Rockin The Cradle vs The Wee One

Subject: Rockin The Cradle vs The Wee One
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 22 Jul 98 - 09:56 PM

I couldn't find The Wee One in the DT. It is very obviously a variant of Rockin The Cradle (or is it t'other way around)?

I have only just heard the tune for Rockin The Cradle - and what a nice tune it is. It bears some similarities to that used for The Wee One (e.g. both are modal) but is distinctive enough to be performed as a tune in its own right. It's a good slow Air for a fiddle.

Any history known please? I suspect that The Wee One is an Aussie variation (as well as The Man From Kiandra which only alters a handful of words).

I sense some deja vu as I write this, but thought that I'd ask first before volunteering lyrics and music.

Regards John

PS I believe that Martin Wyndham-Reid made The Wee One popular a couple of decades ago.

Subject: RE: Rockin The Cradle vs The Wee One
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 23 Jul 98 - 12:39 AM

G'day John,

The "Wee One" was collected by John Meredith from the wonderful old Australian singer Sally Sloane, late 1950s or early 1960s. A.L. Lloyd would have seen the words in the photocopies of Meredith, Ward and Stewart & Keesing's collection notes lodged with the EFDSS (by Edgar Walters?) and possibly heard the field tapes.

Lloyd altered the words

"I am a young man, cut down in my blossom..." to

"I am a young man from the town of Kiandra..."

because he had heard of someone from Kiandra to whom such things had happened.

Martyn Wyndham-Read may well have sung the Lloyd version in the 1960s.

The modal tune is Sally's and typical of her Irish heritage. The song words come from a long and forked line of songs/parodies/re-works that go all the way back to "The Christ Child Lullaby", in the Erse and, at least as far forward across America as "Get along Little Dogey".

The details of Meredith collecting this song (and many others, along with a lot of dance tunes) would be in "Folk Songs of Australian and the men and women who sang them", Volume 1, John Meredith & Hugh Anderson, (Ure Smith ~1967 / University of New South Wales Press ~1988).

The song was also published in "Singabout Magazine, the journal of Australian folksong", Vol. 5, No. 2, p5, Bush Music Club, October 1964, and so appears in my anthology "Singabout - Selected Reprints", Bush Music Club, 1985. If you are interested in looking at primary sources, these two publications are still available for the Bush Music Club at $12A and $9A plus $3A post/packaging.

Sally Sloane was a wonderful singer and I am proud to have known her - and had her sing for me in concerts in the 1970s. She contributed more songs and tunes than any other single singer of Australian tradional songs. I like to remember her by her original songs, rather than the changed versions of later singers.

Rgards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Rockin The Cradle vs The Wee One
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 23 Jul 98 - 02:15 AM

G'day again Ted,

This is a query of mine after reviewing this posting. You mention hearing the tune to "Rocking' the Cradle". I could not see tunes associated with the songs in the DT. Was I missing something or is there somewhere else to look for the tunes?

I have just downloaded Alan's MIDItext program and am merrily shuffling dots from Mudcat to me ... and vice verse ... so I can access tunes in ABC or in MIDI format and download them to my music program (MusicTime). I see that the DT is available with MIDI, so I guess there must be some way to get them, but I just can't see it.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Rockin The Cradle vs The Wee One
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 23 Jul 98 - 10:02 AM

Bob- We have tunes for over half the 7100 lyrics; unfortunately we don't have one (yet) for ROCKIN' THE CRADLE. If we do have a tune, there's a "CLICK HERE TO PLAY" box at the end of the lyrics. If we don't have a tune, and you know it, please send it in. The we WILL have a tune.

PS: Kay Cothran's COAL IN THE STONE uses a slight variant of Rocking the Cradle—fine

Subject: RE: Rockin The Cradle vs The Wee One
From: Barbara
Date: 23 Jul 98 - 01:07 PM

Bob , are you asking for MIDI files from the DOWNLOADED version of DT?
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Rockin The Cradle vs The Wee One
From:
Date: 23 Jul 98 - 08:01 PM

Good news - I think! There is a Midi at the following URL for Rockin The Cradle.

http://www.acronet.net/~robokopp/english/rockcrad.htm

This is part of the English collection. I note that the DT attributes the lyrics as Irish.

