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09 Apr 09 - 01:02 AM (#2607808) Subject: Lyr Add: Blow, Nelson (Trinidad) From: Q (Frank Staplin) BLOW, NELSON Traditional, Trinidad De mornin' of de fire, Lord Nelson come down,- An' he set he soldiers in a line, To blow de ice-house down old woman run out in her long night-gown, When he set he soldiers in a line, To blow de ice-house down. Blow, Nelson, blow, Nelson, blow de ice-house down. Blow, Nelson, blow, Nelson, blow de ice-house down. An' he set he soldiers in a line, To blow de ice-house down. An down. Blow, Nelson, blow, Nelson, blow de ice-house down. Blow, Nelson, blow, Nelson, blow de ice-house down. Blow, Nelson, blow, Nelson, blow de ice-house down. Nelson set he soldiers in a line To blow de ice-house down. Chorus: Blow, blow, blow de ice-house down. Blow, blow, blow de ice-house down. Blow, blow , blow de ice-house down. etc. With musical score, guitar and bass lines included. Edric Connor, 1958, "Songs From Trinidad," Oxford Univ. Press, pp. 66-67. Greg Stephens, in a thread for Trafalgar Night, mentioned that the tune resembled that of the dance Varsoviana. Connor appends a partly fictional note about Nelson and Trinidad: "........While he was hunting the famous French sailor Villeneuve in the Caribbean he decided to put in at Port-of-Spain to re-victual his ships. They made such an impressive sight on the north coast of Trinidad (the most recently acquired British territory) that the Officer-in-Charge of the fort at Las Cuevas, fearing it might be the French fleet, set fire to the fort and retreated to Port-of-Spain. The ice-house fire took place while Nelson and his men were in port. The "ice-house" is still one of the largest hotels in Port-of-Spain." In 1797, General Sir Ralph Abercromby and his squadron (seven ships of the line and thirteen smaller vessels) sailed through the Bocas and anchored off the coast of Chaguaramas, Trinidad, blocking four Spanish ships under Admiral Apodaca. Seeing no escape, the Spanish set their ships on fire. British seamen captured and extinguished the fire on the San Damasio. British troops were landed and advanced on Port-of-Spain. Only a few shots were exchanged with a Spanish reconnoitering group. An officer was sent by Abercromby under a flag of truce to the Cabildo. Governor Chacon accepted the surrender terms, and on February 18, 1797, the island became a British possession. Colonel Picton was left as governor, but the population was strongly divided among groups hostile to each other. He tried to execute Spanish law as he was instructed, but he ran into trouble (that's another story). The French population had settled there at the invitation of the Spanish, and were dominant economically and politically at the time, hence the French element of the French-English patois among the slaves and workers that persisted into the 20th c. The English settlers came in following the formal cession of the island in 1802. In 1808, there was a serious fire that destroyed the Cabildo and the notable buildings of the time. The 'ice-house' that became a hotel has not existed for many years. It seems never to have been a 'fort,' as suggested in another thread. There are several histories on line; perhaps the most interesting and readable summary appeared in "Stark's guide-book and history of Trinidad: including Tobago, .....," published in c. 1897. http://www.archive.org/details/starksguidebookh00staruoft |
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09 Apr 09 - 07:21 AM (#2607919) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Blow, Nelson (Trinidad) From: greg stephens The tune Varsoviana mentioned in the previous post may be better known to tune sessioners as Waltz Vienna or Shave the Donkey. |
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09 Apr 09 - 02:27 PM (#2608201) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Blow, Nelson (Trinidad) From: Q (Frank Staplin) Greg, only in UK, Australia ?; those names are not or little known in the U. S., where the dance came from Spain to Latin America and the American Southwest (California to New Mexico and Colorado), and Louisiana, and spread from there. Known only as La varsouviana in the southwest. As Malcolm summarizes (thread 19461), it is a French dance development (Warsaw style) of the 19th c. that became very popular in England about 1850 and spread from France as well. The UK forms seem to be different from those in the U. S. and Latin America. The sheet music of "Blow, Nelson" is 3/4, but little other resemblance to the dance tune I know. It may be closer to the UK tune(s), but those I haven't heard. In school in New Mexico, we had to learn the dance; one of those 'local culture' things. Reed Cooper, editor, 1978, "Folk Fiddle Music from New Mexico," includes "La varsouviana," as well as waltzes. (A book on my wish list). |
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09 Apr 09 - 04:22 PM (#2608258) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Blow, Nelson (Trinidad) From: greg stephens The first part of the "Blow Nelson Blow" is the second part of the waltz popularly played in England under the titles mentioned. The second half(chorus) of "Blow Nelson Blow" is a variant on the first part of our English Varsoviana.Perhaps the USA Varsoviana is different? |
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09 Apr 09 - 08:03 PM (#2608377) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Blow, Nelson (Trinidad) From: Charley Noble Q- Thanks for the great notes on this song. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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09 Apr 09 - 09:07 PM (#2608416) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Blow, Nelson (Trinidad) From: Q (Frank Staplin) Joe will prepare a midi of the New Mexico version. May take a few days; my OE is corrupted and I have problems sending scans. For a description of the California version, see: www.urop.uci.rdu/journal/journal99/09_thea/Thea%20Vandervoort.pdf |
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16 Apr 09 - 04:31 PM (#2612656) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Blow, Nelson (Trinidad) From: Q (Frank Staplin) Thread 194618 now has the midi and dance positions for "La Varsouviana" as danced in New Mexico, thanks to Joe Offer. Blow, Nelson |
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16 Apr 09 - 04:39 PM (#2612663) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Blow, Nelson (Trinidad) From: Q (Frank Staplin) Comes up blank. Try again- |
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16 Apr 09 - 04:43 PM (#2612665) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Blow, Nelson (Trinidad) From: Q (Frank Staplin) Wrong thread no., should be 19461 Cut off- La varsouvianna |