Tune Req: Princess Royal

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Princess Royal
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 22 Mar 10 - 01:26 AM

On his first solo album Mainly Norfolk, Peter Bellamy sang a song called The 14th Of February, learned from Bob Bayfield of Wells-next-the-Sea, with interpolated verses from a Sam Larner version, which began

On the 14th of February we sailed from the land
On the bold Princess Royal bound for Newfoundland

which I think is a version of Bob Roberts' sea-battle song Bubblyrat quotes above, or at any event concerns a battle, in this case against a pirate. The air is not related to the Princess·Royal/Miss·MacDermott tune which is the subject of this thread, but is a completely independent work.

It does indeed show that Princess Royal could be the name of a ship as well as of a person; but the well-known dance tune we are concerned here with I have always taken to have been originally dedicated, like Carolan's reworking, to a particular lady ~ in this case a royal one.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Princess Royal
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 22 Mar 10 - 02:09 AM

Peter Bellamy's version cited above is in fact very similar, both tune & text, to the Purslow 'Marrow Bones' variant in Digitrad, cited at top of this thread as 'The Bold Princess Royal 2': unrelated, as I said {except that they share part of a title} to the tune which this thread is concerned with.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Princess Royal
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Mar 10 - 09:34 AM

Thanks for clearing that up, Michael.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Princess Royal
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Mar 10 - 12:24 PM

There will be a delay in the posting of the corrected tune. But people who are interested can figure out what's wrong. Remove the pick-up notes that got repeated where they shouldn't have been.

There's not much Welsh instrumental folk music in circulation, so it's an unusual piece.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Princess Royal
From: bubblyrat
Date: 22 Mar 10 - 02:46 PM

Well, in my time I've played drum "ruffles" for many RN Captains, and "Iolanthe" for quite a few Admirals, but it would have been quite something to have played "The Princess Royal",or at least a few bars of it, for HRH The Princess Anne !!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Princess Royal
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Mar 10 - 03:46 PM

Yes, you are right. The PR/Miss MacDermott is a fine piece.

The Welsh piece by that name which I posted would make a grand processional for a visiting princess.