Lyr Add: Fie, Nay, Prithee John

Subject: Lyr Add: FIE NAY PRITHEE JOHN
From: MMario
Date: 04 Sep 02 - 03:48 PM

Spotted someone looking for the lyrics to this, which I found - but it is not in Hillier's 'the Catch book'

Does anyone have the tune?

FIE NAY PRITHEE JOHN

Fie, Nay, Prithee John
Do not quarrel man,
Let us be merry and drink about.
'

'You're a rogue, you cheated me,
I'll prove before this company,
I caren't a farthing, Sir,
for all you are so stout.'


'Sir, you lie, I scorn your word,
Or any man that wears a sword,
For all your huff, who cares a turd
or who cares for you?'

Subject: RE: Fie, Nay, Prithee John
From: Dave Swan
Date: 04 Sep 02 - 04:50 PM

I know it. I think my partner Doug has the ABC program, I'll try to post it. If you're in a hurry, PM me your snail mail and I'll tape the tune for you.

D

Subject: RE: Fie, Nay, Prithee John
From: Joe_F
Date: 04 Sep 02 - 06:59 PM

In solfa (DRMFSLTdrmfslt):

d..mrTS.|L..dTSM.|F..LSMD.|F.S.D...|
dssdTssT|LffLSmmS|FrrFMddM|F.S.d...|
smdlfrTs|mdLfrTSm|dLFrTSdm|l.sfm...|

-- except that the last "fa" ("cares") should be dotted, with the following "mi" ("for") correspondingly shortened.
Also, I think "about" should be "a bout".

Subject: RE: Fie, Nay, Prithee John
From: MMario
Date: 04 Sep 02 - 08:24 PM

Thanks Joe!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fie, Nay, Prithee John
From: masato sakurai
Date: 04 Sep 02 - 10:17 PM

"Fie! nay prithee, John" (by Christopher Fishburn, fl. 1678-1698) is in B. Robinson and R.F. Hall, eds., The Aldrich Book of Catches (Novello, 1989, No. 94 [p. 105]; with score). There's one difference: "let us" in the third line is given one note and is written "let's."

William Chappell printed this song in his Popular Music of the Olden Time, vol. 2 (1859; Dover, 1965, p. 566; with score) with this comment (p. 565):

Mr. Fishburn's "Fie, nay, prithee, John," is to depict two persons quarrelling in a tavern, at the top of their voices, and a third endeavouring to soothe them, each voice taking the three parts alternately, as in all Catches. It is found in The Delightful Companion for the Recorder, 1686; in Apollo's Banquet, 1690 and 1693; and in The Dancing Master. I have not seen any printed ballads to be sung to it, but it was frequently introduced in the ballad operas, with other words. The author seems to have been a student of the Middle Temple.

Written "Let's be merry, and drink a bout [two words]" in the first verse, and the third verse is different:

Sir, the charge is quite absurd,
And here I'll make you eat your word,
Or you shall answer with your sword,
For who cares for you?

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fie, Nay, Prithee John
From: SeanM
Date: 04 Sep 02 - 11:47 PM

This is one of the numbers that my group did on the first album waaaaay back when...

It's pretty impressive when sung in a tight round. The second and third lines are a similar 'feel', but are sliding in counterpoint to each other.

Good schtuff. And GREAT for a performance - it cries out for stage silliness.

M

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fie, Nay, Prithee John
From: MMario
Date: 05 Sep 02 - 09:26 AM

and thank you Masato - I had found it attributed to Purcell - but it isn't in any list of Purcell's catches that I could find.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fie, Nay, Prithee John
From: masato sakurai
Date: 10 Sep 02 - 03:06 AM

MMario, it's in Hillier's The Catch Book, under the title of "A Scolding Catch" (No. 42). Notes: "1685. Title: later editions have 'A Chiding Catch'. Appears anon. in source, elsewhere attributed to John Blow. From the eighteenth century it is often attributed to Purcell. (3) Source prints: 'who cares a T__.'" (p. 161) It says "?John Blow," but no mention of Fishburn.

~Masato

Subject: Lyr Add: A TRUE MAID (Matthew Prior)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 10 Sep 02 - 04:44 AM

A True Maid: (Matthew Prior)

No, no; for my virginity,
When I lose that, says Rose, I'll die:
Behind the elms, last night, cried Dick,
Rose, were you not extremely sick?

Nigel

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fie, Nay, Prithee John
From: MMario
Date: 10 Sep 02 - 08:30 AM

Thanks Masato - That allowed me to correct the tune as I had it - (gives a key signature and I had two note lengths wrong)

Not bad for transcribing from solfa!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fie, Nay, Prithee John
From: Joe_F
Date: 10 Sep 02 - 07:23 PM

P.S. I am amused to see the proper rhyme for "word". In my high school it was bowdlerized to "damn".