Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour

Subject: Help: 'In The Calm Hour Of Evening'?
From: LucyK
Date: 01 Apr 04 - 05:21 PM

(Hello, I'm new. I hope I've named the thread appropriately!)

Here's a song my mother used to sing me to sleep with. I've never found any reference to it online, or heard it elsewhere. I'd like to find out more about it. If anyone has any information about it or is even familiar with it, I'd be really pleased to know. (Yes, I searched Mudcat and DT on various phrases and found nothing.) The tune makes me think it is a folksong, though of course I can't be sure.

Lyrics:
In the calm hour of evening,
When the sea-gulls fly low
To their rocks on the island,
And they cry as they go;
From each house on the headland
Lights begin to twinkle in the gloom,
And the pale cold world dwindles
To a warm quiet room:

Let us sit by the fire-side
And remember our friends -
For each day ends in darkness
But hope never ends;
When the last catch is hauled in
And the last boat brought to shore
We will all sit together,
Divided no more.

Subject: RE: Help: 'In The Calm Hour Of Evening'?
From: masato sakurai
Date: 01 Apr 04 - 11:00 PM

According to The Song Index of the Enoch Pratt Free Library (Garland, 1998), a song entitled "In the Calm Hour of Evening" is contained in Reginald Jacques's The Oxford SAB Song Book V.2 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1951) as "Fisherman's Night Song."

~Masato

Subject: RE: Help: 'In The Calm Hour Of Evening'?
From: GUEST
Date: 12 May 10 - 02:55 PM

On old thread! But anyway, we used to sing this at junior school in Norwich in about 1961. I remember it very well as one of my favourite songs, and we were fortunate to be at a school(The George White) where many of the teachers were pianists and there were pianos in many of the form rooms. I'd bet those instruments are not there today, though.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'In the Calm Hour of Evening'?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 26 May 10 - 04:18 PM

WorldCat.org might help you find it in a library near you.

Here's the description:

FISHERMAN'S NIGHT SONG. (Air: MY LOVE'S AN ARBUTUS) Arranged for female voices (S. S. A.). Original poem by L. A. G. Strong. Arr. R[eginald] Jacques ©1954.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Sep 10 - 04:33 PM

We used to sing this rhyme in nursery almost 40 years ago. Thank you for supplying me with the words, all i remember is the tune and the line 'and the lights begin to twinkle in the gloom'it has brought it all back to me now.........thank you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST,Guest2
Date: 01 Mar 11 - 11:50 AM

Just started doing this song with my singing teacher, was looking it up when I discovered this post, i have with me a copy of the sheet music. It is a very nice melody.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST,Rebecca
Date: 03 Aug 11 - 02:11 PM

my mum is singing the piece. I sung in high school!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 04 Aug 11 - 01:20 PM

Here's a video where you can hear the tune and see what an arbutus actually is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdW3yHsevjI

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST,Janine
Date: 11 Oct 11 - 04:58 PM

I sang this in primary school too - Thames Road in Blackpool circa 1974. I love the lyrics and couldn't remember them all. Now I can teach my own daughter. Our music teacher, Mrs Selby, rest her soul, taught it to us as a folk song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST,Julie
Date: 12 Nov 11 - 08:43 AM

We sang it about 40 years ago in school in Australia as well - I have extremely fond memories of it. I've been looking for the lyrics for ages - thank you so much for posting them!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Nov 11 - 03:08 PM

Is there a vocal version of this song out there somewhere to listen to? I would lve to hear it!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: Artful Codger
Date: 15 Nov 11 - 06:11 PM

As was mentioned above, the tune was taken from the song "My Love's an Arbutus" (by Charles Villiers Stanford). leeneia gave a YouTube link to that song above; here it is again, as a clickable link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdW3yHsevjI

Not exactly what you're asking for, but perhaps "close enough for jazz."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Aug 12 - 09:33 AM

I have fond memories of this song. It was a set piece for our school music competitions. I remember the lyrics to this day. Thanks for immortalizing it here!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST,LindaK
Date: 26 Feb 13 - 08:31 PM

I was a member of a choir (King John's School, Thundersley, Essex, UK) and we sang this haunting song for a choir competition, circa 1959. I have never forgotten this song, and I also sang this song to my children when they were babies as a lullaby. I couldn't quite remember all the words and had to 'improvise' a little when I sang it to them. It brings back very happy memories and the song always did invoke beautiful and comforting images in my mind.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST,Guest ingaz/singaz
Date: 16 Jan 14 - 05:44 PM

My music teacher used to ask me to sing this song while she played the piano almost 40 years ago. I loved it and still remember it well. Bet she didnt know i'd grow up to be a singer and sing for the late Edwin Starr and the team. Thanx miss!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: maeve
Date: 17 Jan 14 - 09:27 AM

Here's a link to some information on the author of the poem:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Strong

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST,Liz Thompson
Date: 24 Jan 14 - 07:14 PM

We used to sing this song at Church of Schotland junior boarding school in Kenya, I have hummed this lyrics all my life and its great to see other people who know it too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST
Date: 21 May 16 - 02:45 PM

very nostalgic,learned it in primary school 1974,lovely imagery

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST,Ali
Date: 29 Apr 17 - 09:20 AM

Our junior school choir (St Theresas, St Helens, Merseyside UK) sang this for a competition in Crosby in about 1978/9. Our music teacher was Mrs Dean. Always loved it and the haunting melody and remember it fondly all these years later - incredible how you can remember a tune and lyrics from when you were only 8 years old so vividly.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jun 17 - 03:23 AM

Hey Lucky,
i sung this sung this song 28 years ago in a singing competition. i was 10 years old and it was taught to my class by my aunt who was a music teacher in the school i went to and my name sake(Ruth)
Now 38 years later am preparing to sing it in a rotary singing competition. Wish me luck.
Folk songs are outdated in my country.
Good to know someone knows this song in this day and error.
Stay well.
Ruth Mugisha

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Sep 18 - 03:59 PM

I heard this song way back in the 70s. it was sang by my school choir for music festivals.

Liz

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Jun 19 - 09:04 PM

I learned this song in my early school days in Uganda (Africa) I have looked for the lyrics before on vain. Thank you for them.

Daniel

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST,#
Date: 07 Apr 21 - 10:25 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7LATe0SipY

Brandywine Bridge/Fisherman's Night Song

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: leeneia
Date: 09 Apr 21 - 12:41 PM

If this URL works, you will find sheet music for "My Love's an Arbutus," which uses the same melody as "the Fisherman's Night Song."

If it doesn't work, google this:

"my loves an arbutus" sheet music

and you will find some good links.

For me, the challenge was to transcribe the notes without accidentally absorbing the lyrics to "My Love's an Arbutus," which threatened to be both cloying and adhesive.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: leeneia
Date: 09 Apr 21 - 12:54 PM

Oops. There's a slight variation at "lights begin to twinkle in the gloom." You'll have to sound it out.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fisherman's Night Song: 'In the calm hour
From: GUEST,#
Date: 09 Apr 21 - 01:16 PM

That looks to be an excellent site. (I Googled ' "my loves an arbutus" sheet music ' as you suggested. Ecxellent. Thank you for the info.

https://artsongcentral.com/2009/stanford-arr-my-loves-an-arbutus/