The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #122858   Message #2707246
Posted By: Steve Gardham
24-Aug-09 - 09:15 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Wakefield Gaol
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wakefield Gaol
Okay, the most commonly published version by far is that sung by W Davy and recorded by Hammond at Beaminster Dorset in 1906. This version was published in Penguin BoEFS and its new edition Classic English FS, Bert Lloyd's FS in England, Marrowbones and its recent new edition, among lots of others. Come to think of it the only other tune I have is the one I sing on the YG website Mick posted above. The ABC for this and the song recording are on the website. If you ask Mick nicely he might post you the ABC notation for the Dorset version. For any other possible tunes I would check out the Roud Index (Roud 1077) on the EFDSS website. I would imagine that seeing as the song was widely printed and relocalised many times it would have had as many different tunes as versions. Unless the broadside song was extremely popular and well-known, the ballad sellers tended to use their own tunes of which they would have a stock in their heads and they would just choose one that fitted best.