Subject: music for australian song From: joe mink Date: 10 Jan 99 - 03:23 AM Any chance that someone has the music, and words to an obscure Australian folk song called. She'll wait by the sliprails for you" I WOULD be impressed if anyone could find this little gem. Joe Mink Canada Thanks |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Alan of Australia Date: 10 Jan 99 - 04:06 AM G,day, Not so obscure - if it's the one I think it is. That's a line from the Henry Lawson poem "The Bush Girl" which starts: So you rode from the range where your brothers select If that's the one I'll type the rest for you. I've heard it sung & may have the tune, however a young lady only identified as F33 has my book of tunes for Lawson's poems at the moment. Maybe she'll post the tune.
Cheers, |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Joe Mink Date: 10 Jan 99 - 01:48 PM Sound great - how can I flush out F33. Thanks Joe
|
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Bob Bolton Date: 10 Jan 99 - 05:15 PM G'day Joe, Bush Girl, with the tune was first published in the Bush Music Clubs booklet "Songs fron Lawson" about 1959. We still have some copies of the 1970s reprint ... for A$1! More comprehensively, this would be one of some 200 tune to about 100 of Henry's poems in Chris Kempster's 1980s book "Songs of Henry Lawson". I can look up the full words and write an ABC/MIDItext file of the tune for you. There may well be other tunes than the one that did a lot of courting for BMC members in the 1960s/70s ... Priscilla Herdman (Canada?) has set a lot of Lawson lyrics but I will check Chris's book. I have to say that it was a reasonably comprehensive selection of the best settings around at the time, since I collaborated with Chris on several aspects of the book which, unfortunately, is currently out of print. Regards, Bob Bolton |
Subject: Lyr Add: THE BUSH GIRL (Henry Lawson) From: Alan of Australia Date: 10 Jan 99 - 07:25 PM G'day, Here are the words, written in 1901 while Lawson & his family were in England.
THE BUSH GIRL
So you rode from the range where your brothers select Grey eyes that grow sadder than sunset or rainAh! the world is a new and a wide one to you But the world to your sweetheart is shut For a change never comes to the lonely bush homes Of the stockyard, the scrub and the hut; And the only relief from its dullness she feels When the ridges grow softened and dim And away in the dusk to the slip-rails she steals To dream of past hours 'with him'. Grey eyes that grow sadder than sunset or rainDo you think, where, in place of bare fences, dry creeks, Clear streams and green hedges are seen - Where the girls have the lily and rose in their cheeks And the grass in mid-summer is green - Do you think, now and then, now or then, in the whirl Of the town life, while London is new Of the hut in the bush and the freckled-faced girl Who waits by the sliprails for you? Grey eyes that grow sadder than sunset or rain Now if I get my copy of Chris Kempster's book (rightly praised above by Bob) back from F33 we'll get a tune (if Bob doesn't save me the effort). There are about five different tunes in this book, one by American Priscilla Herdman which is probably the one you know. BTW Bob, there was a rumour here that Priscilla Herdman is Canadian but I believe that's incorrect.
Cheers, |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 99 - 08:16 PM Click here for a short clip of Priscilla Herdman's rendition - she wrote the tune for her version. Say, Joe Mink, if you're after F 33, keep in mind that there are at least two other men chasing after her. Both of them seem to be steadily losing ground.... -Joe Offer- |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Jon Bartlett Date: 11 Jan 99 - 01:10 AM G'day! Bob Bolton, can I get a copy of Songs from Lawson for our Archives? And does the Bush Music Club have any other books or pamphlets for sale? pant, pant... Jon the offsider |
Subject: Tune Add: THE BUSH GIRL (from Con Caston) From: alison Date: 11 Jan 99 - 03:29 AM OK OK, you'll get your book back.... soon-ish. There are three tunes in it for this song ..... and I'm not sure which is the right one so here are all three... take your pick... The first is by Con Caston (written before 1950)
MIDI file: BUSHGIR1.MID Timebase: 480 Name: THE BUSH GIRL This program is worth the effort of learning it. To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here ABC format: X:1
Slainte alison |
Subject: Tune Add: THE BUSH GIRL (from Con Caston) From: alison Date: 11 Jan 99 - 03:30 AM Hi, and a later tune from Con Caston
MIDI file: BUSHGIR2.MID Timebase: 480 Name: THE BUSH GIRL This program is worth the effort of learning it. To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here ABC format: X:1
Slainte alison |
Subject: Tune Add: THE BUSH GIRL (from Priscilla Herdman) From: alison Date: 11 Jan 99 - 03:32 AM Hi again, and the third.... Priscilla Herdman (1976).
