Lyr/Tune Add: The Furry Dance

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: DANCE THE FLORA or THE FURRY DANCE^^
From:
Date: 26 Feb 98 - 05:59 PM

The Furry Dance The 'u' is pronounced as in 'up' When Baring Gould collected this tune in Cornwall in the late 19th Century
he mistakenly gave it as the tune to the HAL AN TOW part of the Feast celebrations in Helston in Cornwall.on May 8th.
This tune is in fact the one used for the processional dance through the town and in and out of the shops and houses. The dance starts at 7.am with the 'common folk' followed by the children and then the 'Lords and Ladies'.
The tune does have simple words but they are rarely used.

John said to me one day
Can you dance the Flora?
Yes I can with a nice young man
Round the streets of Helsta.

John the Bon was marching on
When he met with Sally Dover
He kissed her once and he kissed her twice
He kissed her three times over.

A John Bon was a member of parliament for Helston in the 14th Century but there is no record of Sally Dover.
I see that the Hal An Tow song is already in the database linked to a tune similar to the Furry Dance
but I will try and follow this up with the Helston words (very similar) and the tune used here in Cornwall.

BAZ

MIDI file: FURRY.MID

Timebase: 192

Tempo: 152 (461538 microsec/crotchet)
Key: F
TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Name: Staff-1
Start
0000 1 51 110 0160 0 51 000 0032 1 56 110 0256 0 56 000 0032 1 58 110 0094 0 58 000 0002 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 61 110 0094 0 61 000 0002 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 68 110 0160 0 68 000 0032 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 61 110 0094 0 61 000 0002 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 58 110 0094 0 58 000 0002 1 56 110 0160 0 56 000 0032 1 51 110 0160 0 51 000 0032 1 56 110 0256 0 56 000 0032 1 58 110 0094 0 58 000 0002 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 61 110 0094 0 61 000 0002 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 68 110 0160 0 68 000 0032 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 61 110 0094 0 61 000 0002 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 58 110 0094 0 58 000 0002 1 56 110 0160 0 56 000 0032 1 56 110 0062 0 56 000 0002 1 58 110 0062 0 58 000 0002 1 60 110 0062 0 60 000 0002 1 61 110 0160 0 61 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 61 110 0094 0 61 000 0002 1 60 110 0094 0 60 000 0002 1 61 110 0094 0 61 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 68 110 0160 0 68 000 0032 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 61 110 0094 0 61 000 0002 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 58 110 0094 0 58 000 0002 1 56 110 0160 0 56 000 0032 1 56 110 0062 0 56 000 0002 1 58 110 0062 0 58 000 0002 1 60 110 0062 0 60 000 0002 1 61 110 0160 0 61 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 61 110 0094 0 61 000 0002 1 60 110 0094 0 60 000 0002 1 61 110 0094 0 61 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 68 110 0160 0 68 000 0032 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 61 110 0094 0 61 000 0002 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 58 110 0094 0 58 000 0002 1 56 110 0336 0 56 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the January 15 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:Staff-1
M:4/4
Q:1/4=130
K:F
C2|:F3GA3B|c2c2c2de|f2c2cdcB|1A3GF2C2:||
2A3GF2(3FGA||B2d2d2cB|ABcdc2de|f2c2cdcB|1A3GF2(3FGA:|
2A3GF4

% Output from ABC2Win Version 2.1 f on 25/02/98

Subject: RE: Tune and Lyr add The Furry Dance
From: Bert
Date: 27 Feb 98 - 11:12 AM

Thanks BAZ that's great.

This dance is also known by the 'great unwashed herd' as the Helston floral dance. I remember Ken Dodd singing a 'modern' version which contained the words...

Each man making the most of his chance
all together in the floral dance. and something about a fiddle and a big bass drum.
Does anyone have the words to that version.

Subject: RE: Tune and Lyr add The Furry Dance
From: alison
Date: 27 Feb 98 - 07:20 PM

Hi,

I remember Terry Wogan getting this to number one in the charts. (shortly after the Brickhouse and Rastrick brass band got the tune to number one.) From memory.....

How oft have I heard the curious tone of the cornet, clarinet and big trombone,

fiddle, ?cello, big bass drum, flute, ? clarinet(Again??) and ?euphonium,

Each one making the most of his chance,

all together in the floral dance.

There was a verse as well, but I can't remember much of it at all. there was a bit went..

Whether they knew one another I care not... in a ?quaint old Cornish town."

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: Tune and Lyr add The Furry Dance
From: Syd Butler, Vancouver
Date: 23 Oct 98 - 04:59 PM

Re: The Helston Furry Dance

I remember the tune well because I danced it in the 'fifties. The song was sung by the baritone Peter Dawson, still available, I think, on a Pearl CD.

It is also available on a cassette tape by Revel Records.

Subject: RE: Tune and Lyr add The Furry Dance
From:
Date: 09 Nov 98 - 03:02 PM

Flora Day is the 8Th of may when the little pig came out to play

The wind blew once the wind blew twice

the wind blew a feather from his mouth to his ass

M.H (CORNWALL) POPULAR SCHOOL VERSION!!!!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: Tune and Lyr add The Furry Dance
From: Penny S
Date: 05 Jul 99 - 02:27 PM

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