Parlor Songs of the Sea

Subject: RE: Parlor Songs of the Sea
From: Charley Noble
Date: 01 Apr 11 - 08:51 PM

Here are three more that fit into the parlor category:

The "Jamestown" Homeward Bound

Pirate's Own Song, words by Letitia Elizabeth Landon, 1838,
Music by Horatio D. Hewitt. Boston: Geo. P. Reed, © 1846.

The Ship That Never Returned, original words and music by Henry Clay Work. (1884)

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Parlor Songs of the Sea
From: Artful Codger
Date: 01 Apr 11 - 05:50 PM

Well, Dibdin's songs came from the stage rather than the parlor, so if you mean "parlor" in this widened sense, I'd suggest:

Rule Brittania (Thomas Arne)
Saylors for My Money (Martin Parker)
Neptune's Raging Fury, or The Gallant Seaman's Lament (Martin Parker, revised by John Phillips)
A Wet Sheet and a Flowing Sea (Alan Cunningham)
Sling the Flowing Bowl (attr. to Richard Sheridan)
Little Billee (William Makepeace Thackeray)
Married to a Mermaid (James Thomson and/or David Mallet, borrowing from Thomas Arne)
The Canadian Boat Song (Thomas Moore)
A Life on the Ocean Wave (Epes Sargent, Henry Russell)
On Board of the Kangaroo (Harry Clifton)
The Bold Fisherman (George W. Hunt)
Strike the Bell, Second Mate (derived from "Ring the Bell, Watchman", by Henry Clay Work)
On Board of the Arethusa (Prince Hoare, Shield)
Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor (music hall)
I am the very model of a modern major general (Gilbert & Sullivan)
The Chivalrous Shark (Wallace Irwin)
Jack Robinson (Thomas Hudson)
Asleep in the Deep (Arthur J. Lamb, Henry W. Petrie)
Down in a Diving Bell
The Wonderful Crocodile, and The Great Sea Snake (both based on the music hall song "The Great Meat Pie")

Subject: RE: Parlor Songs of the Sea
From: Charley Noble
Date: 01 Apr 11 - 11:17 AM

Interesting concept.

Here's a fragment of one such song that my grandfather used to regale us with:


ROWING SONG
(late 19th century song by unknown author from the singing of William Zorach; tune unknown)

Chorus:

Dip, boys, dip the oars,
Bid farewell to the dusky shores;
Freedom ours shall be,
As we cross the deep blue sea.

The zephyrs woo the spray, me boys;
Their laughter fills the air;
We'll bid them wake our song, me boys,
And steal away our care. (CHO)

Charley Noble

Subject: We Were Shipmates, Jack and I
From: shipcmo
Date: 01 Apr 11 - 10:49 AM

We Were Shipmates, Jack And I

We Were Shipmates, Jack and I.
Copyright, 1890, by Geo. M. Klenk & Co.
Words by Julian Holmes. Music by Will E. Nankivelle.


We were shipmates, shipmates, Jack and I, and of him my song shall be,
For truer heart And a bolder tar ne'er sailed the deep, blue sea;
And Jack and I braved many storms when raging billows rolled;
Though Jack is gone, yet his manly deeds shall ne'er be left untold.

Chorus.
We were shipmates, shipmates, Jack And I, And of him my song shall be;
A truer heart And a bolder tar ne'er sailed the deep, blue sea.

We were shipmates, shipmates, Jack and I, but I hear his voice no more;
On a dismal night we ran on a reef when far away from shore;
Though Jack and I fought the angry waves, their fury drove us back;
And poor Jack sank with this parting cry: "Remember, shipmate, Jack."

Chorus.
We were shipmates, shipmates, Jack and I, And a right good soul was he;
A truer heart And a bolder tar ne'er sailed the deep, blue sea;
We were shipmates, Jack And I.


Click to play

Subject: Parlor Songs of the Sea
From: shipcmo
Date: 31 Mar 11 - 06:04 PM

Recently I have been reviewing Huntington's "Songs the Whaleman Sang" section: "Parlor Songs That Went to Sea", and Stuart Frank's "Jolly Sailors Bold", together with a reprint of "Songs, Naval and National, of the late Charles Dibdin". I recently posted "The heaving of the lead" by Pearce and Shield in 'Sea Chantey Lyrics, MIDI tunes, & MP3's' thread, in abc notation from "The Songs of England" by J.L. Hatton, because it seemed to me to be an interesting piece.
Current performers do not have the old sailor's inhibitions; the Press Gang often sang Dibdin's "Tom Bowling".
So I thought of starting this thread to cast a net for interesting songs.
BTW, I think Davis & Tozers "Sailors' Songs or "Chanties" could be titled "Sailor Songs that came into the Parlor".