My thanks to the Mudcat contributor who informed us of site. Many of the Midis are quite well done. I find it much easier to appreciate a new tune if I can hear a multi part arrangement. I certainly intend to add this song to my repertoire.

Dick, I hesitate to ask this question ... but, let's say one or more of us were keen to fill in some of the gaps in the DT for songs with no tunes - I get the impression that fewer new songs have tunes available than for the DT as a whole - what's the easiest way to search for these gaps? F'rinstance we Aussies could volunteer to provide (say) half a dozen tunes each by Christmas. If I offend my country mates please forgive me.

Bob.many thanks for your erudite notes on the Wee One. I appreciate the effort you spent to provide them.

Regards John

Subject: RE: Rockin The Cradle vs The Wee One
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 23 Jul 98 - 10:13 PM

John-it's a trivial matter to list the lyrics that lack tunes:

You search (full text seach if you're using the downloaded version) for: {NOT} PLAY.EX*

All contributions happily accepted. dick

Subject: Tune Add: ROCKING THE CRADLE / THE WEE ONE
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 24 Jul 98 - 12:20 AM

Here's the tune, best suited in its current key of C to tenors. It goes up to F - I can't.

MIDI file: rockcrad.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Tempo: 124 (483870 microsec/crotchet)
Tempo: 124 (483870 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0480 1 67 127 0120 0 67 127 0000 1 65 127 0120 0 65 127 0000 1 64 127 0480 0 64 127 0000 1 62 127 0120 0 62 127 0000 1 60 127 0120 1 62 127 0000 0 60 127 0240 1 67 127 0000 0 62 127 0360 1 69 127 0000 0 67 127 0120 0 69 127 0000 1 64 127 0360 1 67 127 0000 0 64 127 0120 0 67 127 0000 1 60 127 0240 1 62 127 0000 0 60 127 0240 0 62 127 0000 1 60 127 0240 0 60 127 0000 1 55 127 0240 1 60 127 0000 0 55 127 0360 1 64 127 0000 0 60 127 0120 1 67 127 0000 0 64 127 0240 0 67 127 0000 1 65 127 0120 0 65 127 0000 1 62 127 0360 0 62 127 0000 1 59 127 0240 1 62 127 0000 0 59 127 0240 0 62 127 0000 1 60 127 0240 0 60 127 0000 1 60 127 0240 0 60 127 0000 1 60 127 0480 1 67 127 0000 0 60 127 0120 0 67 127 0000 1 65 127 0120 0 65 127 0000 1 64 127 0480 0 64 127 0000 1 62 127 0120 0 62 127 0000 1 60 127 0120 1 62 127 0000 0 60 127 0240 1 67 127 0000 0 62 127 0360 1 69 127 0000 0 67 127 0120 0 69 127 0000 1 64 127 0240 1 67 127 0000 0 64 127 0240 0 67 127 0000 1 60 127 0240 1 62 127 0000 0 60 127 0240 0 62 127 0000 1 60 127 0240 0 60 127 0000 1 55 127 0240 1 60 127 0000 0 55 127 0360 1 64 127 0000 0 60 127 0120 1 67 127 0000 0 64 127 0240 0 67 127 0000 1 65 127 0120 0 65 127 0000 1 62 127 0360 0 62 127 0000 1 59 127 0240 1 62 127 0000 0 59 127 0240 0 62 127 0000 1 60 127 0240 0 60 127 0000 1 60 127 0240 0 60 127 0000 1 60 127 0480 1 67 127 0000 0 60 127 0120 1 69 127 0000 0 67 127 0120 1 70 127 0000 0 69 127 0480 0 70 127 0000 1 69 127 0120 0 69 127 0000 1 67 127 0120 1 69 127 0000 0 67 127 0480 0 69 127 0000 1 67 127 0120 0 67 127 0000 1 65 127 0120 1 67 127 0000 0 65 127 0240 1 72 127 0000 0 67 127 0240 0 72 127 0000 1 64 127 0240 0 64 127 0000 1 62 127 0240 0 62 127 0000 1 60 127 0240 1 67 127 0000 0 60 127 0120 1 69 127 0000 0 67 127 0120 1 70 127 0000 0 69 127 0480 0 70 127 0000 1 69 127 0120 0 69 127 0000 1 67 127 0120 0 67 127 0000 1 65 127 0240 0 65 127 0000 1 64 127 0240 1 65 127 0000 0 64 127 0240 1 67 127 0000 0 65 127 0240 1 72 127 0000 0 67 127 0240 1 74 127 0000 0 72 127 0240 0 74 127 0000 1 72 127 0480 0 72 127 0000 1 72 127 0120 1 74 127 0000 0 72 127 0120 1 76 127 0000 0 74 127 0240 0 76 127 0000 1 76 127 0240 0 76 127 0000 1 74 127 0240 0 74 127 0000 1 72 127 0240 0 72 127 0000 1 72 127 0240 0 72 127 0000 1 69 127 0120 0 69 127 0000 1 67 127 0120 1 72 127 0000 0 67 127 0240 0 72 127 0000 1 72 127 0240 0 72 127 0000 1 64 127 0240 0 64 127 0000 1 62 127 0240 0 62 127 0000 1 60 127 0240 0 60 127 0000 1 55 127 0240 1 60 127 0000 0 55 127 0360 1 64 127 0000 0 60 127 0120 1 67 127 0000 0 64 127 0240 0 67 127 0000 1 65 127 0240 0 65 127 0000 1 62 127 0240 0 62 127 0000 1 59 127 0240 1 62 127 0000 0 59 127 0240 0 62 127 0000 1 60 127 0240 0 60 127 0000 1 60 127 0240 0 60 127 0000 1 60 127 0480 0 60 127
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:
M:4/4
Q:1/4=124
K:C
G5FE2|-E2DCD2G2|-GAE3GC2|D2C2G,2C2|-CEG2FD3|
B,2D2C2C2|C4GFE2|-E2DCD2G2|-GAE2G2C2|D2C2G,2C2|
-CEG2FD3|B,2D2C2C2|C4GA^A2|-^A2AGA4|GFG2c2E2|
D2C2GA^A2|-^A2AGF2E2|F2G2c2d2|c4cde2|e2d2c2c2|
AGc2c2E2|D2C2G,2C2|-CEG2F2D2|B,2D2C2C2|C4||

