Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now

Subject: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: Charley Noble
Date: 22 Feb 10 - 08:30 AM

The nautical poems of Cicely Fox Smith (UK) earned her by the 1920's a reputation comparable to Rudyard Kipling and John Masefield. Few poets have so successfully described the last years of the Great Age of Sail from the point of view of the deep-water sailor.

The Songs of Cicely Fox Smith songbook demonstrates how some of Smith's nautical poems have been successfully adapted for singing. Included are lyrics, musical notation, chords, notes for each song and period illustrations. Most of the 24 songs included have been adapted for singing by the editor but there is a sampling of other musical settings as well. See the sample Songbook linked to my website for more specific information: click here for Sample Songbook

This songbook may be ordered for about $25 from Camsco Music: 145 Hickory Corner Road, East Windsor, NJ 08520 or from the editor: Charles Ipcar, 80 Main St., Richmond, ME 04357. Chantey Cabin in the UK is also reviewing a sample copy with regard to distributing the songbook there.

It is hoped that similar songbooks will be worked up this year by Bob Zentz, Danny McLeod and Alan Fitzsimmons, and by other musicians who have set a significant number of poems by C. Fox Smith to music. In all some 70 poems by C. Fox Smith have now been adapted for singing, some with multiple settings.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 22 Feb 10 - 09:05 AM

Camsco Music

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: Charley Noble
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 08:44 AM

Sandra-

Thanks for providing the link to Camsco Music.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: John Minear
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 08:49 AM

Congratulations, Charlie. It looks like a fine piece of work.

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Mar 10 - 10:01 AM

Folks in Oz should soon be able to purchase copies of this songbook via Margaret Walters of the sea music group The Roaring Forties. I've just sent off a bale of them this morning which should arrive in Sydney in a week or so.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: sciencegeek
Date: 12 Mar 10 - 11:46 PM

And don't forget to mention that you will be part of the C Fox Smith workshop at NEFFA this April... for those who want a signed copy... :D

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Mar 10 - 08:23 PM

April 24, 10:00 - 11:30 am?

Camsco Music will also be at NEFFA, and folks might get an even better deal from them.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: Charley Noble
Date: 23 Mar 10 - 04:58 PM

Camsco is providing the Sea Songs of Cicely Fox Smith for $22, a savings of $3 per book over what I charge,

And Chantey Cabin will be taking orders for the United Kingdom.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: sciencegeek
Date: 24 Mar 10 - 05:31 AM

Excellant news.

And here's my best to Ken & Jan. I hope to get across the puddle again & see them.

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: The Sandman
Date: 24 Mar 10 - 08:53 AM

sailortown is available from my website on cd[ around the harbour town ]
and in my songbook the sailors dream.http://www.dickmiles.com
you can hear a sample on my werbsite

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: Charley Noble
Date: 24 Mar 10 - 09:47 AM

Dick-

Your songbook, The Sailor's Dream, does look interesting. Perhaps we can arrange an exchange when I'm on your side of the Great Pond in September.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Jun 10 - 08:52 AM

Here's an update on the status of the Sea Songs of Cicely Fox Smith songbook. The copies I had printed up in March are all gone now and I'm ordering another 20 printed. The Mystic Sea Music Festival literally swallowed up my remaining inventory.

The options for procuring this songbook now include ordering one from Camsco for $22 or so, or encountering me at some future nautically related singing special event and forking out $25. I should have some new ones when I'm at the Press Room in Portsmouth this Saturday. Here's another link to my website where this songbook is described in detail: a href="http://www.charlieipcar.com/">Click here for website!

Future plans include working with Bob Zentz on Volume 2, publishing the many C. Fox Smith poems that he has arranged for singing and recorded. And there are at least several other volumes that could be pulled together in the same format.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 Sep 10 - 10:01 AM

While I was recently in the UK this September I provided Jim Saville (Shantyfreak) with a small stash of Songooks, available for £15 each. I also donated a copy to the library at Cecil Sharp House in London.

I'll also be bringing some with me for sale at my C. Fox Smith Workshop at Getaway the first weekend of October.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: Lyr Add: THE NORTH SEA GROUND (Cicely Fox Smith)
From: GUEST,Henryp
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 02:10 PM

E.J. Moeran: Complete Solo Folksong Arrangements
British Music Society BMS438CD £12.99

The 24-page booklet accompanying the CD contains an essay on E.J. Moeran and Folksong by Roy Palmer of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, as well as an extended note by Ian Maxwell on his edition of The North Sea Ground. The recording is released on the sixtieth anniversary of Moeran's death on 1 December 1950. It includes;

(7) THE NORTH SEA GROUND (C. Fox Smith)

Oh, Grimsby is a pleasant town as any man may find,
An' Grimsby wives are thrifty wives, an' Grimsby girls are kind,
An' Grimsby lads were never yet the lads to lag behind
When there's men's work doin' on the North Sea ground.

An' its 'Wake up, Johnnie!', for the high tide's flowin',
An' off the misty waters a cold wind blowin';
Skipper's come aboard and it's time that we were goin',
An' there's fine fish waitin' on the North Sea ground.

Soles in the Silver Pit – an' there we'll let 'em lie;
Cod on the Dogger – oh, we'll fetch 'em by-an'-by;
War on the water – an' it's time to serve an' die,
For there's wild work doin' on the North Sea ground.

An' it's 'Wake up, Johnnie!', they want you at the trawlin'
(With your long sea-boots and your tarry old tarpaulin);
All across the bitter seas duty comes a-callin'
In the winter's weather off the North Sea ground.

[It's well we've learned to laugh at fear – the sea has taught us how;
It's well we've shaken hands with death – we'll not be strangers now,
With death in every climbin' wave before the trawler's bow,
An' the black spawn swimmin' on the North Sea ground.]

Good luck to all our fightin' ships that rule the English sea;
Good luck to our brave merchantmen wherever they may be;
The sea it is their highway, an' we've got to sweep it free
For the ships passin' over on the North Sea ground.

An' it's 'Wake up, Johnnie!', for the sea wind's cryin';
Time an' time to go where the herrin' gulls are flyin';
An' down below the stormy seas the dead men lyin',
Oh, the dead lyin' quiet on the North Sea ground!

(Originally published in Punch, 24 March 1915)

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 07:27 PM

HenryP-

Please start a new thread focused on the British Music Society songbook. This thread is dedicated to my own Cicely Fox Smith Songbook.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 10:26 PM

A reminder---the book makes a nice Christmas present. Available from CAMSCO.

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: Charley Noble
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 08:53 AM

That's true, and the books may be purchased for less from CAMSCO than from me.

A second volume is now in the works being edited by Bob Zentz, filled with the songs that he's adapted from Cicely Fox Smith's poems. It will be similar in format to my own volume.

Our hope is to have several more volumes published by others as well who have focused major attention on this poet's work. Included could be Alan Fitzsimmonds & Danny McLeod, Peter Massey & Gordon Morris, and Mike Kennedy, all of whom have adapted more than 20 poems for singing. We might even have a volume for all the other singers who have adapted a smaller number of poems. In all, at least 90 of C. Fox Smith's poems have now been adapted for singing, some with multiple settings. I know of no other poet who has attracted that much attention from singers.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Cicely Fox Smith Songbook Available Now
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Dec 10 - 08:12 AM

HenryP-

My apologies for my curt remarks above. I really am interested in E.J. Moeran's musical arrangement of "The North Sea Ground" but it really would be more appropriately addressed on one of the other C. Fox Smith threads listed above. Perhaps, the Discorgraphy one would be best.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble