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12 May 11 - 03:30 PM (#3152889) Subject: Folklore: British ballads in South Africa From: banjocircus When the British settled North America, settlers brought ballads with them which naturalized into the new culture. Was there a similar phenomenon in South Africa? Are there collections of South African versions of Childs and other British ballads? Thanks, Jonathan Leiss |
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12 May 11 - 09:29 PM (#3153074) Subject: RE: British ballads in South Africa From: Q (Frank Staplin) Interesting question! The Hugenots and Dutch were the first white settlers of South Africa, but the British took over in 1795, gave it back for a few years, then took over again in 1806 (handy-dandy Wikipedia). There should be old ballads of both groups there. |
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12 May 11 - 09:31 PM (#3153075) Subject: RE: British ballads in South Africa From: Q (Frank Staplin) A large archive of Boer songs on the net, but I haven't seen anything devoted to the settlers from the British Isles. |
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13 May 11 - 04:13 AM (#3153181) Subject: RE: British ballads in South Africa From: GUEST,John MacKenzie Previous thread |
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13 May 11 - 04:47 AM (#3153202) Subject: RE: British ballads in South Africa From: MartinRyan Interesting question. As a gross simplification, I'd have thought the North American survivals happened in part because of the development of self-sufficient, conservative, isolated English/Scots/Irish communities which survived for a variety of different reasons and preserved some folk traditions. I'm not conscious of that having happened in South Africa which, in a sense, was primarily a maritime service station at the crucial period. That said, I have a picture in my mind's eye of a small book consisting of "simplified" versions of English/Scots ballads intended to be taught to schoolchildren in British African colonies. Not what the original poster is asking about but indicative of their later use on that continent. Regards |
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13 May 11 - 08:20 PM (#3153691) Subject: RE: British ballads in South Africa From: banjocircus Thanks for sharing your thoughts. More or less what I expected. Jonathan |
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14 May 11 - 08:06 AM (#3153927) Subject: RE: British ballads in South Africa From: McGrath of Harlow Maybe generations of transportation to America and Australia contributed to this. So far as I know there was never transportation to South Africa. |
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15 May 11 - 08:44 AM (#3154412) Subject: RE: British ballads in South Africa From: banjocircus Perhaps not, but there were soldiers and sailors. Of course they both had their own repertoires, but perhaps a Barbara Allen or Froggy Went a Courtin slipped in there? That was my hope in asking, any way. Jonathan |