#48 Song Histories - Updated 8/31/15
Topics--(Just click on the category you want to view)
Ash Grove ----Battle Hymn of the Republic ----Blue Tailed Fly ----Chopsticks ----La Cucaracha ----Day ODominique ----Dona Nobis Pacem ----Froggie Went a-Courtin' ----Fum, Fum, Fum
God Bless America ----Goin' Down to Cairo ----Greensleeves ----Hokey Pokey ----Huron Indian Carol ----Irish Washerwoman
Jamaican Farewell ----Jingle Bells ----John Henry ----Joy to the World ----Kookaburra ----Little Miss Muffet ----Old Dan Tucker
Pat a Pan ----Paw, Paw Patch ----Pease Porridge Hot ----Puff, the Magic Dragon ----Rattlin' Bog ----Santa Lucia (Swedish version)
Scarborough Fair ----She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain ----Shenandoah ----Silent Night ----Solfeggio ----Star Spangled Banner ----Suo Gan
Sur Le Pont D'Avignon ----Taps ----Twas in the Moon of Wintertime/Huron Indian Carol ----Twelve Days of Christmas ----Websites
Note: Also see #4 American Song
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WEBSITES
12/08 Commentary, origins: (mostly quoted from Alan Lomax) on the following songs:http://www.oldtownschool.org/resourcecenter/songnotes/
Amazing Grace
Aragon Mill
Aunt Rhody
Bill Bailey
Blow Ye Winds
Camptown Races
Careless Love
Cat Came Back
Cindy
City of New Orleans
Corrina, Corrina
Crawdad Song
Cripple Creek
Deck the Halls
Deep River Blues
Dink's Song
Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan
Done Laid Around
Don't This Road Look Rough and Rocky
Down By the Riverside
Down in the Valley
Drunken Sailor
East Virginia
El-a-Noy
Erie Canal
Freight Train
Get Along Little Dogies
Goin' Down to Cairo
Golden Slippers
Golden Vanity
Good News
Goodnight Irene
Grandfather's Clock
Greensleeves
Gypsy Davy
Gypsy Rover
Hard and It's Hard
Hard Times Come Again No More
Hard Travlin'
Hobo's Lullaby
Home on the Range
Horse Named Bill
I Am a Pilgrim
I Know You Rider
I Ride an Old Paint
I'm On My Way
Jamaican Farewell
Jordan is a Hard Road to Travel
Just a Closer Walk
Lakes of Ponchartrain
Lonesome Road Blues
Mail Myself to You
Midnight Special
My Home's Across the Smoky Mountains
Nine Hundred Miles
Nine Pound Hammer
Oh Mary Don't You Weep
Oh Susannah
Old Blue
Old Dog Tray
Old Time Religion
Pay Me Money Down
Pretty Saro
Puff the Magic Dragon
Red River Valley
Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms
Roll Me on the Water
Roll on Columbia
Salty Dog Blues
Scarborough Fair
Shady Grove
Shenandoah
Simple Gifts
Skip to My Lou
Sloop John B
So Long, It's Been Good to Know You
Sporting Life Blues
South Australia
Stewball
St. James Infirmary
Sweet Home Chicago
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Take This Hammer
Tell Old Bill
This Land is Your Land
This Train
Titanic
Tom Dooley
Tavelin' Man
Trouble in Mind
Union Maid
Wabash Cannonball
Water is Wide
Waterbound
Wayfaring Stranger
Welcome Table
When the Saints
When Things Go Wrong
Wild Rover
Wildwood Flower
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Will You Go Lassie, Go
Wind and Rain
Worried Man Blues
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SONGS OF CAROLINAS: http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=158031&messages=7
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ihas/
SONGS FROM BRITISH ILES, AMERICA: http://www.contemplator.com/folk.html----
SONGS IN AMERICAN HISTORY: http://www.contemplator.com/america/index.html
SONGS OF THE SEA: http://www.contemplator.com/sea/index.html
---- Meredith Harley Inserra
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***********************************************************************THE ASH GROVE
Ash Grove is a folk song of Welsh origin, but has become part of the folk song repertoire of Great Britain and in the United States and Canada. It represents the artistic legacy of the Welsh Bards whose influence in maintaining and spreading folk lore and song was extensive. Pastoral subjects and themes which reflected love and nature became the focus of the itinerant bards as early as the 14th century. It was common for these Welsh poets to set their verse to music, and add to it instrumental accompaniment (notably harp).Ash Grove has become a mainstay of the repertoire associated with English country dancing. A revival of English country dancing was largely spearheaded by the efforts of renowned song collector Cecil Sharp in the early years of the 20th century.
