Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)

Subject: Tune Req: farewell farewell
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 05 May 20 - 11:00 AM

Does anyone have the sheet music for the above by Richard Thompson? I can't seem to find it anywhere and its been going round in my head lately.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 05 May 20 - 11:15 AM

Does it have to be sheet music, or will lyrics with chords do?

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell
From: GUEST,ake
Date: 05 May 20 - 11:53 AM

I was looking for the sheet music starship, but I would appreciate the chords as a starter..... I have a strange style using most of the notes.
Thanks for the response....A

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell
From: GUEST,Mark Bluemel
Date: 05 May 20 - 12:04 PM

This may help - the tune is traditional with a somewhat complicated provenance.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 05 May 20 - 12:09 PM

Sorry mark, I'm getting a 404.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 05 May 20 - 12:11 PM

https://www.ultimate-tabs.com/richard-thompson/farewell-farewell-chords

Then there is the following posted by Lonesome EJ

Lyr/Chords Add: FAREWELL FAREWELL (R Thompson)
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 11:25 PM

This has always been my favorite Fairport song. I looked on the internet but couldn't find chords for it. This is the best I could do with it, but I would welcome any corrections.


FAREWELL FAREWELL
by Richard Thompson

Fare(D)well, fare(A)well to you who would (E)hear
You (D)lonely (E)travellers (D)all
The (A)cold north (D)wind will (F#m)blow again
The (D)winding (E)road does (D)call

And will you (A)never return to (E)see
Your (D)bruised and (E)beaten (D)sons?
"Oh, I (A)would, I (D)would, if (F#M)welcome I were
For they (D)love me, (E)every (D)one"

And will you (A)never cut the (E)cloth
Or (D)drink the (E)light to (D)be?
And (A)can you (D)never (F#m)swear a year
To (D)any(E)one of (D)we?

"No, I will (A)never cut the (E)cloth
Or (D)drink the (E)light to (D)be
But I'll (A)swear a (D)year to (F#m)one who lies
A(D)sleep along (E)side of (D)me"

Farewell, fare(A)well to you who would(E) hear
You (D)lonely (E)travellers (D)all
The (A)cold north (D)wind will (F#m)blow again
The (D)winding (E)road does (D)call
End on (A)

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell
From: Jeri
Date: 05 May 20 - 12:27 PM

The tune is from Willy O' Winsbury

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 05 May 20 - 01:10 PM

Thank you very much Starship and Jeri.
That will keep me busy during my enforced layoff!
I cant get the song out of my head at present ...how to interpret the lyrics, but I suppose the words speak for themselves....brilliance at it's brightest.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: Nick
Date: 05 May 20 - 05:44 PM

Well those aren’t the chords when I play it. Do you want chords, tab or the tune? What do you want to play it on or what key would you like to sing it in?

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 06 May 20 - 02:30 AM

Hi Nick, thanks for responding, I'm only an amateur and thumb pick the acoustic guitar....I think I have everything I need from   Starship and Jeri and can amend the chords to suit once I get started, As I mentioned already, I have an unusual style of playing, but I'm too old to start over.....Thanks Ake.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: GUEST,Mark Bluemel
Date: 06 May 20 - 03:06 AM

Except it's not quite the original tune from Willy O'Winsbury - see this Corrected Link for a discussion.

Apologies for the earlier broken link - something went awry with the blinky maker.

Mark

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: Gordon Jackson
Date: 06 May 20 - 03:25 AM

Farewell, Farewell is a beautiful, mysterious song. Thompson wrote ‘loathe me’, rather than ‘love me’. The tune likely came to RT via Sweeney’s Men’s recording of Willie o Winsbury. However, as pointed out in Leagues O’Toole’s book, The Humours of Planxty, ‘He [Andy Irvine] also sings lead on one of the album’s outstanding tracks, Willy O Winsbury [sic], the words of which were learned from from Child’s English and Scottish Popular Ballads, and were actually confused with an entirely different air.’

That ‘entirely different air’ was Fause Foodrage (Child no. 89). The can be found in Bronson’s The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads, Volume II. Bronson provides three airs. The one closest to Farewell, Farewell, has the title, Eastmuir King (which can also be found in The Harris Repertoire, Lyle et al, 2002), though clearly a version of Fause Foodrage. Of it, Bronson says, ‘[This] form of the ballad bears the look of having been recently re-worked by somebody with pretensions to literary taste.’ Ouch. William Christie, in his 1876 book, Traditional Ballad Airs, says the tune ‘appears to be very ancient’.

I’ve long thought of doing something with this tune, but simply can’t decide whether it would be Fause Foodrage/Eastmuir King or Willie o Winsbury or Farewell, Farewell.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 06 May 20 - 05:45 AM

Very interesting Gordon, It is indeed a beautiful song and as I said earlier, to search for a meaning would detract from the wonderful and magical poetry.. one can sit back and just let the song sweep over you, instilling a deep sense of melancholy, but ending in a positive purpose, the devotion to another kindred soul.    Thank you for your input.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: GUEST
Date: 06 May 20 - 06:23 AM

Thanks, Ake. I've just consulted the two Patrick Humphries books, the biographies of Fairport Convention and of Richard Thompson. Humphries confirms that RT got the air from the Sweeney's Men album: 'rotten words, great tune' was how Richard described it. He also felt his own words were too personal. Do you have the tune now? I could transcribe it for you from the Fairport songbook.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: Gordon Jackson
Date: 06 May 20 - 06:30 AM

Oops, that was me. Always doing that!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: Nick
Date: 06 May 20 - 06:57 AM

Well you might as well have this anyway :) It is an approximation of the chord and tune. I don't normally play it as an instrumental piece but accompany it Farewell, farewell

Hopefully it may give some help

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 06 May 20 - 08:23 AM

Despite some recently expressed views, this section is a wonderful place full of the nicest people.
I'm fixed now and shall irritate my son with my clumsy attempts for weeks Thanks to all.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: Nick
Date: 06 May 20 - 08:58 AM

I've been having a bit of fun to see if i can take my roughly played bit of guitar and convert it into other things...

And so

1 Midi file - Midi

2 If you have Musescore (recommend you do!) - Musescore file

3 PDF of piano from Dorico - Piano pdf

4 Guitar tab (iffy!) - Piano pdf

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 06 May 20 - 09:00 AM

Nick, that was absolutely beautiful.....I'll never manage up to your level but I will download and play the piece whenever I start to lose hope....A

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: Gordon Jackson
Date: 07 May 20 - 07:16 AM

Despite some recently expressed views, this section is a wonderful place full of the nicest people.

Completely agree!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: farewell farewell (Richard Thompson)
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 07 May 20 - 07:32 AM

Nice work, Nick.