Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: GUEST,Jim McLean
Date: 03 Mar 12 - 02:27 PM

In 2008 I graduated from Edinburgh University with a Masters in Scottish Ethnology for my research into two tunes, The Three Carles O' Buchanan and The Braes O' Balquhidder. The former was used by Tannahill for his poem The Braes O' Balquhidder and the latter a published tune for the same poem set by R A Smith. My argument was between orality and literacy and I showed that Tannahill's choice of melody travelled orally but still known as The Braes O' Balquhidder and was the melody found in Another Sheaf of White Spirituals and the Social Harp for a song called Bonaparte. The tune was also called The Island of St. Helena and documented by Anne G Gilchrist as that sung by her mother. Tannahill's Braes O' Balquhidder as sung today always uses the published tune set by R A Smith whereas you'll find versions of 'Boney's awa' frae his warring and fighting' use the Three Carles O' Buchanan. The two tunes are similar but the orally transmitted tunes are all similar in their difference to the normally sung 'Braes O' Balquhidder.
My dissertation and argument are quite extensive and so the above paragaraph is very condensed.

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Mar 12 - 11:42 AM

Arti-

This is Mudcat at its best.

Some requests take ten years or so to fulfill.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: Brian Peters
Date: 03 Mar 12 - 07:34 AM

Cecil Sharp collected a version of this song, called 'Boney's Defeat', from Mrs Townsley and Mary Wilson (her daughter) in Kentucky during 1917. Mike Yates writes, in his notes to the EFDSS pubication 'Dear Companion', that the song was probably written by one James Watt of Paisley, Scotland, and set to the Scots tune 'The Braes of Balquither'. Its popularity in North America seems to be the result of having appeared in 'The Forget-me-not Songster', which was circulating in America during the 1830s.

Jeff Davis and I will be including the Kentucky version in our 'Sharp's Appalachian Harvest' programme.

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Mar 12 - 04:31 AM

Thank you to all who have contributed to my search for the song
"The Isle of St. Helena" in particular for Mary Black's version.
I can now look a friend straight in the eye for he has been searching for the song for quite some time.
Thank goodness for you and for Mudcat too !

Arti.

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Mar 12 - 02:27 AM

Refresh.

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 08:59 AM

Arti-

Thanks for checking in again but which song were you actually after?

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 02:58 AM

Hi, Arti-
This link will lead you to Mary Black's Website, and her information on the "Isle of St. Helena" (note song title). The song was available on three albums, Holding Up Half the Sky (1997), Collected (1984), and General Humbert II (1978).

There's a YouTube recording of the song at this link (click).

Hope that does the trick for you.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 02:17 AM

Thank you all for your contributions to my search for the song.
I am however still unable to locate a recording of it.
Someone mentioned that Mary Black has recorded it but
I am unable to locate on which album.
Any other ideas/clues.Please ?

Arti.

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 04:32 PM

There's an old-time setting on "Harmon's Peak: Traditional American Music" (2007) well worth hearing.

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: Anne Neilson
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 12:56 PM

Sorry I can't do the clicky links (or even if said links are available!), but I first heard this sung in a beautiful version, with concertina accompaniment, by English singer Steve Turner in the 70's, and it featured on his album 'Outstack'.

And having not thought about him in many years, lo and behold he's been touring near here (central Scotland) within the pat two weeks -- although, sadly, I couldn't make his nearest gig.

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 08:30 AM

Arti-

Are you there?

And here's our family version:

Anon - Collected by Frank Warner in 1940
From the singing of Tink Tillet and Bill Bonyun
With changes by Dahlov and Charlie Ipcar

Bony on the Isle of St. Helena

Now, Bony he has gone from his wars and his figntin';
He has gone to a place he can take no delight in;
Where alone he may dream of the battles he hast been in,
While forlorn he doth mourn on the Isle of St. Helena.

Oh, the rude rushing waves 'round the wild shores are washing,
And the great billows rage on the black rocks a-dashing;
Though he look from the summit of the great Mount Diana,
He'll see nought but waves 'round the Isle of St. Helena.

Louisa his queen mourns her husband departed;
She dreams when she sleeps, and she wakes broken hearted;
No friends to console her, even those who might be with her,
For her heart's far away on the Isle of St. Helena.