MIDI file: BUSHGIR3.MID Timebase: 480 Name: THE BUSH GIRL This program is worth the effort of learning it. To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here ABC format: X:1
I hope one of these was the one you were looking for. Slainte alison |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Bill@W.Aussie Date: 11 Jan 99 - 09:33 AM Jeezz How's anyone supposed to understand all that sh..... The tunes easy It goes.......... DAH DAH DAHHHH DAH DAH DAHHH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAA DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH, DAH DAH DAH DA DA DAHHHHHHHHHH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH DAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH i'VE HAD A COUPLE OF BEERS GUYS AND I CAN'T REMEMBER THE CHORUS BUT MY MATE DOES BUT HE'S PIS.... AND'S NOT MUCH HELP RIGHT NOW. ps SING IT IN C FLATS....... lOVES bILL S
|
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Bob Bolton Date: 11 Jan 99 - 05:39 PM G'day Joe and All, Alison didn't turn the page: there are three more tunes, written by Tony Miles (1981), Dave de Hugard (1987) and Mike Leyden (1964). The best known in Australia (at least with those folkies from the folk revival days) is the first version of Con Caston's tune - one remembered with fondness by those Bush Music Club members that courted (or were courted) with it. I see from Chris Kempster's excellent notes that Priscilla Herdman (at the time of publication - 1989) lived in Pine Plains, N.Y. ... I don't know where the Canada reference crept in from. Jon: Chris's book is out of print and I don't know if Viking O'Neill/Penguin Books ever plan to reprint. I have a suspicion that there was one copy left in the Bush Music Club sale stock, but I need to check that. The book is 224 pages ~ American quarto (11" x 81/2" trimmed size), sewn signatures thermo-bound in limp cover. There are about 100 of Henry Lawson's poems and about 200 tunesranging from those of orchestral composers (1) down to me (1) with a lot of good folkie's tunes (many of them Chris's) in between. We have a range of interesting Australian songbooks gathered over the years and I'm about to send some off to Dan Milner (aka "Liam's Brother". the BMC is notoriously bad at commercial transactions, But I'm working on that. I will send a list of what might be interesting in the near future - perhaps to your personal page. Regards, Bob Bolton |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: alison Date: 11 Jan 99 - 08:59 PM Hi, OOPs... never even thought to look over the page ... I thought 3 was more than enough.... OK Bob, which one is the most common (of the 3 over the page) and I'll do it too.... or are the 3 I already posted good enough? Slainte alison |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Bob Bolton Date: 12 Jan 99 - 12:43 AM G'day Alison, I never was among the soppy lot with guitars, singing sad songs with romantic intent, but I guess the traditionalist is still lurking down there and I stay with the old tune - Con Caston's original version. I haven't really tried the other tunes and I doubt that they would be the ones that Joe was chasing. Con Caston's original tune could be known in UK and US from the singing of Martyn Whyndham-Read. (I'm surprised not to find it on his "Undiscovered Australia" CD - quiet, romantic and sensitive songs ... It seems we do have enough to leave one or two out.) Presumably Priscilla Herdman's tune gets a run on its native ground. I doubt that any of the others would be known in the US. regards, Bob Bolton |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Bob Bolton Date: 12 Jan 99 - 04:40 PM G'day Jon, I will put this list into the thread, even though it is fairly long (and due to my notes, rambling), in case anyone else is interested in the books. This is not a comprehensive stocktake of the publications cupboard - just a rework of a specific list I sent to Liam's Brother with a few additions. It might be simpler to print out - if you want to read the full list!
