BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys

Subject: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 13 Oct 20 - 12:05 PM

Michael Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
BBC Radio 4

The author Michael Morpurgo (War Horse, Private Peaceful) explores the ways in which folk songs have reflected timeless human experiences, both in the past and today.

With help from singers, songwriters and other passionate experts, Michael admires the indelible stories within classic songs that deal with migration, war, protest and love.

Over the four themed episodes, Michael considers the locations and historical contexts that gave rise to much-loved traditional songs, and finds out how the same topics are inspiring new folk songs in the 2020s.

from Monday 19th October 2020
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000nllb/episodes/guide

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Joe G
Date: 13 Oct 20 - 01:25 PM

Sounds interesting!

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Jack Campin
Date: 13 Oct 20 - 08:42 PM

The first I knew Morpurgo had any interest in folk was when he was in the news for being attacked by an anti-semitic Brexiteer at the Sidmouth festival.

More power to his elbow for persisting regardless.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 14 Oct 20 - 04:33 AM

Trailed on Radio 4 this morning;

Monday 19 October 4pm; 1/4 Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,Peter Cripps
Date: 14 Oct 20 - 06:19 AM

Sounds great!

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,JHW
Date: 14 Oct 20 - 06:55 AM

Good. I usually hear R4.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 14 Oct 20 - 08:00 AM

Wonderful

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 15 Oct 20 - 10:42 AM

Folk music by Michael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo interviewed by Anna Leszkiewicz. He recalls sharing a performance in Ypres with Coope Boyes and Simpson.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 15 Oct 20 - 02:29 PM

From Wikipedia; "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" is a popular traditional song, sung to the same tune as "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". First published in London in 1867 and written by Joseph B. Geoghegan, a prolific English songwriter and successful music hall figure (Lighter 2012, pp. 28 – 29).

From FOLK SONG AND MUSIC HALL The intersection of folk and music hall, the songs and social history; [Joseph Bryan (Jack) Geoghegan (1816-89)] was born in Barton-upon-Irwell (part of Salford) in 1816, son of a fustian cutter from Dublin, his mother was from Manchester. Allegedly “before he reached manhood [he] took to writing songs upon current events”. Steve Gardham and others active on Mudcat have found around 300 songs written by Geoghegan.

Jack didn’t live by the standards of the day! He married Elizabeth in 1833 and went on to have nine children with her. But he also started a second family with Mary Birchall around 1850 and went on to have eleven children with her. He maintained the two the two families simultaneously, until Elizabeth died in 1871, and he very soon after married Mary.

Geoghegan worked at the Star Hotel in Liverpool from 1845 to 1858, may have been based in Glasgow 1859-1860, worked in several music halls in Sheffield from 1860 to 1864, before becoming the chairman of ceremonies at the Bolton Museum and Star Music Hall in the late 1860s and 1870s.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,JHW
Date: 15 Oct 20 - 05:26 PM

That's a great story but I'll never remember it. Those who introduce their songs with such detail have always impressed me.

Have heard the R4 trailers. MM seems to say four songs have survived ie those he'll cover in 4 programmes. Must be worth a listen anyway.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Ian
Date: 16 Oct 20 - 04:35 AM

For none UK friends that is BBC radio 4 at 16.00 hrs UK time.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 16 Oct 20 - 05:18 AM

At the moment, UK clocks are set to British Summer Time, 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Clocks go back 1 hour at 2am on Sunday, 25 October, returning to Greenwich Mean Time.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 16 Oct 20 - 01:07 PM

you're right about the time for now but rapidly heading back to the Dark Ages

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 16 Oct 20 - 11:52 PM

Author Michael Morpurgo - best-known for his children's books such as War Horse - believes the UK should stay in the European Union.

"I do know my history, and I know we've been at peace for all these years - and that has something to do with Europe," he says.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: The Sandman
Date: 19 Oct 20 - 11:35 AM

excellent programme, good to hear MacColl, four loom weaver imo would have had more impact unaccompanied

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 19 Oct 20 - 01:26 PM

Michael Morpurgo's Folk Journeys Episode 2/4 BBC Radio 4 4pm Monday 26 October 2020

In the second episode, Michael considers a song of protest: Four Loom Weaver.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: The Sandman
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 04:04 AM

Congratulations to the bbc for this programme

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 04:10 AM



Yes,very good - well worth catching the remaining three programmes.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Joe G
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 04:53 AM

Agreed - excellent programme with a wide range of contributors

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 10:26 AM

A wide range of contributors but very little in the way of announcement of names of contributors.

