Songs for St Georges Day

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From: IanC
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 07:27 AM

Brakn

St David was Welsh. St Andrew (the fisherman) was from Galilee.

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From: GUEST,Terry McDonald
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 07:19 AM

An obvious one is 'A Place Called England', written by Maggie Holland but recorded brilliantly (of course) by June Tabor on the Quiet Eye CD

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From: Brakn
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 07:18 AM

I thought St. George came from Persia or Turkey. I doubt if he ever heard of England. Isn't he also the Patron Saint of other counties too? St. Patirck didn't come from Ireland. Anyone know where St. David and St. Andrew came from?

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From: IanC
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 07:18 AM

Dave Bryant

Where were you educated? St George was Cappadocian (i.e. half way between Greek and Turkish). There are plenty of good, informative sites on the web here, for example, and here

Cheers!
Ian

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From: MikeofNorthumbria
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 07:09 AM

Try one of Peter Bellamy's settings of Kipling's poetry - like "Oak, Ash and Thorn"

Or "The New St George" (by Richard Thompson, I think?)

Or our very own McGrath of Harlow's "The Ghost of Merry England"

Or the Copper family's "Hard Times of Old England" (A bit of a downer at first, but with an upbeat final verse.)

And here's an experiment I've tried a few times which seems to work. Take the chorus of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (non-UK catters may not know, but this has become the English Rugby supporters' unofficial anthem.) Just dump the original verses ("I looked over Jordan", etc). Instead, to the verse tune of "Swing Low", sing the last eight lines of Blake's "Jerusalem" - in two four-line chunks. "Bring me my chariot of fire!" leads quite logically into the chorus.

Wassail!

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From: Ringer
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 06:57 AM

From HMS Pinafore (Gilbert and Sullivan):

For he himself has said it
And it's greatly to his credit
That he is an Englishman!
For he might have been a Roosian,
A French, or Turk, or Proosian,
Or perhaps Itali-an!
But in spite of all temptations,
To belong to other nations,
He remains an Englishman.

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From: Ringer
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 06:51 AM

St George's day is April 23rd: Shakespeare is reputed to have been born and died on that day (but I've an idea that no one knows for sure). It's certainly my Father's birthday (he would have been 115 this year!).

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 06:49 AM

I wonder how many Englishmen could tell you that the date of St. George's Day is April 23rd. BTW St George was actually German !

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 06:46 AM

Why not the Flanders & Swann song THE ENGLISH

Then there's DRINK OLD ENGLAND DRY, but there's a verse missing in DT:

Then up spoke Lord Roberts a man of high renown,
He swore he'd be true to his country and his crown,
For the cannons they may rattle and the bullets they may fly,
Before that they should come and drink old England dry.

Or THE ROAST BEEF OF OLD ENGLAND

If you've got a good baritone voice you could always try "The Yeomen of England" from the light opera "Merry England" - words by Basil Hood, but music (rather paradoxically) by Edward GERMAN.

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From:
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 06:38 AM

Just out of curiosity, when IS St. George's Day?

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 06:08 AM

To start with tunes, there are two 'standard' hymn tunes of the title St George, in Hymns Ancient & Modern. 58 "God from on high hath heard", & 131 "Christ the Lord is risen today". As tunes they can be fit to many words. Sticking with the hymn book there's "Who would true valour see" (to be a pilgrim A&m 676)or, (not in A&M) "When a knight won his spurs".
Anything heroid or balladic would seem to fit.
"Chastity Belt" for some light relief ?

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From: alanww
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 04:50 AM

British Grenadiers - all five verses! I sang it last night at the monthly Baker's Arms Folk Club in Broad Campden in the Cotswolds! Here it is!

So let us fill a bumper ...
Alan

Subject: RE: Songs for St Georges Day
From: Hrothgar
Date: 20 Mar 02 - 03:25 AM

Land of Soap and Borax?

:-)

Subject: Songs for St Georges Day
From: GUEST,William
Date: 19 Mar 02 - 09:53 PM

I would be grateful if anyone can suggest appropriate songs for St Georges Day. Thanks