Bush Music Club Publications
Frank the Poet, John Meredith and Rex Whalan, Red Rooster, Melbourne, 1979.
I hope this doesn't fall apart in transmission. I tried a new technique of preparing the file in a basic word-processor (MS Write) to avoid complex and disastrous codes ... then it all fell over just copying it to Mudcat!
Regards,
Bob Bolton |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Bob Bolton Date: 12 Jan 99 - 05:11 PM G'day All (and Alison), Whew! The booklist didn't crash the system after all. I hope there are some books that interest Jon ... and that they are still in the stock cupboard (things are pretty quiet over the Christmas/New Year break). Alison: I ran through all 6 tunes to Bush Girl' and realised that the SECOND tune is the well-known one in Sydney circles. The first form of Con Caston's tune is written in common time and everyone seems to slip over into 3/4, as in the Gary Shearston version of Con's tune, the second version is Chris's book. The common time version is remarkably similar, considering the time change. I see that everyone else who has set the lyrics has used 3/4, so there must be some inherent 3/4 nature to Henry's words. I remember Chris, in a concert at Forbes about 20+ years back, saying that the different settings of Lawson lyrics often had a remarkable similarity - even to the point of harmonising with each other - suggesting that the lyrics themselves suggested their tunes. I don't know that this is entirely true ... when I first 'wrote' a tune to Henry's 'Good Old Concertina' I played the tune back to my wife Patricia and asked what she thought. She replied "I always liked 'The Curly-headed Ploughboy' ... Oh well, back to the music pad! I think I did compose the tune under my name in the book. On the question of "the best tune", after playing all tunes I would have to say they are all good - particularly Priscilla Herdman's -, but nearly 40 years of habit will keep me singing tune 2. Regards, Bob Bolton |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Joe Mink Date: 14 Jan 99 - 09:02 PM OK,OK I'm impressed. Rather overwhelmed actually Thanks guys. Love the song Joe! |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: John in Brisbane Date: 17 Jan 99 - 07:02 PM Bob, If copies are still available I would certainly appreciate the opportunity to purchase the Henry Lawson Collection, plus the reprints from Singabout. How can I achieve this? My email is johninbrisbane@hotbot.com
Was looking through my incomplete collection of Singabouts last night and read an objection by Norm O'Connor to the publication of A Pub With No Dyke. Are the lyrics and tune in the re-prints? Is Norm still with us?
Also found Mike Leyden's version of Bush Girl in Australian Tradition - but see that you now have this subject well covered. As an Aussie I get the impression that there has been a relatively large amount of scholarship devoted to Australia's trad songs, and a lot of published work. We owe a lot to Bolton, Meredith, Manifold, Lowenstein et al. I hereby nominate you for Honorary Life Membership of The Digital Tradition.
