Tune Req: King Death (Coal Black Wine)

Subject: RE: Tune Req: King Death (Coal Black Wine)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 12:54 PM

Two more settings are at the LOC, one with music by G.W.Chadwick (which I'd found references to elsewhere), and one by Dr.J.B.Herbert.

LOC has several settings by Neukomm, as does Levy, but not for the songs in question.

Mick

Subject: RE: Tune Req: King Death (Coal Black Wine)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 12:33 PM

There's a lot of information on this song!

First off, there's another setting of it by Sousa, also at Levy, under the title A Rare Old Fellow (this is a link to the pdf), tune in 6/8, with at a quick look only two different strains for the verses.

I've been trying to find the Neukomm setting. There seem to be sheet music copies for sale, and there's a copy a U.Buffalo, but I haven't located an online copy yet. In (at least the) later editions of Cornwall's English Songs and other small poems, the poem has set to music by ... Neukomm.

I did come across a note saying that the opera Leonora by Fry, took the song, words and music both, from this setting.

I'll look a bit more and I'll try and set up the tunes for you later.

Mick

Subject: RE: Tune Req: King Death (Coal Black Wine)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 09:47 AM

I'll convert it for you later. A quick look at the Levy copy seems to be through composed - music changes throughout the song. If you PM me an email address I'll email you the midi when it's done.

As an aside, this may not be the only setting of the song: The London Literary Gazette for 1831 list the song with music by Chevalier Sigismund Neukamm (see Google books copy, p604) and it's possible there are more.

I haven't time to chase any of this up at the moment - I'm off the Sherwood Forest in a few minutes, but I'll get back to it when I return.

Mick

Subject: Tune Req: King Death (Coal Black Wine)
From: Fergie
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 08:27 AM

Hi all

Was browsing through the Bodleian Library and found a song that I'd like to sing at Holloween. Further research uncovered that it was written by Bryan Waller Procter (1787-1874) under the pseudonym Barry Cornwall.

KING DEATH

King Death was a rare old fellow !
He sat where no sun could shine
And he lifted his hand so yellow,
And pour'd out his coal-black wine.
    Hurrah! for the coal-black Wine.

There came to him many a Maiden,
Whose eyes had forgot to shine;
And Widows, with grief o'erladen,
For a draught of his sleepy wine.
    Hurrah! for the coal-black Wine.

The scholar left all his learning,
The Poet his fancied woes;
And the Beauty her bloom returning,
Like life to the fading rose.
    Hurrah! for the coal-black Wine.

All came to the royal old fellow,
Who laugh'd till his eyes dropp'd brine,
As he gave them his hand so yellow,
And pledged them in Death's black wine.
       Hurrah!        Hurrah!
    Hurrah! for the coal-black Wine.

Browsing the internet I found the lyrics at a number of sites and I came upon some Sheet Music . Problem is that I cannot read music, In the absence of a known recording can any kind mudcatter extract the melody composed by Francis H. Noyes or produce a midi from me?

Fergus