Lyr Req:Miller's Lovely Daughter[for Gibran Lewis]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req:Miller's Lovely Daughter[for Gibran Lewis]
From: Ged Fox
Date: 30 Mar 20 - 05:57 PM

The song that I called a volkslied is in fact a poem by Joseph von Eichendorf (1812) with a melody by Glück. On closer inspection, it is not really a broken token song, as the broken ring is a symbol of broken faith, rather than the token of enduring faith. The parting in
Das gebrochene ringlein is permanent.

"the miller's lovely daughter was standing at the door, reflected in the water, I saw her face once more; reflected in the water, I saw her face once more." fits Gluck's tune, and includes a Miller's Daughter, but is not a translation of any verse in the poem (at least as far as included in the Allgemeines Deutsches Kommersbuch.) My unsupported guess is that Gilbran's song is a softer paraphrase, suitable for young people, inspired by Eichendorf's harsh original.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req:Miller's Lovely Daughter[for Gibran Lewis]
From: cnd
Date: 30 Mar 20 - 04:38 PM

The song Gilbran has mentioned seems very remniscient of this story (purportedly German in origin) titled "Elise's Vanity" about a miller's daughter who wishes to be beautiful and is told if she never looks at her face again then she will be beautiful. She does as told for several years, until one night she decides to look and dies in fright of being ugly again: https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=THDG18710311.1.3&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------

Here is a song-version of "The Broken Ring" to which Ged Fox referred: link

It does seem to have a similar pattern of song as this song (link) The miller's daughter = die Müllerstochter / text by Alfred Tennyson; music by Henry Bickford Pasmore.

None of those (except the short story) have the phrases Gibran is looking for, though.

Subject: Lyr Add: ON THE BANKS OF ALLAN WATER (M G Lewis)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 30 Mar 20 - 03:35 PM

These words are sung by a character called Mrs. Secret in Rich and Poor: A Comic Opera by M[atthew] G[regory] Lewis (London: proprietors, 1823), page 6. This seems to be the source of the song. I have boldfaced the words that are different from the DT:

On the banks of Allan water,
When the sweet Spring-time did fall,
Was the Miller's lovely daughter,
Fairest of them all.
For his bride a soldier sought her,
And a winning tongue had he:
On the banks of Allan water,
None was gay as she.

On the banks of Allan water
When brown Autumn shed its store,
There I saw the Miller's daughter;
But she smiled no more.
For the summer grief had brought her
And the soldier false was he!
On the banks of Allan water,
None was sad as she.

On the banks of Allan water,
When the Winter-snow fell fast,
Still was found the Miller's daughter:
Chilling blew the blast!
But the Miller's lovely daughter
Both from cold and care was* free;
On the banks of Allan water,
There a corse lay she.

- - - - -
* This change corrects a grammar error.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req:Miller's Lovely Daughter[for Gibran Lewis]
From: Ged Fox
Date: 30 Mar 20 - 05:55 AM

"zerbrochene"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req:Miller's Lovely Daughter[for Gibran Lewis]
From: Ged Fox
Date: 30 Mar 20 - 05:36 AM

From the line she quoted, Gibran did not seem to be seeking for "Allan Water." The line, or verse rather, would fit perfectly to the tune of the volkslied "Das gebrochene ringlein," a broken token song featuring a miller's daughter. Maybe the song she remembers was loosely based on that.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req:Miller's Lovely Daughter[for Gibran Lewis]
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 11:14 PM

Gibran, please post something here so we know you've seen this.
-Joe Offer, Mudcat Music Editor-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req:Miller's Lovely Daughter[for Gibran Lewis]
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 06:27 PM

There are a goodly number of renditions on YouTube with a search of

on the banks of allan water

so you'll have many from which to choose. Best wishes to you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req:Miller's Lovely Daughter[for Gibran Lewis]
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 06:21 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3UnZT0ioFE

That is a recorded version from back when your grandmum was young.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req:Miller's Lovely Daughter[for Gibran Lewis]
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 06:03 PM

Some history about OtBoAW at

https://digital.nls.uk/broadsides/view/?id=16484

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Miller's Lovely Daughter
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 05:54 PM

Searching our database and forum, what I come up with is Banks of Allan Water. Could that be the one?