Enjoy! TGIF John

Subject: RE: Rockin The Cradle vs The Wee One
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 27 Jul 98 - 12:18 AM

G'day Barbara,

I was not sure how to look for tunes in the on-line DT. I have not downloaded the DT ... and won't until my computer has a heart, lung and brain transplant. (I have a big new HD and lots more RAM waiting to go in but the CPU that was to make all this possible fell over under test and my computer engineering friend is till contemplating its entrails.

When I have room, I will load my own copy but, until then, I have to use the net version. I am still trying to get the MIDI files to load in to MusicTime - MT just reects the file as "Not a Valid MIDI file". It may only be that this is one more thing fallen over from interupt conflicts since the unsucessful upgrade and jury-rigged back to previous version. A lot of other things don't happen on MT since that and I hope it all falls into place when we get the CPU to behave.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Rockin The Cradle vs The Wee One
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 27 Jul 98 - 03:17 AM

Bob,

Just a small testimonial for the downloaded version of the DT. Apart from the requirement for a few Meg of hard disc space, it will run on the most meagre of PC's quite happily. Until recently I had a spare 286 - I now regret having turfed it out. I have had my share of resource incompatibilities on my current PC, but the DOS version of the DT keeps chugging away.

Regards John

Subject: RE: Rockin The Cradle vs The Wee One
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 26 Jan 00 - 11:04 PM

Refresh, as I understand it the DT still lacks the lyrics and tune to The Wee One, which seems to be sufficiently different to Rocking The Cradle to warrant inclusion. Regards, John