Oh DRAT, Sir jOhn from Hull you beat me to it! Im listening to it as I type and have been preparing a thread to put on.

Ive always liked Henry Wood's Fantasia on British Sea-Songs. Extra songs have been added recently to reflect the four nations of these Islands.

1 Fanfare - The Saucy Arethusa
2 Tom Bowling
3 The Sailor's Hornpipe: Jack's the Lad
4 Ar hyd y nos (All Through the Night)
5 The Road to the Isles
6 Danny Boy
7 The Rio Grande
8 Home, Sweet Home
9 See the Conqu'ring Hero Comes
10 Rule, Britannia!

The tune I specially like is the first one, which I call Princess Royal.

The Saucy Arethusa
The revised Fantasia begins with a fanfare, leading into the nautical song 'The Saucy Arethusa' by William Shield (1748-1829)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/aboutmusic/wood_fantasia.shtml

The tune appears in Walsh's Complete Dancing Master, circa 1730 as The Princess Royal. The air is attributed to Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738).

www.contemplator.com/sea/arethusa.html


We play the tune Princess Royal in the major key at our sessions. The version used by Shields is in the minor key.