Folksong advice

Subject: Desperately Seeking Folksong Advice
From: CTB
Date: 18 Nov 98 - 11:56 AM

I am looking for a selection of folksongs to complement a text. I would like to rediscover some outstanding old music from the British Isles and celtic traditions that are in the public domain. I need suggestions for the following:

1) An intersting and catchy jig or gigue to demostrate the feeling of 6/8 meter.

2) An old english reel that includes a number of rests: The idea is to still feel the beat in the absence of sound.

3) A waltz or dance tune that also serves as a love song. A song and a dance tune in one.

4) A love song that could be sung as a duet.

5) A celtic or British Isles siren song.

Many thanks for your help.

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: DonMeixner
Date: 19 Nov 98 - 12:20 AM

1. Haste To The Wedding

2. Hmmmm. How about a Polka instead.

3. The Rose of Allendale.

4. Peggy Gordon or Lezzie Lindsay

5. The Garten Mother's Lullaby, Jock O' Hazeldean The Waterlilly( See Pricilla Herman's album of the same name.)

Not a perfect list but a start

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 19 Nov 98 - 01:31 AM

G'day,
Well, not The Waterlily unless you want an Aussie song - the words were written by Henry Lawson.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Murray on Saltspring
Date: 19 Nov 98 - 02:31 AM

For (4), maybe "The Crookit Bawbee", which has alternate verses and the opportunity to harmonise on the last one. But what do you mean by a siren song, exactly?

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Animaterra
Date: 19 Nov 98 - 06:33 PM

Siren song... do you mean a selkie song?

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: DonMeixner
Date: 19 Nov 98 - 09:00 PM

Alan,

I meant that exact song and i knew it was a Lawson poem. I can't help myself. Its a beautiful song and poem. Celtic and British Isles music can only be improved by its inclusion.

Don

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Bert
Date: 20 Nov 98 - 09:46 AM

Number 4's gotta be "Oh No John"

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Jon Bartlett
Date: 21 Nov 98 - 03:05 AM

No. 5 the Siren Song: there's a lot of songs about coppers walking their beat, but none that come quickly to mind about sirens (maybe the Theme from Z-Cars?). The celts, of course, didn't use sirens on their eponymously-named paddy wagons :> Jon the offsider

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: harpgirl
Date: 21 Nov 98 - 03:02 PM

No. 3 could be "Waltz of the Wind" harp

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 21 Nov 98 - 11:43 PM

Don,
In that case good on yer mate! It's always good to promote Aussie songs.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Matin Ryan
Date: 22 Nov 98 - 04:48 AM

Jon

"Z-cars"?.... You're on your Tod(d)!

regards

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Alice
Date: 22 Nov 98 - 04:24 PM

That's funny!! A warning siren mixed up with a female singing siren.... one chases you away from danger... the other lures you in to death.

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Bert
Date: 23 Nov 98 - 11:15 AM

For the NON-Limeys among us, we should explain that it's
Zed Cars and the theme tune is Johnny Todd which is in DT.

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Jerry Friedman with another useless fact
Date: 23 Nov 98 - 04:24 PM

The police siren is named after the mythological siren. Originally it was supposed to be a musical instrument, and the inventor found that it sounded especially good under water, so he named it after Homer's aquatic singers. It never caught on for any tune but "eeeeoooooeeeeeoooo..." though (or are those the lyrics?).

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Bo
Date: 24 Nov 98 - 02:43 PM

For #4 I would recommend a duet of Banks of Lochlomand & Red is the Rose. Two voices, two stories, two cultures -- no waiting.

One tune and two sets of words. Shows an aspect of the folk process and the shared heritage at the same time.

Bo

Subject: RE:The Crookit Bawbee
From: GUEST,Michele Buchanan
Date: 23 Jan 02 - 03:04 PM

I'm looking for lyrics to an old Scot's song, "The Crookit Bawbee" anyone have it? Hope so, thanks much, Michele Buchanan

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: CraigS
Date: 23 Jan 02 - 05:07 PM

If you're talking siren songs as in I'm a woman and I want a man, The Cuckoo's Nest is what you want- but to get the full version you need the kind of singer that charges $30 for ten minutes, if you know what I mean!

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 23 Jan 02 - 07:41 PM

It's a bit odd to resurrect a three-year-old thread to ask for something that surely must have shown up in the search results that found this, but Crookit Bawbee can be found (two sets) in this more recent discussion:  bent baubie

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Jan 02 - 07:58 PM

Indeed Malcolm,

"Perversity is the muse of modern literature"
Susan Sontag, Against Interpretation (1966)

Not that much literate is ever said here, present company excepted

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Amos
Date: 23 Jan 02 - 09:26 PM

Why does quoting Susan Sontag entitle you to act like a conceited little dick? She wasn't that good.

A

Subject: RE: Folksong advice
From: Hrothgar
Date: 24 Jan 02 - 04:51 AM

Jerry

I know a few musical instruments that might sound better underwater.