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***********************************************************************BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC
Just a bit of history on the origins of the songhttp://www.contemplator.com/america/battle.html
The tune was originally a camp-meeting hymn "Oh brothers, will you meet us on Canaan's happy shore?" It evolved into John Brown's Body. Then in 1861 Julia Ward Howe wife of a government official, wrote a poem for Atlantic Monthly for five dollars. The magazine called it, Battle Hymn of the Republic. The music may be by William Steffe. This is a great site for searching for popular songs in American History.
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***********************************************************************BLUE TAILED FLY
BLUE TAILED FLY/JIMMY CRACK CORN is a blackface minstrel song, first performed in the United States in the 1840s. The song laments the death of the slave’s master with a subtext of perhaps rejoicing in the same. Some flies (who feed on the blood of animals) have a blue-black abdomen, hence the title. (Wikpedia) . Jimmy Crack Corn is actually the chorus to the song “The Blue Tailed Fly.” Gimcrack means "poorly made." And "corn," as we all know, is a care banishing beverage. The narrator of the song says, "When I was young." In his carefree youth all he was required to do was to brush away a few flies might seem pretty golden when viewed through a whiskey bottle. Jimcrack corn might just be cheap whiskey, moonshine, Tennessee wine, granny's rheumatiz medicine. (Patricia Albritton)BACK to Song History topics
***********************************************************************CHOPSTICKS
Chopsticks was written by a 16 year old girl named Euphemia Allen in 1877; she published it under a man's name. She originally included instructions that the notes should be played by the sides (edges) of the hands in a chopping motion. She didn't publish anything else after that.BACK to Song History topics
***********************************************************************DAY-O
Day-O, or the Banana Boat Song, or Daylight Come or whatever it has been called over time, was based on a banana pickers' song from Trinidad, but was written as recorded by Harry Belafonte by Irving Burgie, commonly known as Irving Burgess or his Calypso name, Lord Burgess, in the early 1950s. He also wrote "Jamaica Farewell," "Angelina," "Land of the Sea and Sun", "Yellow Bird"and 35 songs recorded by Belafonte, as well as several recorded by the Kingston Trio. Eight of the 11 songs on Belafonte's 1956 album Calypso were written or arranged by him, some with writing partner William Attaway. Although his mother was West Indian, Burgie's father was born in Virginia, and Burgie grew up in a West Indian neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. He studied at Julliard, U. of AZ, and the Univ. of So. Cal. In 1997 he was inducted into the Calypso and Steelband Music Hall of Fame. Judith Cook Tucker, PublisherWorld Music Press (ASCAP), www.worldmusicpress.com
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***********************************************************************DOMINIQUE
BACKGROUND: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2053BACK to Song History topics
***********************************************************************DONA NOBIS PACEM
DONA NOBIS PACEM is a round (to the 4th.) by Franck Melcior, an author of XVII centBACK to Song History topics
***********************************************************************FROGGIE WENT A COURTIN'
To all those who wanted to know about this little ditty...here's what it says in the forward to "Frog Went A-Courtin'" retold by John Langstaff with pictures by Feodor Rojankovsky, Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. NY 1955 (awarded the Caldecott Medal for that year). Basically, not much is known. It appeared in written form 400 years ago in Scotland. It came to the Americas and the Frog and Mouse story became part of American tradition.BACK to Song History topics
***********************************************************************FUM, FUM, FUM
10/04 Meaning of FUM. Webster's 1913 Dictionary. Definition: \Fum\, v. i. To play upon a fiddle. [Obs.]Follow me, and fum as you go. --B. Jonson.
