Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: The Sandman
Date: 10 Sep 14 - 06:28 AM

Dick Miles used to sing one, the refrain of which went "while fingering the buttons and squeezing the box of my little concertina". If memory serves me right thaat was written by Jim Garrett of Essex and appeared in his book "Jim's Yolk Songs".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: GUEST,OldNicKilby
Date: 10 Sep 14 - 06:00 AM

"Spinning Concertina's " I have one of Hamish's Holmwood Concertinas that I try quite hard to play

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: GUEST,SqueezeMe
Date: 09 Sep 14 - 07:27 AM

There was some discussion
here
on this subject on another forum a while back.
Worth a look....

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 09 Sep 14 - 01:25 AM

G'day again Rose:

These are the words that Australian poet Henry Lawson wrote ... in tribute to the (typically 'Bush' players' usually ...) 'Anglo-German (the 'push-pull 'folk-style) concertina:

The Good Old Concertina

Henry Lawson, 1891

'Twas merry when the hut was full
Of jolly girls and fellows.
We danced and sang until we burst
The concertina's bellows.
From distant Darling to the sea,
From the Downs to Riverina,
Has e'er a gum in all the west
Not heard the concertina?

'Twas peaceful round the campfire blaze,
The long white branches o'er us;
We'd play the tunes of bygone days,
To some good old bush chorus.
Old Erin's harp may sweeter be,
The Scottish pipes blow keener;
But sing an old bush song for me
To the good old concertina.

'Twas cosy by the hut-fire bright
When the pint pot passed between us;
We drowned the voice of the stormy night
With the good old concertina's.
Though trouble drifts along the years,
And the pangs of care grow keener,
My heart is gladdened when it hears
That good old concertina.

Quite a few years abck ( ... - 1990s) I decided to compose a tune ... to let me sing it. My wife listened ... and said: "I've always liked "The Curly-Headed Plough-Boy ... ! H...mmm... so I went back and composed a more original tune!

If you can give me a postal ... web address, I can send you a PDF of the words and tune as a song / tune sheet!

Regards,

BobB

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Sep 14 - 08:12 PM

As mentioned above by guest OldNicKilby, Harvey Andrews' beautiful song "Spinning Concertinas"

When the working day's beginning
In the shed behind the barn
She weaves her wool by spinning its fibre into yarn
He carves the wood beside her
And he gently hums a song
And the wood, the brass, the leather
They yearn to sing along

In the wood, the brass, the leather
Hide the songs of every bird
He can put them all together
So the songs will still be heard
In the wood, the brass, the leather
There's a reason and a rhyme
Tales retold forever, with tunes as old as time
As old as time

In the morning when the city wakes
And makes to face the day
With its up the pace, win the race,
Who's the last to stay
They share their time with silence
And she knows their life is sweet
As he takes wood and brass and leather
To make music when they meet

He bends, he glues, he fixes
He nips, he tucks, he folds
He tacks, he taps, he mixes
He models and he moulds
And when his day is over
He plays the love he feels
For the one who sits a'spinning
At the ever turning wheels

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: GUEST,SqueezeMe
Date: 08 Sep 14 - 06:32 PM

The concertina gets a mention in a verse of the Australian song "Brisbane Ladies"

Oh, the girls of Toomancy they look so entrancing,
Like waltzing young heifers they're looking for fun.
With the waltz and the polka and all kinds of dancing
To the old concertina of Henry Gunn.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: The Sandman
Date: 08 Sep 14 - 08:20 AM

Performed by
Gracie Fields

Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming
Christmas is coming again.
But that never thrills me, the thought of it chills me
I tell you it fills me with pain.
It makes me remember a Christmas gone by,
When I was extremely upset
A night in December, an evening that I,
Would very much rather forget

For I took me harp to a party
But nobody asked me to play,
The others were jolly and hearty
But I wasn't feeling so gay.
They might have said, "Play us a tune we can sing."
But somehow I don't think they noticed the thing.
I took me harp to a party
But nobody asked me to play
So... I took the darned thing away!

They asked Mrs. Morgan to play her mouth-organ
And somebody else did a dance
They Let Mrs. Carter perform a sonata
But I wasn't given a chance.
Anorth country person called Sandy McPherson
Played bagpipes and took off his coat.
While both the Miss Fawcetts bust out of their corsets
In trying to take a top note.

For I took me harp to a party
But nobody asked me to play,
The others were jolly and hearty
But I wasn't feeling so gay.
I felt so ashamed at not striking a note
That I tried to hide the thing under me coat
I took me harp to a party
But nobody asked me to play
So... I took the darned thing away!

