INFO: Twa Brothers

Subject: INFO: Twa Brothers
From: Lesley N.
Date: 30 May 99 - 05:35 PM

I just sequenced The Rolling of the Stones - a variant of The Twa Brothers (Child 49) and the information in Child is pretty slim. It says the first time the ballad is mentioned in print is a request in 1803 by Jameison for further information. I wondered if anyone (Asking but not limited to Bruce? Barry?) had any other information on it.

Child also says the tune could be based on an incident in the 1600s where a Somerville brother stabbed his sibling by accident. I've had no luck finding more details and thought I'd ask if anyone had sources with more information...

And while I'm here I thought I'd ask - are there any sources in print that list the Stationers' Register entries? Some of them? Any of them?

Thanks as always... (I tried to a forum search for something in text but it didn't work... sorry if this is somewhere already!!!)

Subject: RE: INFO: Twa Brothers
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 May 99 - 08:20 PM

Hi, Lesley - this is what I found right off the bat at the Traditional Ballad Index. You may ant to search for Twa Brothers there and check the other 8 entires that should come up there.
-Joe Offer-

Twa Brothers, The [Child 49]

DESCRIPTION: Two brothers agree to wrestle on their way to school. In the process, one is wounded by the other's knife. The unwounded brother (often) tries to save the wounded one, but it is too late; all that is left is to arrange for his burial and make excuses
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: contest death fight stepmother brother
FOUND IN: Britain(England,Scotland), US(Ap,MA,NE,MW,SE,So) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (13 citations):
Child 49, "The Twa Brothers" (8 texts)
Bronson 49, "The Twa Brothers" (41 versions)
Randolph 10, "The Two Brothers" (4 texts, 4 tunes)
Eddy 9, "The Twa Brothers" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Flanders/Olney, pp. 96-99, "Edward Ballad [listed as Child 13]"; pp. 230-232, "Martyr John" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Leach, pp. 163-167, "The Twa Brothers" (2 texts)
McNeil-SFB2, pp. 136-138, "Two Brothers" (1 text, 1 tune)
OBB 63, "The Twa Brothers" (1 text)
Friedman, p. 169, "The Twa Brothers" (2 texts)
Niles 20, "The Twa Brothers" (1 text, 1 tune -- a fragmentary text that opens like "The Twa Brothers," but has an ending that might be anything)
Gummere, pp. 174-175+343, "The Twa Brothers" (1 text)
Sharp/Karpeles-80E 11, "The Two Brothers" (1 text, 1 tune -- a composite version)
DT 49, TWOBROS TWOBROS2* TWOBROS3* TWOBROS4* ROLLSTON*
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Sir Hugh, or, The Jew's Daughter" [Child 155] (lyrics)
cf. "The Unquiet Grave" [Child 78] (lyrics)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Rolling of the Stones
The Murdered Boy
Notes: In Friedman's A version, the brother is killed, not wrestling for fun, but in a fit of passion. - PJS
File: C049

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Subject: RE: INFO: Twa Brothers
From: Lesley N.
Date: 30 May 99 - 11:59 PM

Thanks Joe - (how could I have left your name out??) I will check out the other references at BI.