Handed Down

It's our spooky Halloween special featuring a notorious coven of witches, but today's song is also about a hill that dominates the landscape, a brooding character in the daily lives of those who live beneath its shadow.

Peter grew up under Pendle Hill and it's been with him throughout his life, so this song has a strong personal connection. We talk about the Pendle witches and some of the more unnerving aspects of Pendle Hill itself; we also chat about learning to sing by jumping in at the deep end, the creative power of new instruments, and bringing local music to a new generation. 

Music
All the music in this episode was recorded by Peter Madeley.

As far as we can tell, Old Pendle was written in the 1950s by Milton and Allen Lambert (words) and Ted Edwards (tune), but there is some speculation that it was based on a traditional tune which we discuss in the podcast.  It's a song that has been adopted and curated by a local community over the past 70 years, and new verses have been created, some of which we feature in the show.

Acknowledgements
Peter and I are both big fans of Stones Barn, and they've been a part of both of our musical journeys in different ways. However we should point out that we're not affiliated with them and they don't pay us to say nice things about them in the podcast.

Barbara Allen is the most widely travelled ballad in the English speaking world and exists in many different versions. In today’s show we follow the story of this remarkable ballad, finding its roots in colonial America, Transylvania and Ancient Greece, and listening to just a few of its many versions.

Ancient lyre music is included by kind permission of Michael Levy. Do visit his website at https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/ 

Music 

Intro music is a version of Barbara Allen from Goathland, North Yorkshire, found in Kidson, Traditional Tunes (1891) pp.36-40

Rondo Minuet in G minor by Purcell

Barbara Allen tune from the Roxburghe collection: http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/33316/recording 

Scottish version by Ewan McColl, which he learned from his mother: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYpwMGCd5pw 

Norma Waterson’s version of Barbara Allen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpw7bx4NcyM  

Clifton Hicks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4C50atG_Tc 

Instrumental version based on the version collected and recorded by Jean Ritchie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihit0mpmz7o 

An Ozark version of Barbara Allen sung by Kyla Cross: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HV3wT0tgFk

A Kentucky version of Barbara Allen sung by Sarah Wood: Sarah Wood - Barbara Ellen - Jim's Birthday Old Time Jam - YouTube
 
The music for King Arthur’s court is “En amours n’a si non bien”, an anonymous 15th Century French song.

The final Barbara Allen was arranged by John Pearse in “Saturday Night, 20 Tabulated Folk Songs for Guitar”, and imperfectly remembered by me after 35 years

A traditional version of Kadar Kota

Other references

https://mainlynorfolk.info/shirley.collins/songs/barbaraallen.html
https://mudcat.org/
http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/30145/image
https://www.pepysdiary.com/
https://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/C084.html
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48601012.pdf
David Atkinson (2014) The Anglo-Scottish Ballad and its Imaginary Contexts: https://library.oap
The Bonny Brown Girl: http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/C295.html
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/71970029.pdf
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/441468
https://www.folkschool.org/ 

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Stones Barn, Cumbria, and the wider Stones Barn community for starting me on this journey and encouraging me along the way.  Find out more at http://stonesbarn.co.uk 

In today’s episode, Lynne Morley and I chat about learning folk songs at school, modal music and the legend of Beowulf. Today’s song is perhaps the ultimate English folk song John Barleycorn and we have a good go at teasing out its origins. Is it an ancient pagan myth, a Christian hymn of death and resurrection or a good old drinking song? We may never know, and perhaps it’s a bit of all three. In any event, we have lots to say about this song we’ve both loved since childhood.

Music

The podcast includes fragments of two songs by Columbines – Bright Morning Star, and Shenandoah. To find out more about Columbines or to book them, please email [email protected] 

Beowulf was written and performed by Lynne Morley.

John Barleycorn was performed by Lynne Morley.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Stones Barn, Cumbria, and the wider Stones Barn community for starting me on this journey and encouraging me along the way. Stones Barn runs fantastic singing and traditional music courses and is always friendly and fun. Find out more at http://stonesbarn.co.uk 

Thank you as always to Steven Shaw for all the encouragement, and for giving this podcast its name.

In our first episode we delve into the mystery of that enigmatic song fragment, Flandyke Shore. Made famous in modern times by the wonderful Nic Jones, this song has a long history going back to the 17th Century, and draws on even older themes.

Handed Down is written, presented and performed by Jenny Shaw.

Thank you to Stones Barn, Cumbria, and the wider Stones Barn community for starting me on this journey and encouraging me along the way. Stones Barn runs fantastic singing and traditional music courses and is always friendly and fun. I’m not affiliated with them and they don’t pay me to say this, I just like them and want to share the love! Find out more at http://stonesbarn.co.uk 

Thank you as always to Steven Shaw for all the encouragement, and for giving this podcast its name.

Music

The recording of Flandyke Shore is based on the version by Nic Jones on his album Penguin Eggs.

The music accompanying the 17th Century sections of the story is an original arrangement based on the tune The Rich Merchantman which can be found here: https://abcnotation.com/tunePage?a=www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/Olson/BM3.ABC/0093

The song Mill of Tifty’s Annie (Andrew Lammie) is traditional and my recording is influenced by the versions of several artists including Iona Fyfe and Martin Simpson.

Other references

The Unnatural Mother: http://ebba.ds.lib.ucdavis.edu/ballad/21738/image 

An analysis of Flanders Shore: https://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/LyCr2090.html

Flandyke Shore on the Mainly Norfolk website: https://mainlynorfolk.info/nic.jones/songs/theflandykeshore.html

Origins of Flandyke Shore discussed on Mudcat Café: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=13405

Handed Down is launching soon! Here's what we've got in store...