Tune Req: The Archers Theme

Subject: The Archers Theme
From: Baz
Date: 01 Dec 99 - 07:00 PM

Here in Cornwall we share a radio programme with England called the Archers. Nothing to do with Bowmen but an everyday story of country folk. It's got a nifty theme tune, once played by Steeleye Span. Does anybody have the dots or know the name of the tune?
Regards Baz

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: John Wood
Date: 01 Dec 99 - 07:16 PM

Hi Baz
Is that the same Archers Program that used to be sent for thirty years ago?
I can remember my Grandfather listening to that every evening.
Seem to remember it went every week day 6.45 till 7pm.
I can also vaguely remember the theme tune.....I'll see if I can find any thing.

Regards from Norway.
Have you seen the new Photos?
Greetings John.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From:
Date: 01 Dec 99 - 07:34 PM

Hi John
Yes thats the one. No I haven't seen the pics can you type in the web adress for me?.
Thanks Baz

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Micca
Date: 01 Dec 99 - 07:35 PM

Baz, I'm fairly sure (95%) the tune is called barwick green. This might help you in a search i don't know where you would get the dots. Hope this helps.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: alison
Date: 01 Dec 99 - 07:41 PM

Hi,

this is a great URL Jon Freeman sent me.. it has lots of old radio and TV themes on Real Audio... and some video clips.

The Archers Theme (Barwick Green) is there

TV and Radio themes

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Melbert
Date: 02 Dec 99 - 02:34 AM

Baz--- are you showing your age??? BBC dropped the "everyday story of country folk" bit over 20 years ago! (Since then it's just been "the Archers".
I agree with Billy Connolly who argues that we (in UK) should adopt this as our new national anthem. No words, just "dumpty dumpty dumpty dum, dumpty dumpty dum-dum... etc). Much brighter than our present dirge!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Kernow John
Date: 02 Dec 99 - 12:46 PM

Thanks to all
Micca thats the name.
Great site Alison and yes Melbert I have to confess that age is something I'm challenged by.
Regards and thanks again
Baz

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 03 Dec 99 - 04:10 AM

No one is ever challenged by age, you challenge the rest of the world to remember where you are!

LTS, getting that way herself.... but nowhere near Micca!! HA HA HA!!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From:
Date: 03 Dec 99 - 04:14 AM

The tune "Barwick Green" - just as a straight 16-bar hornpipe - is published in Edward Huw Jones (ed) (1995) "The Ceilidh Collection" , Boosey & Hawkes. The tune is there attributed to Arthur Wood, with a B&H copywright date of 1925

Malcolm.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: roopoo
Date: 04 Dec 99 - 03:27 AM

My mum said a wonderful thing when she turned 70: 'There's a 40 year old in me - but my body won't let it out to play!' As I have got older I have started getting lectures from the matriarch (now 83) on the lines of: 'You're not as young as you were!' Oh yeah? Just let me get me creaking body out of this chair. I'll show her! I'm not 50 yet...well not quite.

mouldy

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: wildlone
Date: 04 Dec 99 - 01:25 PM

Tom Arnold of the Archers, the character Tom Forrest,was a folk singer and one of the plots had Tom and others organising a folk event in the village.The then new and young Yetties who new Tom were asked to play the group that appeared whilst there they recorded a folk version of Barwick Green that was used to open and close the show. The BBC and The Tines had letters of complaint about "long haired pop stars invading the Archers".
One of the songs Tom sang was The Rest Of The Days Your Own.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: wildlone
Date: 04 Dec 99 - 03:32 PM

Have found the words to the rest of the day's your own and posted them as a new thread.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Sep 09 - 01:09 PM

Somebody on another forum I read claimed that the tune was used for a traditional maypole dance at Barwick-in-Elmet, which was where he was from. But he couldn't find any more about it.

Amazing video here, but no Archers theme tune:

http://www.barwickinelmethistoricalsociety.com/polecine99.html

It seems likely that such a big event would have its own special tune, but if it did the historical society hadn't found it either.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 02 Sep 09 - 03:22 PM

It's a very old thread, but just to round up some accurate info...
Arthur Wood (from wikipedia).
http://www.musicweb-international.com/garlands/wood.htm
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Stower
Date: 02 Sep 09 - 03:38 PM

The dots are here.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Dave Roberts
Date: 02 Sep 09 - 03:43 PM

Tom Forest's 'party piece' was a 'Borsetshire' folk song called 'The Village Pump' which he would trot out on Ambridge high days and holidays. I have a recording of him performing it at a Christmas concert in the village hall(not sure of the year, but the concert was organised by Caroline Bone, so Archers fans will be able to identify the general period).
As for Barwick Green, I can remember hearing an interview with the original producer of the serial (the name Smethurst springs to mind, but I may be wrong) and he said it was taken from a composition called 'Our Native Heath' which he found in the BBC Gramophone library.
He took it home and played it on the radiogram (the period touches are coming thick and fast here)continuously over a whole weekend. When his family failed to get sick of hearing the tune after so many playings, he knew that it was the signature tune he needed. That was in 1951, and it's still played nearly every day of the week (albeit in that new-fangled stereophonic sound these days).