Website: ... www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/fum
Definition... Meaning of FUM. Computing Dictionary.
Definition: [XEROX PARC] At PARC, often the third of the standard metasyntactic variables (after foo and bar). ...
www.hyperdictionary.com/computing/fum
Definition of fee-faw-fum - BrainyDictionary definition of fee-faw-fum, Fee-faw-fum (n.)
A nonsensical exclamation attributed to giants and ogres; hence, any expression calculated
One verse en francais:
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/PDF/Veinticinco_de_diciembre.pdf -- Patti Albritton
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***********************************************************************GOD BLESS AMERICA
“God Bless America” Israel Balin (Irving Berlin) immigrated with his family from Siberia in 1893 when he was only five years old. The family was Jewish and Irving's father, Moses, was a cantor in the temple. Irving supported himself as a waitor. His first credit was as a lyricist for the song, "Marie From Sunny Italy." He Americanized his name to Irving Berlin."Alexander's Ragtime Band" was the song that gave Iring his beg break. Over his lifetime he wrote songs such as "White Christmas," "There's No Business Like Show Business," and "God Bless America." "God Bless America" was originally written for a revue entitled "Yip, Yip, Yiphank" but was in the end not included in the show. It was reintroduced in 1938 after the lyrics were altered. Kate Smith sang it on the radio on Veteran's day in 1938. Instantly the song was a hit. The proceeds of the sale of the song were donated (by Berlin) to the Boy/Girl Scouts of America.
Irving Berlin died at 101. He had written over 1500 songs and on the day he died, people in New York City sang "God Bless America" outside his home.
(Notes paraphrased from American Treasures of the Library of Congress and Irving Berlin: In and Out of Tune from the world wide web.)
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***********************************************************************GOIN' DOWN TO CAIRO
- a song relating to an early frost in 1848. Planters sent some of their harvest up the river to Cairo, IL. (Pronounced “Kay - ro) See this site for more information:http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/master/blackthemboots4.html
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***********************************************************************GREENSLEEVES
Allegedly, Henry VIII of England wrote this song to Lady Anne Bolyn (pronounced "Bullen") as he was courting her. She had a deformed pinkie finger and always wore long sleeves to cover it. Some say she actually had a 6th finger on one hand. Since the Tudor color is green, she wore long green sleeves - hence the name. Do you have all the verses? I love the last one. After he has gone though all the things that he has done for her or given her in his attempt to win her, he sings about his despair: ..."and now I pray to God on high that thou wilt vouchsafe to love me."She finally did agree to love him, but only after forcing him to divorce Katherine of Aragon (Spanish princess), denouncing the Pope (who would not give a dispensation for the divorce and marriage), being excommunicated, founding the Anglican Church with him as the head, and insulting Spain - leading to a war with them. When Anne could not give him a son, he had her beheaded. That is what he wanted from all his 6 wives. But, he had venereal disease, weakening his sperm so that he could not give her a male sperm. It was all HIS fault!!!
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***********************************************************************HOKEY POKEY
06/07 BOOK: gives history of "The Hokey Pokey" ill. by Sheila Hamanaka (pub. by Scholastic ISBN 0-439-04534-7).Brave Combo does the coolest Hokey Pokey arrangement. -- Deanna Peters
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***********************************************************************HURON INDIAN CAROL
HURON CAROL IT's my understanding that the French missionary who wrote it wanted to explain the birth of Jesus in a way the natives would understand.Verse 1 - No sheep, so no shepherds; wandering hunters
Verse 2 - Lodge of broken bark (old and in disrepair)instead of stable (no domesticated animals); rabbit skin would have been very common and "cheap"
Verse 3 - Chiefs instead of kings; gold, frankincense and myrrh were replaced with fox and beaver pelt - much more valuable than rabbit
I seem to have read somewhere that the missionary was not too successful; the natives he was working with eventually killed him.
