Poor Jenny

Subject: Poor Jenny
From: SRD
Date: 04 Nov 24 - 03:36 PM

Listening to Shostakovich's concerto for piano, trumpet & strings I recall asking Gerard McBurney how it was that Shostakovich was quoting from the playground song "Poor Jenny is a'weeping" He told me that one of the professors at the university Shostakovich was working at was investigating English folksongs. But I also find that the tune is part of "La Bourrée des Galvachers" a composition of French folk dance tunes. Does anyone have any further info on how this tune came to be used in English playgrounds?

Subject: RE: Poor Jenny
From: GUEST,Steve Shaw
Date: 06 Nov 24 - 05:53 PM

I can't answer your question directly, but I'm glad you brought this up, as this was one of Mrs Steve's piano pieces when she was trying to learn the piano about forty years ago. She never made it, sadly, but this is the one tune of hers that has stuck in my head for all these years. So cheers for that!