They sang "Home Sweet Home" and "The Banks of Loch Lomond"
And "All the King's Horses" and "Trees"
While nephews and nieces kept playing their pieces
And spreading their jam on the keys.
A daughter called Lena, played her concertina
We all played ridiculous games,
'Til old Mr. Dwyer, set his whiskers on fire
And a fire engine played on the flames.

But I took me harp to a party
But nobody asked me to play
So... I took the darned thing away!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: Jack Campin
Date: 08 Sep 14 - 05:51 AM

As quoted by George Melly: "the Navy promises you a life of wine, women and song - after you join you find it's rum, bum and concertina".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: GUEST,OldNicKilby
Date: 08 Sep 14 - 05:21 AM

Harvey Andrews wrote a lovely song as a tribute to Hamish Bayne the maker of Holmwood Concertinas and Frieda. Then there is Dave Taylors "The Melodians are Coming"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 08 Sep 14 - 12:53 AM

G'day again Rose,

I should have said: " ... an email address / OR a safe, intermediate, drop-off point ...

Regard(les)s,

BobB

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 07 Sep 14 - 11:59 PM

G'day Rose,

The Australian poet Henry Lawson wrote a nice'song-length' poem called The Good Old Concertina ... starting with:

It was merry when the hut was full
Of jolly girls and fellows.
We danced and sang, until we burst
The concertina's bellows!

... and on, in that vein ... but different characteristic places for concertina playing in Australian custom.

I wrote a tune for the poem ... and play it occasionally at the (Sydney, NSW, Australia Bush Music Club and similar occasions.

If you giveme an email address, I can send you a formatted 1-page A4 as a PDF.

Regards,

BobB

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 07 Sep 14 - 11:17 PM

PALESTEENA

"They say that Lena is the Queen o' Palesteena,
Just because they like her concertina...."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 07 Sep 14 - 11:06 PM

ACCORDION - a poem by Robert Service.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 07 Sep 14 - 11:03 PM

THE OLD ACCORDION MAN sung by Isla Grant - also on YouTube.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 07 Sep 14 - 10:58 PM

SAM, THE OLD ACCORDION MAN from 1927 (You can hear it on Spotify or YouTube.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 06 Sep 14 - 12:47 PM

The Concertina Reel

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 06 Sep 14 - 12:39 PM

"All over Italy they play the concertina, popopicolina, etc!"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: The Sandman
Date: 06 Sep 14 - 12:38 PM

on my little concertina.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 06 Sep 14 - 12:37 PM

Well there's Glasgow Dan, the Melodeon Man.
Glasgow Dan

And the squeezebox is mentioned in the last verse of John Conolly's Fiddler's Green. You'll find that in the DT.

And "There's Room fur us a' in the Dance" by Ian Davison, also from Glasgow and referring to
"Phil on the box and Aly on the fiddle" (Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain) The tune is "The Back o' Bennachie"

CHORUS: Wi Phil on the box and Aly on the fiddle
We birl at the top and then we dash doon the middle.
And what she sees in him is a riddle
And there's room for us all in the dance.

There's some no even started yet,
And there's some who're up for every set
And some wi' faces streaked wi' sweat
And there's room for us all in the dance.

They're a' in noo for The Sergeant Dashin,
Wi the elbows high and the partners clashin,
And the blood is up and the eyes are flashin,
And there's room for us all in the dance.

Then arm in arm in rows we're headin,
Steppin afoot for Mairi's Wedding,
An some'll no miss the weight they're sheddin,
And there's room for us all in the dance.

The cry goes up for Strip the Willow,
The ties are off and the dresses billow,
And I wouldnae mind her for to share my pillow,
And there's room for us all in the dance.


And then Dave Taylor has a rather dread-ridden song called "The Melodeons are Coming"

Will this do for starters, Rose?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: Jack Campin
Date: 06 Sep 14 - 12:32 PM

Does this help?

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4YWhTstzgNsC&lpg=PA157&ots=Hxthzvgtzt&dq=circassian%20accordion&pg=PA157#v=onepage&q=circassian%20accordion&f=false

(Kari S. Neely: Diasporic Representations: A Study of Circassian and Armenian Identities in Greater Syria, page 157 onwards)

There has got to be some Italian folklore about the organetto but I can't find it.

Subject: Lyr Req: Concertina/Accordion theme
From: GUEST,Rose
Date: 06 Sep 14 - 11:54 AM

Searching for folk tunes, ballads and folk stoires/folklore that use the concertina/accordion as a theme. Songs/stories about squeezebox players........songs that make mention of accordions/concertinas etc. Any help or leads would be just wonderful.

Thanks very much!