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The following is English translatoration of the original Huron words by Father Jean de Brebeuf (1593-1649), massacred by the Iroquois during the Iroquois war against the Hurons.
Use IPA pronunciation.My 5th graders have learned this successfully (and I find that having them sing in another language sure improves intonation), and performed with hand drums and shakers. Piano and other chordal instruments would be not authentic and therefore inappropriate if you're thinking pc.
Estennialon de tsonue Iesus ahatonnia, Onnauateua 'd'oki n'onandaskuaentak; Enonchien skuatrihotat h'onuandilonrachatha: Iesus ahatonnia, ahatonnia; Iesus ahatonnia.
Since there are a few places where the "ua" is pronounced "wah" instead of "ooh-ah", here are the lyrics broken by syllabization:
Es-ten-ni-a-lon de tso-nu-e Ie-sus a-ha-ton-ni-a, On-na-u-a-te-ua 'd'o-ki n'on-an-das-kua-en-tak; En-on-chi-en skua-tri-ho-tat h'o-nu-an-di-lon-ra-cha-tha: Ie-sus a-ha-ton-ni-a, a-ha-ton-ni-a; Ie-sus a-ha-ton-ni-a.
Do note that many English versions (including the Episcopalian hymnal) are "poetic interpretations" and not translations. There were more verses, but only the first has survived.
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The story of Christ's birth as told to the Hurons by a French missionary priest. He described the story in terms the Hurons would understand, such as a birch bark hut and wrapping the baby in animal furs. It starts out, "Twas in the moon of wintertime, when all the leaves had fled" (I think).
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***********************************************************************IRISH WASHERWOMAN
LYRICS: http://www.ireland-information.com/irishmusic/theirishwasherwoman.shtml6 SONGS: http://www.fisheaters.com/irishsongs.html
LYRICS: http://www.eirefirst.com/i.html#i006
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***********************************************************************JINGLE BELLS
12/03 Book: STORIES BEHIND THE BEST_LOVED SONGS OF CHRISTMAS by Ace Collins published by Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan. You find the story behind Jingle Bells (page 102) I purchased my copy at Barnes and Nobles last holiday season.Paraphrased from the book......
Jingle bells is perhaps the most well known, most sung Christmas carol in America. Jingle Bells does not contain a single reference to Christmas and was actually written for a completely different day of celebration. Thanksgiving!
James S. Pierpont, choir master in his father's church in Medford, Mass, was given the assignment to write special music for the Thanksgiving service around 1840. He was inspired by seeing children sledding and sleighs gliding across the snow and went to Mrs. Watermans home as she had the ONLY piano in the town to to play the tune he was creating.
He taught his "One Horse Open Sleigh" to the choir with a fully harmonized arrangement and presented it at the annual Thanksgiving service. The choir was asked to perform it again for the Christmas service. Although a song that mentions dating and betting on a horse race hardly seemed appropriate for church, the audience loved the song and visitors having heard the song in the Medford church took it back to their own congregations and taught it to family and friends.The timing has labeled it a Christmas song.-Contributed by Linda C.
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***********************************************************************JAMAICAN FAREWELL
I checked my home ethnomusicology library and found the book Caribbean Carnival, songs of the West Indies. Day-O as we know it was written by Irving Burgie and William Attaway, copyright 1955. He wrote: Beautiful bunch of ripe banana, hide the deadly black tarant'la. He also wrote Jamaica Farewell.BACK to Song History topics
***********************************************************************JOHN HENRY
06/09 JOHN HENRY: Bruce Springsteen has done a version of John Henry, along with a bunch of my favorite folk songs. It's on the album We Shall Overcome - the Seeger Sessions. You can find it on iTunes. --- Penny Thomas
06/09 We do have a product that discusses John Henry, along with a great deal of African-American history: Walking In The Light Of Freedom
http://www.musick8.com/ --- Kory Johnson, Plank Road Publishing
06/09 The Wee Sing America series has a version of John Henry that's pretty cool.