Robin

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Vic Smith
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 11:05 AM

I found it very enjoyable and well constructed and careful to keep its appeal broad to those who know the music intimately and those experiencing the songs and singers for the first time. Generally, the speakers were well chosen. There were a few minor things that I didn't like about it but they they were well outnumbered by the things that I enjoyed.
The main message the programme seemed to have was 'This is the music and song of sincerity' and that is one of the elements that attracted so many of us to this music,

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,Clive Pownceby
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 11:25 AM

Vic is spot on here. Agreeable listening. I'd like to think it might have interested the casual listener in the songs we know and love. Well we can but dream.
Pity it wasn't longer - imagine what wider aspects might have been covered if it had been an hour? Still we must be grateful for anything of this nature from our national public service broadcaster. I'd like to think Lord Reith would have approved. Morgurgo comes across as the decent human being I believe him to be.
I'll be tuning in again.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: The Sandman
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 12:49 PM

i think Lord Reith would have approved, i thought the analysis was thoughtful, the announcements of names of speakers is not so important to new listeners perhaps as to those who have been involved for a while. the exposure to the songs and the analysis and context is possibly the most important.This is exactly the correct way to introduce folk song, much better than folk being part of some celebrity or pop star or competition,format. it is the music that is of paramount importance and its political and historical context ,excellent programme

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 02:26 PM

Yes, many more positives than negatives. Can anyone please give us a blue clicky to the programme somewhere online so we can praise it and ask for more of the same?

The only slight negative that I had was a few of the tracks were unnecessarily cluttered with accompaniment which detracted from the clarity of the texts, but I suppose they have to keep the attention of the casual listener.

No mention of Jon Lighter who has done quite a bit of study on the relative origins of the 2 songs.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,JHW
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 02:41 PM

'more positives than negatives'. Good for Folk. Will hear the others. I really don't know if Guns and Drums was a reality check to Johnny Comes Marching Home but it was good to hear snippets of Folk again, (I wouldn't like to choose which renderings for any programme).

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Vic Smith
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 02:57 PM

Steve wrote:-
Can anyone please give us a blue clicky to the programme somewhere online so we can praise it and ask for more of the same?


https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000nll9

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 03:02 PM

BBC: We appreciate all comments, appreciative or otherwise, as it’s helpful to know what you think. We will circulate your comment the next morning for all staff to see. There are three ways to contact us:

Online; BBC Comments

Phone; Record your comments 24 hours a day: (*charged as geographic numbers)
03700 100 222*
03700 100 212* (textphone)

Post; Send your letter to:
BBC Comments
PO Box 1922
Darlington
DL3 0UR

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Oct 20 - 05:37 AM

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Oct 20 - 05:38 AM

absolutely brilliant, the four loom weaver.available on listen again mondayoct 26 1600pm

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Oct 20 - 05:56 AM

Hutchings poor dress maker was ruined by vcals not being loud enough above accompaniment, in contrast to the following song by karen polwart. karen polwart made some very apt points. particulsrly about why you should songs

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 27 Oct 20 - 11:40 AM

Yes, if anything even better than the first. I agree, Dick, some tracks the vocals are obscured by the backing, and the sound quality on some wasn't brilliant but if you're using old recordings that's bound to happen.

And as someone commented on earlier the singers weren't always named.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Oct 20 - 03:01 PM

some interesting points made by one scottish speaker who claimed that folk song a century ago made social issues thought provoking, but this role has been replaced by literature and plays etc today, utter boloney
    of course this is inaccurate, for example, Dickens wrote several books that discussed social conditions a century ago, so the claim that the use of literature and plays to illuminate inequality is something new is wide of the mark.
folk song and literature and plays have always discussed the inequalities of ordinary people, it is not a new 2st century phenomenon that has been discovered by ken loach
Writers such as Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell and Charlotte Brontë illuminated contemporary social problems through detailed descriptions of poverty and inequality
Dick Miles

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Oct 20 - 03:49 PM

quote Dick Gaughan, SOME SINGERS WILL SING SONGS THAT WILL CALL ATTENTION TO THEMSELVES, some people will sing songs that they think people will like, and some people will sing the songs that they think matter and find the people who will want to hear them.
   an interesting statement but one that describes perfomance in too simplistic terminolgy, it is not as black and white as that, there are shades of grey.
perfomance is about variety and assessing your audience, it IS about singing the songs that matter to you but that does not rule out that you know the audience will also like them, you might be in a pub situation, not a concert you have to win an audience that was not there specifically to hear you.
approach has to vary upon situation, however he was right that you should never sing a song that does not matter to you as a singer.
A thought provoking programme that i have now listened to several times

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,JHW
Date: 28 Oct 20 - 07:14 AM

Alas missed 2nd prog, doing something else but re background intrusion this is a deliberate BBC policy it seems. Started with trailers backed by irrelevant music (so you knew it was a trailer) but becoming common with programmes themselves. Turned off trailers but have done so lately with some programmes.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Jos
Date: 28 Oct 20 - 07:39 AM

Yes, I frequently turn off trailers and programmes.
And it's not just background music, which is often just a few notes played over and over and over again until you could scream. Often it is just irrelevant noises, as if someone is clearing out a kitchen cupboard behind the speaker, or endlessly slapping their thigh.
It drives me mad.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 28 Oct 20 - 11:06 AM

Re the above posts by JHW and Jos, I wholeheartedly agree. Announcements being made while being overshadowed by completely irrelevant noise.