Regards |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Bob Bolton Date: 25 Jan 99 - 12:47 AM G'day all, I am refreshing this thread, partly as a way to contact Jon (the offsider) Bartlett. When I try to send a personal message, the page loads (last time up to ~105 mb) and then crashes, demanding more memory. That sends me back to this thread, which I have rather overloaded with my extensive booklist, but it is my only alternative. Jon: I know that the list was lengthy, but the nub is that there appear to be only two remaining copies of Chris Kempster's "Songs of Henry Lawson" book. John in Brisbane appears interested as well and I need to know if I should grab the books out of the publications cupboard before someone sells them. Regards, Bob Bolton |
Subject: RE: music for australian song From: Bob Bolton Date: 26 Jan 99 - 07:00 PM G'day all and John in Brisbane, John: Sorry I didn't reply specifically to your posting ... I was trying to send personal messages and the site kept falling over. I didn't include "The Pub With no Dyke" in my anthology, Singabout - Selected Reprints because the tune was well-known (and pinched off Stephen Foster!) and the new words were interesting, but I only had space for less than half of what I would like to have included. The anthology is well worth the derisory price (after all, it's still priced in 1984 dollars) and we might just be able to find some late (vol. 5 & 6) original Singabouts but all the old ones have vanished. (I must admit that, at a recent cleanout off the Club premises, a number of duplicate copies were despatched to the dump - after checking with me - but these were all from the latter issues.) I have a few complete reference sets in the Club's archive and library and can always photocopy anything required for research ... or even scan and/or image appropriate sections and attach them to an email! I also have put together a basic index to Singabout and another to Mulga Wire (our current magazine) as well as indexes to other significant magazines like Stringybark and Greenhide and Concertina Magazine. These are all in the form of MS Works databases (fairly old version) and should be readable in most modern programs. I haven't indexed Tradition because the last issue was quite a good index. One of these days I will get around to scanning it and converting to electronic format (when I have some spare time ... should be sometime in the next millennium! Regards, Bob Bolton |
Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: The Bush Girl (Henry Lawson) From: GUEST,Ed Greenberg Date: 01 Feb 23 - 09:39 AM OK, I know that this is a very old thread. I encountered the song, "The Bush Girl" when I started listening to a "Seekers" channel on Pandora. My question is: What the heck is a slip-rail? Thanks, Ed Greenberg |
Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: The Bush Girl (Henry Lawson) From: GerryM Date: 01 Feb 23 - 04:22 PM There was much mention in this thread of the book Chris Kempster put together, Songs of Henry Lawson. A second and much expanded edition was published by the Folk Federation of New South Wales in 2008 (Kempster having passed away in 2004). The Folk Fed has a website, it's possible copies of the 2nd edition are still available. It doesn't have any additional settings of The Bush Girl, just the six from the 1st edition. |
Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: The Bush Girl (Henry Lawson) From: Helen Date: 01 Feb 23 - 04:59 PM Hi Ed Greenburg, A slip rail is a type of fence system where there are two open brackets on the fence posts on either side of a farm gateway. There is a long, heavy rail or piece of square or rectangle ended wood inserted into the brackets on either side so that the rail could be slipped or slid to the side to allow access through the gateway, and then slipped back to close the gateway. If you do an image search for slip rail you can see how it works. It's a clever, simple concept, but a little difficult to describe simply. It takes the place of a swinging gate and is very secure when keeping in farm animals, e.g. horses etc. Helen, in Australia |
Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: The Bush Girl (Henry Lawson) From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 01 Feb 23 - 04:59 PM I don't know, but I know who will, so emailed him. In his younger days he worked in the bush, shearing & working with cattle. |
Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: The Bush Girl (Henry Lawson) From: rich-joy Date: 01 Feb 23 - 05:03 PM This song was one of my early Aussie folk faves, as sung by the late Gary Shearston, using Con Caston's tune, c.1964 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ9vgyb2S2Y (bcoz the thread needs a new recording link :) Cheers, R-J PS Ed, Merriam-Webster defines Sliprails thus : "sliprail: [noun] one of a set of movable rails in a fence that can be taken out to form a gateway : drawbar." |
Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: The Bush Girl (Henry Lawson) From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 01 Feb 23 - 06:00 PM from my friend - Round timber poles were called rails as in horizontal fence rails. The song may also refer to the several rails that would be use instead of a gate. They would be used removing (slipping) them in and out of position when access or closing access was required to a paddock. At present there is a Facebook group entitled Tales From the Top Rail. & adding tho Gerry's post - copies of 2nd edition of Chris's book are still available - friends on the committee have several boxes in their custody! |
Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: The Bush Girl (Henry Lawson) From: rich-joy Date: 02 Feb 23 - 08:20 PM I don't know how come I missed buying this before, but 'tis done now! Here is the link to Chris Kempster's Henry Lawson book, 2nd edn : https://folkfednsw.org.au/the-songs-of-henry-lawson-songbook-2/ Cheers, R-J |
Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: The Bush Girl (Henry Lawson) From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 03 Feb 23 - 02:50 AM 1 less book under the bed! |
Share Thread: |
Subject: | Help |
From: | |
Preview Automatic Linebreaks Make a link ("blue clicky") |