Genevieve Tudor: Martin Carthy interview

Subject: Origins: Genevieve Tudor: Martin Carthy interview
From: Acorn4
Date: 20 May 25 - 05:04 AM

Fascinating interview with Martin Carthy on Genevieve Tudor's podcast - about how he made up 3 verses of "High Germany" which then became an established part of the tradition - the relevant bit starts at about the 1 hour 25 mark. A fascinating glimpse into those early days

https://www.mixcloud.com/Genevieve_Tudor/genevieve-plays-folk-80-27-april-2025/

Subject: RE: Genevieve Tudor: Martin Carthy interview
From: GUEST,Susanne (skw)
Date: 25 May 25 - 06:32 PM

Robin Denselow did an article on him in last Tuesday's Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/may/21/martin-carthy-bob-dylan-paul-simon-scarborough-fair-new-album

Subject: RE: Genevieve Tudor: Martin Carthy interview
From: The Sandman
Date: 26 May 25 - 02:23 AM

So Martin made up 3 verses of High Germany. Interesting.
A. L Loyd has come in for considerable criticism from certain "SCHOLARS"for doing something similiar.

Subject: RE: Genevieve Tudor: Martin Carthy interview
From: GUEST,BlackAcornUK
Date: 26 May 25 - 12:33 PM

It's an interesting interview - in a related recent Facebook thread, Stephen Winick from the US Library of Congress pretty conclusively outlines that all of Martin's verses had appeared in earlier collected versions; so, whatever his recollections now, it seems that he drew together from multiple sources (perhaps from memory), rather than outright wrote, those verses.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DRstN6YbA/

Subject: RE: Genevieve Tudor: Martin Carthy interview
From: keberoxu
Date: 26 May 25 - 01:43 PM

So Martin Carthy is releasing a new solo album.
I notice the label is different than Topic, though.

Subject: RE: Genevieve Tudor: Martin Carthy interview
From: GUEST
Date: 26 May 25 - 02:11 PM

Hem Hem Records released a handful of Eliza Cathy's albums. Possibly her own label. It would make sense having him on the same label.

Subject: RE: Genevieve Tudor: Martin Carthy interview
From: The Sandman
Date: 26 May 25 - 04:35 PM

He states quite clearly that he made the verses up.

Subject: RE: Genevieve Tudor: Martin Carthy interview
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 May 25 - 02:19 AM

songs have always been composed and added to, by different people, what the problem.please dont tell the scholarship police, I said this

Subject: RE: Genevieve Tudor: Martin Carthy interview
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 May 25 - 03:47 AM

scholarship police is a joke, correct scholarship is useful but without the existence of the songs, there would be nothing to study.
sing the songs. to quote Martin Carthy again
the only damage you can do to a song is not to sing it

Subject: RE: Genevieve Tudor: Martin Carthy interview
From: GUEST,BlackAcornUK
Date: 27 May 25 - 03:50 AM

Whether or not Martin says he made the verses up, the documented prior existence of the same verses probably overrides individual memory over a 60-year stretch. My own Dad just turned 93 - he's still mentally sharp as a tack, but it's not unheard of for him (or perhaps, for most of us) to have firm memories that drift from what actually occurred. This isn't criticism - it's the human condition.


As Stephen Winick also comments in the above-linked FB thread, MC's own sleeve notes to the song on his debut LP highlight a contrasting methodology of piecing the songs together from multiple versions.