---

BANKS OF ALLAN WATER (Digital Tradition)

By the banks of Allan Water
When the sweet springtime did fall
There I saw the miller's lovely daughter
Fairest of them all
For his wife, a soldier sought her
And a winning tongue had he
On the banks of Allan Water, none so gay as she

On the banks of Allan Water
When brown autumn spread its store
There I saw the miller's daughter
But she smiled no more
For the summer, grief had brought her
And a soldier false was he
On the banks of Allan Water, none so sad as she

On the banks of Allan Water
When the winter snow fell fast
Still was seen the miller's daughter
Chilling blew the blast
But the miller's lovely daughter
Both from cold and care were free
On the banks of Allan Water
A corpse lay she

@death @courtship
by Monk Lewis
filename[ ALANWATR
TUNE FILE: ALANWATR
CLICK TO PLAY
printed in Cole's Folk Songs of England, Ireland, Scotland &
Wales
SOF

---

Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song:

Banks of Allan Water, The

DESCRIPTION: "By the banks of Allan Water When the sweet springtime did fall, There I saw the miller's lovely daughter, Fairest of them all." By autumn, the girl has been betrayed by her soldier love and grieves; by winter, she is dead
AUTHOR: Matthew Lewis (1775-1818) ?
EARLIEST DATE: c.1850? (broadside, NLScotland Crawford EB 2836); 1896 (Family Star & Herald)
KEYWORDS: love courting soldier betrayal death
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
DT, ALANWATR*
Roud #4260
RECORDINGS:
Daisy Chapman, "The Banks of Allen Water" (on SCDChapman01)
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, Crawford EB 2836, "The Banks of Allan Water," G. Walker (Durham), ca.1850?; L.C.Fol.70(98b), "On the Banks of Allan Water," [same broadside as RB.m.143(211)]
SAME TUNE:
Sheridan's "Early" Victory ("In the Shenandoah Valley") (WolfAmericanSongSheets p. 140)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Allan Water
The Miller's Daughter
NOTES [95 words]: Quoted by Hardy in Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), sung by Bathsheba Everdene.
Robert Crawford (died 1733) also wrote a song called "Allan Water," which is considered one of his best works. But this song has little if any traditional attestation. It is only of note because Robert Burns admired author Crawford, whose works were found in Ramsay's Tea Table Miscellany attributed to "C" (see Stanley J. Kunitz and Howard Haycraft, Editors, British Authors Before 1800: A Biographical Dictionary, H. W. Wilson, 1952 (I use the fourth printing of 1965), p. 129). - RBW
Last updated in version 4.2
File: DTalanwa

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Subject: Lyr Req: Miller's Lovely Daughter
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 05:51 PM

from another thread:

Thread #40058   Message #4042747
Posted By: GUEST,Gibran Lewis
29-Mar-20 - 12:57 AM
Thread Name: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child

My grandmother, Audrey nee` Franklin, born in 1927, would sometimes sing this, among many other songs she knew and loved. Until finding this thread, I could find nothing of its origins. She also sang a lyrical ballad about The Miller's Lovely Daughter, but I can find little on that either. She was a repository of songs, but those are two I've had the hardest time finding historical background on. This thread was a wonderful find regarding the first, Twilight's Fairy Daughter/A Star Child. If anyone knows origins on the Miller's Lovely Daughter, please let me know. It was slower, and included the lines, "the miller's lovely daughter was standing at the door, reflected in the water, I saw her face once more; reflected in the water, I saw her face once more."

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 02:30 PM

https://www.contemplator.com/scotland/alnwater.html

It is more easily found under the title "On the Banks of the Allan Waters"

That should make your searches easier or more complete. Best of luck with it.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 01:15 PM

GUEST,Gibran Lewis, although this should likely have a thread of its own, I am posting the link which I think takes the song back to about 1880. It is no doubt older than that and I'll look further, but there are some well-informed people on this site and I expect you'll get a bunch of info over the next few days from them.

https://books.google.ca/books?id=jn1AAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA498&lpg=PA498&dq=%22the+miller%27s+lovely+daughter%22&source=bl&ots=NmDMKvvqR