Origins: The Little Drummer

10 Jun 22 - 02:25 PM (#4143952)
Subject: Origins: The Little Drummer (Planxtys)
From: GUEST,Rightlawd

Hey lads.

im looking for the origins of the song 'The Little Drummer' its on Planxtys album Cold Blow and the Rainy Night.
I cant seem to find any thing on the history of this song and thought someone on here could help!
Thanks
P

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10 Jun 22 - 02:47 PM (#4143954)
Subject: RE: Origins: The Little Drummer
From: Reinhard

The Traditional Ballad Index has on this song:

Kind Fortune

DESCRIPTION: A drummer proposes marriage to a maiden. She rejects him because her father "is a captain of honour and fame" and she would not "bind myself down to slav'ry." He threatens suicide. She relents. They elope. Her outraged father gives them an annual income
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1826 (broadside, Harding B 17(285a))
KEYWORDS: elopement soldier father money marriage suicide
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar,Newf) Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Karpeles-FolkSongsFromNewfoundland 74, "Kind Fortune" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-FolksongsFromSouthernNewBrunswick 27, "The Drummer" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greig-FolkSongInBuchan-FolkSongOfTheNorthEast #178, p. 2, "O Hard Fortune" (1 text)
Greig/Duncan1 86, "Oh! Hard Fortune" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST KaNew074 (Partial)
Roud #2302
RECORDINGS:
Martin Gorman, "The Little Drummer" (on Voice01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 17(285a), "The Silly Drummer," Angus (Newcastle), 1774-1825; also Firth c.14(305), Harding B 25(677), "The Fortunate Drummer"
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Hard Times
O Bad Fortune
NOTES [98 words]: Karpeles-FolkSongsFromNewfoundland omits the broadside touch of the father's money after the elopement; we are left to believe that she is left to "follow the drum."
Grieg Folk-Song of the North-East, CLXXVIII p.2, "O Hard Fortune," adds the following elements to the beginning of the story: A company of soldiers is playing and a drummer among them falls in love with a beautiful lady. He asks his captain what he should do since "for love I must die." His captain advises him to tell her. The plot described in DESCRIPTION continues.
Martin Gorman's version on Voice01 follows Grieg. - BS
Last updated in version 2.4

File: KaNew074

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