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16 Dec 21 - 10:23 PM (#4129140) Subject: Origins: Any St Stevens Day songs? From: GUEST,Julia L Looking for songs to sing on St Stevens Day (Dec 26) besides Hunt the Wren and Good King Wenceslaus? |
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17 Dec 21 - 02:31 AM (#4129149) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St Stevens Day songs? From: Reinhard Saint Stephen and Herod (Roud 3953, Child 22) Herod and the Cock (Roud 306, Child 55) March the Morning Sun by Royston Wood |
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17 Dec 21 - 10:16 AM (#4129202) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St Stevens Day songs? From: GUEST,henryp The Watersons: Joy, Health, Love and Peace Joy, health, love, and peace be all here in this place By your leave we will sing concerning our king Joy, health, love, and peace be all here in this place By your leave we will sing concerning our king Our king is well dressed in the silks of the best In ribbons so rare, no king can compare Our king is well dressed in the silks of the best With the ribbons so rare, no king can compare We have travelled many miles over hedges and stiles In search of our king, unto you we bring We have travelled many miles over hedges and stiles In search of our king, unto you we bring We have powder and shot to conquer the lot We have cannon and ball to conquer them all Old Christmas is past, Twelfth Night is the last, And we bid you adieu, great joy to the new Now Christmas is past, Twelfth Night is the last, And we bid you adieu, great joy to the new Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick recorded The Wren in 1969 for their duo album Prince Heathen. Carthy noted: Collected by Andy Nisbet, formerly of Swansea University, from two old ladies in Pembrokeshire. Steeleye Span with Martin Carthy sang it as The King on Steeleye's second album Please to See the King. The record's sleeve notes said: The wren traditionally symbolised winter and the robin summer. On [St Stephen's Day] in Pembrokeshire, where the song was collected, a wren was hunted and killed to symbolise the death of winter and then placed in a garlanded box and taken from door to door. At each house this song was sung and the occupants asked to pay to see the dead wren with the words “Please to see the King.” From Mainly Norfolk, of course. |
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17 Dec 21 - 05:57 PM (#4129245) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St Stevens Day songs? From: GUEST,Peter Saint Stephen (Roud 8331) - recorded by Peter Bellamy |
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17 Dec 21 - 08:16 PM (#4129255) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St Stevens Day songs? From: Steve Shaw It's St Stephen, spelled thus. Yours, Stephen Shaw. |
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18 Dec 21 - 12:57 AM (#4129263) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St Stevens Day songs? From: Levana Taylor The jig "Missing the Wren" was written by Seán Moloney; it's on his album Music on the Wind where he explains, regarding the festivities where he lives in East Galway, "I made up the tune 'Missing the Wren' in the millennium year on St Stephen's day, wren day, when I thought I wouldn't make it out due to a cold, but as the day progressed I improved and eventually did make the 'Wren' with my wife Irene and fiddle player Sheila O'Dowd." The recording's not online, but it goes like so: T:Missing the Wren C:Seán Moloney M:6/8 L:1/8 K:Adorian R:jig D:Seán Moloney, Music on the Wind (2004) |:ABA AGE | GED DEG | A2G B2G | ABA AGE | ABA AGE | GED DEG | A2G B2G | ABA A3:| |:ABG BAG | ABd edB | deg ged | ged BAG ABG BAG | ABd deg | ged edB | BAG A3:| |:aba age | gef gag | efg eaa | eaf ged eaa aba | gef g2a | age edB | BAG A3:| Then there's The Boys of Barr na Sráide, a mid-20th-century song by Sigerson Clifford, evoking the wren hunt as the quintessence of the author's memories of rural Ireland. |
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18 Dec 21 - 01:03 AM (#4129264) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St Stevens Day songs? From: Levana Taylor Correction: I should have said that that tune was in A mixolydian (and would be played on a D whistle). |
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18 Dec 21 - 01:06 AM (#4129265) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St Stevens Day songs? From: Neil D St Stephen Day Murders written by Elvis Costello and Paddy Moloney. Featured on The Chieftains Christmas album, The Bells of Dublin. |
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18 Dec 21 - 04:21 AM (#4129268) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St Stevens Day songs? From: Thompson The Wran sung here by the Clancy Brothers. Lads used to go out to hunt the wren, a tiny tweedy bird found in Ireland and considered "King of All Birds" for its cleverness, on St Stephen's Day, and parade from house to house disguised in straw masks and motley, getting cups of tea and glasses of whiskey and a few shillings towards their party. Still done in a few places today, but without the cruel wren-hunting. |
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18 Dec 21 - 04:29 AM (#4129269) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St Stevens Day songs? From: Thompson What's the background of the Paddy Moloney/Elvis Costello song? What's it about? |
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18 Dec 21 - 05:37 AM (#4129281) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St Stevens Day songs? From: GUEST,henryp Clancy Bros Live The Mike Douglas Show, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Filmed for broadcast on November 17 1969 https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-clancy-brothers/1969/the-mike-douglas-show-philadelphia-pa-3bf500a4.html Beer, Beer, Beer (Eric Winter cover) Play Video The Flowers in the Valley (The Fureys cover) (Sung by Liam Clancy) Play Video The Wren Song (The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem cover) Play Video |
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18 Dec 21 - 04:49 PM (#4129328) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St. Steven's Day songs? From: GUEST,Peter Steve Shaw, I suggest that you take it up with the Mainly Norfolk website which consistently names the song Saint Stephen not St Stephen |
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18 Dec 21 - 06:19 PM (#4129339) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St. Steven's Day songs? From: Reinhard If Saint Stephen is good enough for Wikipedia, then it is good enough for me to use on Mainly Norfolk. To be serious: The name is Saint Stephen, but St. Stephen is a common abbreviation. Note that some places, e.g. St Stephen in Hertfordshire, use the abbreviation in their official name. |
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18 Dec 21 - 11:03 PM (#4129354) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St. Steven's Day songs? From: Neil D Thompson, as best as I can tell it is comical, if somewhat cynical song about families getting together and on each other's nerves during the holidays. The tune makes it sound like a traditional Christmas song if you don't pay attention to the lyrics. |
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25 Dec 21 - 05:28 AM (#4129926) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St. Steven's Day songs? From: GUEST,henryp From Felipa THE KINGSTOWN DISASTER by Johnny McEvoy It was Christmas Eve in eighteen ninety-five The biggest storm in years was blowing wild Never had we seen it’s like before As we drifted helpless towards the Kingstown shore Saint Stephen’s day they laid them in their grave Wives and mothers prayed their souls to save And we stood by just glad to be alive That Christmas time in eighteen ninety-five. |
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26 Dec 21 - 04:55 AM (#4130009) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St. Steven's Day songs? From: John MacKenzie Today is Wren Day in Ireland. I believe that Clare is the place to go on St Stephen's Day, for all sorts of jollifications, and no doubt, many songs, about the Wren. |
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26 Dec 21 - 05:40 AM (#4130012) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St. Steven's Day songs? From: GUEST,Peter Laban Not sure why you think Clare is more interesting today than anywhere else. Nothing much in particular happening here today, as far as I can see. Kerry is probably the place I would go, if I were to go anywhere. The Dingle wren must be in full swing now. |
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26 Dec 21 - 09:07 AM (#4130021) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St. Steven's Day songs? From: GUEST Dingle wren |
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26 Dec 21 - 04:28 PM (#4130054) Subject: RE: Origins: Any St. Steven's Day songs? From: John MacKenzie Yup, I think it was Dingle I meant. A friend just posted a load of great photo's of today's Dingle Wren. |