Middlesex Collections

Subject: Middlesex Collections
From: Dazbo
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 11:45 AM

I've seen and heard about traditional songs and tunes collected from various counties or regions of England. Have there been any published collections from Middlesex (including those parts lost to London over the years up to Middlesex ceasing to exist as a county in 1964).

Which tunes/songs did they include?

Subject: RE: Middlesex Collections
From: Tradsinger
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 01:30 PM

Have a look at the Roud index on the EFDSS website at
http://library.efdss.org/cgi-bin/query.cgi?cross=off&index_roud=on&access=off
. You'll find a handful of references to songs collected in Middlesex, but a cursory glance reveals 3 main sources:
- recordings made by Ken Stubbs, some released as a Topic LP of the Willett family, and some published in his book 'Life of a Man'
- Lucy Broadwood's 'English County Songs', published in 1893
- Songs collected by Sharp, some published in journals or by Roy Palmer

And then there are a few noted by other collectors.

So not a huge harvest, but worth looking into.

Good luck

Tradsinger

Subject: RE: Middlesex Collections
From: GUEST,Dazbo at work
Date: 05 Nov 07 - 06:44 AM

Thanks for the info Tradsinger. I'll follow it up when I get home.

Subject: RE: Middlesex Collections
From: Susan B
Date: 05 Nov 07 - 06:49 PM

Ron Barnett (of Herga Folk Club) occasionally recited the "Middlesex motto":-

Here's to the fair of Middlesex
And here's to Middlesex the fair
And here's to the middle of the fair sex
I wish by God I was there.

Oh, dear; I've lowered the tone of the thread already. Better go to bed!

Susan B

Subject: RE: Middlesex Collections
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 04:58 PM

Susan - I was thinking of posting that too, but you beat me to it. It was the Middlesex toast, I think though.

I picked up some of Ron's books about Middlesex at the evening we held at Herga in July to remember him.

Kitty

(born and bred in Middlesex, but never, unfortunately, privy to a Middlesex singing tradition. Unless you count Herga Folk Club after the first 3 years)