here.)

Sweep Chimney Sweep (filename [lyrics] CHIMSWEP: here.)
This is the Copper's version, though the entry in the DT doesn't mention them.

SWEET NANCY (filename [lyrics] SWTNANCY: here.)
The text here was taken from a recording by Tim Hart and Maddy Prior, who have some of the lines in a different order. The Coppers call it "Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy".

SWEET LEMENEY (filename [lyrics] LEMENEY: here.)
This is the Copper's version, though the entry in the DT doesn't mention them. There's some discussion of other versions on this thread

WARLIKE SEAMEN (filename [lyrics] WARLIKES: here.)

WOP-SHE-AD-IT (filename [lyrics] WOPSHEAD: here.)

The midis are based on the notation in Bob Copper's books, A Song For Every Season and Early To Rise; I've omitted the bass parts, where they occur, in the interests of clarity. The Copper Family has a website, incidentally, where you can find details of current recordings and their Songbook; here.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: Garry Gillard
Date: 26 Feb 00 - 11:11 PM

Thanks for the mention of my site, Malcolm. I might add that it has all of the words of all of the songs recorded by the Copper family.

A new link is the one to Bob Copper's email address.

Garry Gillard

How do you write a blue clicky thingy? I'll try this:

Coppers

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 26 Feb 00 - 11:59 PM

Gaz:

I hadn't realised that you were the person behind the site!  It's very good-looking, and you obviously doknow how to do a "blue Clicky thing".  We all owe you thanks for the work you've done for the Coppers.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: Arkie
Date: 27 Feb 00 - 12:46 AM

Malcolm & Gaz thanks for the information on this great singing family.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: Garry Gillard
Date: 27 Feb 00 - 03:15 AM

Thanks, Malcolm. I really appreciate your kind remarks.

Garry

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 27 Feb 00 - 03:23 AM

G'day,
All these tunes will appear shortly at the Mudcat MIDI site.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 27 Feb 00 - 12:24 PM

And, of course, Copper Family Recordings and books will continue to be available at CAMSCO-

Copper Family, The

CF 03, Coppersongs 3; The Legacy Continues, $ 17.98

For this, the third Copper family album, Bob Copper (83 yearsold) is joined by his two children and, for the first time, his six grandchildren. This welcome addition means that this is the seventh consecutive generation of Coppers to sing the family songs. Also celebrated is the centenary of the English Folk Song Society founded in 1898 in whose first journal was published a selection of songs collected from James (Brasser) Copper and his brother Tom from the village of Rottingdean, Sussex. To mark their historic contribution, the two brothers were made honorary founder members of the Society.

Claudy Banks ~ Spencer The Rover ~ Warlike Seamen ~ Sweet Lemeney ~ Hard Times of Old England ~ Echoing Horn ~ Wind Across the Moor ~ Month of May ~ Bold Fisherman ~ Dame Durden ~ The Bold Dragoon ~ Babes in the Wood ~ Seamen Bold ~ Bold Britons ~ Two Young Brethren ~ Admiral Benbow ~ Shepherds Arise

CF 01B, The Copper Family Song Book, $ 29.98

The definitive record of Copper family songs. This is the first time that the great majority of the family repertoire family songs are included in this book. Artwork by Bob Copper. has been gathered together in one volume. Only traditional

CF 02, Coppersongs 2, $ 17.98

Bob Copper with son John, daughter Jill and son-in-law Jon.

By the Green Grove ~ Old Adam ~ Sheepshearing Song ~ Twanky Dillo ~ Dogs and Ferrets ~ Shepherd of the Downs ~ Brisk and Lively Lad ~ The Honest Labourer ~ Farmer in Cheshire ~ When Spring Comes In ~ Irish Girl ~ The Christmas Song ~ Charming Molly ~ Brisk and Bonny Lad ~ Banks of the Sweet Primroses ~ Gentlemen of High Reknown

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: GUEST,Bruce O.
Date: 27 Feb 00 - 05:17 PM

"The Month of May" (also called "The Haymakers" and "The Merry Haymakers" is in the Laurence Price file on my website. He wrote it in 1656 as "The Country Peoples's Felicity". "The Shepherd of the Downs" should be "The Shepherd Adonis", a populat song of c 1730 (also in 'Scots Musical Museum' with tune).

According to Mrs. Kate Lee (in the 1st issure of JFSS, 1899) who collected the songs from the Coppers in 1898 (6 being in the 1st issue of JFSS) the brothers were William and Thomas Copper.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: Garry Gillard
Date: 25 Mar 01 - 09:45 PM

My Coppers site has moved to a faster, more reliable server.

Garry

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: GUEST,Jon Dudley (Copper Family-in-law)
Date: 26 Mar 01 - 12:21 PM

May I take this opportunity to thank, via the Mudcatters, Garry Gillard for his amazing work and for all that he has done with the website. I keep telling him how great he is but I think others should know; he doesn't charge a penny for all this and does it because he loves the music...seek out his Watersons site and, dare I say it (of course I dare!) the 'Kipper Family' site too. A public thankyou to Garry..he calls it The Copper Family's un-official website...we say it's official by us!

Well done that man!

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: Garry Gillard
Date: 27 Mar 01 - 06:00 AM

Gosh, Jon ... what can I say?

Thank you so much!

Garry

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 28 Mar 01 - 01:26 AM

Link, please, for the Kipper Family site?? (I've had the others bookmarked for a while!)

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: Wolfgang
Date: 28 Mar 01 - 08:45 AM

Becky,
here's the link to replace all other links on Garry's site.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Copper Family Songs on the DT
From: Garry Gillard
Date: 29 Mar 01 - 01:58 AM

The Kipper Family link is here, I would have said, had Wolfgang not beaten me to it.

Garry