Oh, ye Parliaments of England and yer Holy Alliance,
To the despot of Europe ye may now bid defiance;
For his grave misdeeds and his baser misdemeanors
Have cause him to die on the Isle of St. Helena.

Oh, ye wealthy and great, now beware of ambition;
For 'tis a degree of fate that may change yer condition;
Be ye steadfast in faith, for what is to be ye know not,
Lest ye shall end as he on the Isle of St. Helena.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 04:08 AM

Track list of Frank Harte's double CD of Naspoleonic songs - 'My Name's Napoleon Bonepart'
Jim Carroll

1.   Isle Of Saint Helena
2.   The Nightingale
3.   Bonny Light Horseman
4.   Sweet Laurel Hill
5.   My Son Tim
6.   Napolean's Farewell To Paris
7.   King's Shilling
8.   Bonny Bunch Of Roses
9.   Eighteenth Of June
10. Grand Conversation On Napolean
11. Lonely Waterloo
12. Green Linnet
13. Wounded Hussar
Disc 2 of 2
1.   Mantle Of Green
2.   The Love Token
3.   My Love At Waterloo
4.   Armagh Volunteer
5.   Plains Of Waterloo
6.   Dearthairin O Mo Chroi
7.   Napolean's Lamentation
8.   Welcome Napolean To Erin
9.   Granuaile
10. You Sons Of Old Ireland
11. Napolean Bonaparte
12. Whiskey In The Jar
13. Saxon's Shilling

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: GUEST,Charles Biada
Date: 29 Feb 12 - 09:44 PM

E.R. White arranged it for John G. McCurry's 1855 shapenote tunebook THE SOCIAL HARP. Unlike most other volumes in the style, THE SOCIAL HARP contains a number of secular pieces meant for use in singing schools.

A recording is available from Rounder on the album The Social Harp: Early American Shape-Note Songs. I caution that it is one of the weaker tunes on the album (and indeed in the entire book, which contains many exceptional pieces unprinted in the tunebooks that still see regular use).

Here is the given verse:

Buonaparte is a-far,
From his war and his fighting;
He has gone to a place
He can never delight in;

He may list to the winds
On the great Mount Diana,
While alone he remains
On the Isle of Saint Helena.

Subject: ADD: The Isle of St. Helena
From: Commander Crabbe
Date: 29 Feb 12 - 03:54 PM

This is the Mary Black version

Isle of St Helena

THE ISLE OF ST. HELENA

Now Bony he has gone from his wars all a-fightin'
He has gone to the place where he takes no delight in.
And there he may sit down and tell the sights he's seen of
When full long doth he mourn on the Isle of St. Helena.

No more in St. Cloud will he'll appear in great splendor
Nor step forth from the crowdlike the great Alexander,
He may look to the east , while he thinks of Hana,
with is heart full of war, on the Isle of St. Helena

The wide rushing waves all around the shores a-washin'
And the wide billows heaves on the wild rocks are dashin'.
He may look over the main to the great Mount Diana
With his eyes on the waves that surround St. Helena.

Oh, Louisy she weeps for her husband's departin'
And she dreams while she sleeps and she wakes broken-hearted.
There is none to console her, thought there is many to be with her
While alone she does mourn while she thinks of St. Helena.

So you that have wealth, beware of ambition
For there is some twist of fate could soon change your condition.
Be steadfast in time what's to come change you cannot
For maybe your race will end on the Isle of St. Helena.

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: RTim
Date: 29 Feb 12 - 01:13 PM

I think this is Roud No. 349, and it appears in Warners book of songs, and can be found in many collections.
Nick Jones also recorded a version.

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 29 Feb 12 - 01:05 PM

Try this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC_RQwf6rKU

Subject: RE: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 Feb 12 - 12:52 PM

There's Bonaparte's "Farewell to Paris" and "The Isle of St. Helena," (Now Bonnie's come and gone from his wars and his fighting...) for period songs.

Any other clues?

Charley Noble

Subject: Farewell to St.Helena.Recording ?
From: GUEST,Arti
Date: 29 Feb 12 - 12:21 PM

I am searching for a song and hopefully a recording of the song.
Possibly/probably it is from a group/person in the UK