If the anouncement / trailer is meant to be heard why cover it up.

If the BBC is so hard up think of how much could be saved on noisemakers' royalties and the cost of recording the stuff.

I often miss programmes because if this including many excellent natural history programmes on TV. David Attenborough's programmes being a prime example. Haven't watched one for some years.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Jos
Date: 28 Oct 20 - 12:19 PM

The worst example I can remember was a while ago on the World Service. A contributor was talking about how she loved to be completely alone in a remote part of Greenland. She described how wonderfully quiet it was, with only the sound maybe of the breeze over the ice, gentle waves and an occasional seabird. She had a brought a recording so that listeners could experience it themselves - which the programme makers played AGAINST A TRACK OF 'PRETTY' MUSIC.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 28 Oct 20 - 06:58 PM

I can only surmise that everyone from Hollywood to the BBC to amateur makers of YouTube videos adds "background" (or sometimes more like foreground) music because everyone else does. Some of them even add percussion to news bulletins. It drives me up the wall. The worst instance I've ever encountered was music added to a Royal Institution lecture. I emailed them to ask what they would think of someone present in the lecture theatre playing music. They seemed not to see the point.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 29 Oct 20 - 06:49 AM

re musical noise behind mainly spoken events, such programmes as BBC Feedback sometimes tackle this but the BBC reps always say basically that it's a modern approach!

That dismisses it as a problem only to older people- what rubbish. Even the World Service suffers badly from it, and Mark Mardell's Sunday 'World at One' on Radio 4 normally has several irrelevant pop songs in its 'modern' approach.

   I know nothing of TV- gave it up years ago & while I've not heard the programme in question, a lot of time for Michael Morpurgo, it's pretty certain that without such a celeb to front it, they'd never have made the programme!

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,JHW
Date: 29 Oct 20 - 07:18 AM

I would guess some presenters have enough status to reject intrusion. 'In Our Time' had none this morning.
Thanks Melvyn.
One reason I too gave up on TV was spinning out programme length with padding. (Jeered at decades ago by someone illustrating Lord Privy Seal with pictures of a Lord, a Privy and a Seal).

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Jos
Date: 29 Oct 20 - 08:07 AM

I remember a 'subtle' use of barely relevant sound effects years ago (again on Radio 4) when a news item about civil servants was introduced with the sound of somebody shuffling sheets of paper.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,Harry
Date: 30 Oct 20 - 03:09 AM

As the "Michael Morpurgo's Folk Journeys" programmes so poorly credit the contributors, would it be possible for a kind Mudcatter who knows to annotate each episode here?

Many thanks
Harry

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 30 Oct 20 - 11:35 AM

Good idea, Harry! Richard, Dick, Henry or Vic would be able to do this in an instant. I could contribute a few.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: The Sandman
Date: 30 Oct 20 - 04:41 PM

i am busy trying to learn the concertina ,however i look forward to the next programme

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,SB666
Date: 31 Oct 20 - 04:36 AM

Stopped watching Attenborugh and other similar docos when the over-loud orchestral backing to some animal or nature activity drowned our what he was saying. Also I noticed that sound levels of him speaking fluctuated from barely perceptible to loud but OK. Haven't the Beeb's post-production sound engineers heard of normalisation?

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,JHW
Date: 31 Oct 20 - 07:37 AM

Sorry to be cross threaded again but I'm sure Sandman can already play a concertina

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: The Sandman
Date: 31 Oct 20 - 11:37 AM

ah john we are always learning

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: Jack Campin
Date: 31 Oct 20 - 09:38 PM

I liked the second one a lot better than the first. The heavy backings of those folk-rock arrangements in the first were downright pathological. And Polwart's guitar work was irrelevantly cluttered. The second told a clearer story in stronger music.

Ralph McTell came across much better than I expected; I'll look out for more of his work. And Ashley Hutchings didn't.

I'll listen on to the rest.

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: The Sandman
Date: 01 Nov 20 - 02:41 AM

Ralph McTELL, IMO a very good song writer, i was at one of his first gigs when he used to play blind blake repertoire, at which he was good, interesting to see how he has progressed

Subject: RE: BBC Radio4 - Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 01 Nov 20 - 05:30 AM

Blind Blake?

I thought it was Blind Willie McTell, otherwise he may have used the name Ralph Blake ?????