Lyr/Tune Add: Midsummer Bonfire / Tansys Golowan

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: MIDSUMMER BONFIRE / TANSYS GOLOWAN
From: BAZ
Date: 01 Mar 98 - 07:04 PM

Midsummer Bonfire

As I walked out to yonder green
One evening so clear,
All where the fair maids may be seen,
Playing at the bonfire.

Refrain:
The Bonny month of June is crowned,
With her sweet scarlet rose,
The flowers and meadow all around,
With lovely pleasure flows.

Hail lovely maids be not too coy,
But freely yield your charms,
Let love inspire with mirth and joy,
In cupid's lovely arms.

Refrain

Bright luna spreads its light around
The scene for to admire,
As they jump sporting o'er the flames,
About the keen bonfire.

Refrain

All on the pleasant daisy mead,
They shared each others charms,
Till Sols's first beams began to play,
And coming day alarms.

Tansys Golowan

Dhe'n gwer yn hans kerthys-vy,
Ha'n gorthewer tek dhe'm brys
Yn le may whelyr mowysy,
Ow quary 'dro tansys.

Penpusorn:
Curunys yu mys metheven,
Mar gough gans y vryluen;
Dres pup pras ha blejyewen,
Gans whekter a drhenew.

Na vedheugh methek mowysy,
A 'gas hys hep let omreugh,
May fo kerensa ragon ny,
Gans dywvregh cupyd yn-few.

Penpusorn

Dysplewys yu golow an lor
May whello'n lowender;
Dres an Tan adrus an dor,
Ow lamma yma 'n wer.

Penpusorn

Yn boreles war'n glaston-ma,
Aga hus a ransons-y,
Erbyn dos dewyn kensa,
Ha'n jeth ow colowy.

Tansys Golowan (Midsummer Bonfire) From the Baring Gould collection. The words were given to Dixon by a William Sandys for his ancient 'Poems Ballads and Songs.' They were originally given to Sandys by a 'West Cornwall Choir Teacher' and said to be popular in the Penzance Area. I have introduced them here to a melody collected by Davies Gilbert from an 86 year old man from St Erme in 1830. The tune is 'The Marigolds or Les an Gok' and similar to a march from Northern Ireland called 'The Star of the County Down.'
SOURCE MERV DAVEY, HENEGAN

Agas Dyw gans mos hwi
BAZ

MIDI file: TANSYS.MID

Timebase: 480

Tempo: 160 (375000 microsec/crotchet)
Key: D
TimeSig: 4/4 48 8
Name: TANSYS GOLOWAN (MIDSUMMER BONFIRE)
Text: S:MERV DAVEY, HENEGAN
Start
0000 1 59 127 0479 0 59 000 0001 1 64 127 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 62 120 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 59 090 0479 0 59 000 0001 1 67 127 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 69 120 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 67 090 0239 0 67 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 71 127 0479 0 71 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 69 120 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 67 090 0239 0 67 000 0001 1 66 090 0239 0 66 000 0001 1 64 127 0959 0 64 000 0000 1 59 120 0479 0 59 000 0001 1 64 127 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 62 120 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 59 090 0479 0 59 000 0001 1 67 127 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 69 120 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 67 090 0239 0 67 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 71 127 0479 0 71 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 69 120 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 67 090 0239 0 67 000 0001 1 66 090 0239 0 66 000 0001 1 64 127 0959 0 64 000 0001 1 71 120 0239 0 71 000 0001 1 73 090 0239 0 73 000 0001 1 74 127 0479 0 74 000 0001 1 71 090 0479 0 71 000 0001 1 71 120 0479 0 71 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 67 090 0239 0 67 000 0001 1 69 127 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 74 090 0479 0 74 000 0001 1 71 120 0719 0 71 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 71 127 0479 0 71 000 0001 1 62 090 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 62 120 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 59 090 0239 0 59 000 0001 1 61 090 0239 0 61 000 0001 1 62 127 1439 0 62 000 0481 1 64 127 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 62 090 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 62 120 0239 0 62 000 0001 1 61 090 0239 0 61 000 0001 1 59 090 0479 0 59 000 0001 1 67 127 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 69 120 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 67 090 0239 0 67 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 71 127 0479 0 71 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 69 120 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 67 090 0239 0 67 000 0001 1 66 090 0479 0 66 000 0001 1 64 127 1439 0 64 000
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:TANSYS GOLOWAN (MIDSUMMER BONFIRE)
M:4/4
Q:1/4=160
K:D
B,2E2E2D2|B,2G2G2A2|GAB2G2A2|GFE4B,2|E2E2D2B,2|
G2G2A2GA|B2G2A2GF|E4Bcd2|B2B2AGA2|d2B3AB2|
D2D2B,CD2|-D4z2E2|D2DCB,2G2|G2A2GAB2|G2AGF2E2|
-E4||

Subject: RE: Midsummer Bonfire
From: Bruce O.
Date: 04 Mar 98 - 06:26 PM

Good song and notes, keep them coming, BAZ.
I suspect that bonfires were so common that no one thought much need to mention them, and mentions seem to me rather rare. In my broadside index there is listed a song celebrating the comming of King Charles II (early 1660) and noting 'bonefires' (old spelling) were to be lit, ZN2296.

We recently had a thread on "Star of the County Down" and all its names and songs to the tune.