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Folkiedave
Date: 02 Sep 09 - 04:32 PM

The signature tune played at the start and finish of the Omnibus Edition each Sunday 10.00 am onwards BBC Radio4 is the Yetties' recording. The one in the weekday evening was made the CBSO I believe.

The Yetties are guests at next year's Whitby Folk Week.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Sep 09 - 05:09 PM

The link Stower posted is to a sample page.

As far as I can tell there is no free copy of the whole tune on the web, in any format.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Leadfingers
Date: 02 Sep 09 - 05:37 PM

Admiral found a download of the dots and hit print - I think it ran to about forty A4 pages , of which the actual theme was about FOUR pages . The Archers Theme is a small part of a fairly major Orchestral work !

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: The Vulgar Boatman
Date: 02 Sep 09 - 06:02 PM

In the mid-eighties, I used to sing in choir with an old boy who played double bass on the original recording and was still getting royalties for it!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 05 Apr 11 - 07:19 AM

I wasted 15 minutes listening to 'Archersextra' this morning. The tune at the beginning and end was really quite jolly but the stuff in between was just a reminder of just how tiresome some of the characters are. I won't be bothering with it again.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Marje
Date: 05 Apr 11 - 08:02 AM

I think the new version is by Bellowhead? Yes, I agree it was the best bit of the programme.

Marje

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Peter the Squeezer
Date: 05 Apr 11 - 05:16 PM

I have a copy of "Ascherberg's Cinema Series" - short tunes for the accompaniment of scenes in silent films, composed by Arthur Wood. I have always assumed that these were written by the same man who wrote Barwick Green.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: sian, west wales
Date: 05 Apr 11 - 05:19 PM

Bellowhead was it? I was wondering ...

Agree: can live without this new slice of Borchester life otherwise.

sian

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 05 Apr 11 - 11:18 PM

I just heard the late-night repeat, & when I heard the theme tune I thought, "That's gotta be Bellowhead!" And it is...

Apparently, they have also recorded the Simpson's theme tune:
"Eighteen months ago, the producers of The Simpsons invited Bellowhead to record a version of their theme tune to coincide with the cult TV programme's 20th anniversary and the band were equally honoured to give this a go too."

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: GUEST
Date: 14 May 17 - 06:35 PM

For the dots the link from
Stower
Date: 02 Sep 09 - 03:38
is still active.


Has anyone ever written some lyrics to go with it?

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 14 May 17 - 06:47 PM

^^^ Pardon, that was me. ^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The old recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNEawM6vZf4



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barwick_Green
"Barwick Green" is the theme music to the long-running BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. It is a "maypole dance" from the suite My Native Heath, written in 1924 by the Yorkshire composer Arthur Wood, and named after Barwick-in-Elmet in Yorkshire's West Riding.

The recording used between 1950 and the 1990s was played by Sidney Torch and his orchestra.[citation needed] Sidney Torch recorded a commercial release of "Barwick Green" in the 1950s, but it was not used on The Archers itself.

The familiar opening 7 notes are echoed in the pizzicato in Benjamin Britten's Simple Symphony, written in 1934.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: Jack Campin
Date: 15 May 17 - 07:22 AM

I don't remember ever hearing all the music in that "old recording" before, and I've heard The Archers on and off since the mid-1950s. I presume that's "Barwick Green" rather than the excerpt the BBC used.

Anyone got the Doom Music? I haven't heard that for quite a while.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: GUEST
Date: 16 May 17 - 05:34 AM

Producer Vanessa Whitburn dropped the "doom music" around the turn of the century.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: GUEST,Jon Dudley
Date: 16 May 17 - 01:15 PM

I think I'm correct in saying that on Sundays only (the omnibus edition), the theme tune is that recorded by The Yetties (or it was). They were mates, I believe of Jim Lloyd who at the time presented Folk on Two.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Archers Theme
From: GUEST,Peter
Date: 16 May 17 - 06:07 PM

You are correct Jon. I prefer the weekday arrangement myself and never did like the Bellowhead version used for the, thankfully defunct, Ambridge Extra.