There's a very nice eleven minute video that Roberta Flack did back in 1974 that got nominated for an academy award. The music and the animation are very unique and engaging.
Here's a reference to it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070296/
There's also a Disney treatment you could preview a little here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGglKPqG16s
but as far as John Henry goes, I believe your students would be far better of with Roberta Flack which is done in a totally different style than they are accustomed to seeing these days. --- Dave Saphra
06/09 I have a movie about John Henry- It's old, narrated by Denzel Washington. Available on Amazon (as of 02/09)
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06/09 If you have United Streaming there is a John Henry video that is 20 minutes
long with Samuel L. Jackson as the narrator and music by Crystal Taliefero. --- Sara Davies
06/09 The John Henry statue is in Talcott, WV. There are some pretty good pictures of it. I can't remember the county it's in, but the Convention and Visitors bureau in Talcott might send you in the right direction.You might also search the WV Department of Tourism website for further information.
We're proud of the tall tale of John Henry. Danny Glover is in a film from Shelley Duval's series Tall Tales and Legends. There's also a Rabbit Tales video narrated by Denzel Washington.
Cynthia Coulson, NBCT 2004
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JOHN HENRY and the fact that he really did exist. Josh White sang a version about how he worked against a steam drill and basically died of a broken heart. I believe the job he did was to chip via hammer and chisel into rock face for the placement of dynamite to blow out a tunnel through the mountains. He died in a cave in of the Big Bend Tunnel in West Virginia, according to the SB grade 5 World of Music.
I like to talk briefly with the kids, though, about the legendary/song version about the duel between man and machine. To me it represents a lot of people's lives since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Sure, machines are faster, and they may have eliminated a lot of tedious or even dangerous jobs. But they have also eliminated a lot of jobs, period. Over time, people have turned tedious, dangerous, repetitive jobs into a kind of measure of their value as people. And work is better than no work - ask the unemployed.
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***********************************************************************JOY TO THE WORLD
Issac Watts wrote "Joy to the World" based on Psalm 98. He was not immediately appreciated. After his death, Dr. Lowell took the hymn and placed it to music based on "The Messiah." Lowell first set of works was rejected. He went on to a great music career composing over 1600 sacred works including "Antioch" in 1848 which now takes the title of Isaac Watts' work "Joy to the world."BACK to Song History topics
***********************************************************************LA CUCARACHA
10/04 BACKGROUND & LYRICS:http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2315/what-are-the-words-to-la-cucaracha
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***********************************************************************KOOKABURRA
06/07 KOOKABURRA LAUGHING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA0-YAoo9QBACK to Song History topics
***********************************************************************LITTLE MISS MUFFET
BACKGROUND: http://www.brookmans.com/history/littlemissmuffet.shtmlMANY LINKS TO STORIES: "Stories, Folklore, and Fairy Tales Theme Page". http://www.cln.org/themes/fairytales.html
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***********************************************************************OLD BRASS WAGON
10/05 I found a song called "Old Brass Cannon." It has the same words as OBW ("Circle to the left, old brass wagon etc.") but its title suggests that the eponymous wagon began its life as an old brass cannon (which makes a lot more sense.) Then, as with most folk songs, over the course of time the words gradually changed from cannon to wagon. -- Steve DaigleBACK to Song History topics
***********************************************************************OLD DAN TUCKER
12/08 OLD DAN TUCKER from Mk8 vol 5 no.4. (Plank Road Publishing, www.musick8.com) I don't teach the movement until we really know the song. I use this song with our pioneer unit and for teaching verse/refrain. It's a good vocabulary builder for the ELL kids with words like limb and hound, curious, and how people in the olden days said things like "throwed" instead of threw and other grammatical errors. We start with promenade for the entire introduction. All students stand in a circle in couples. I tell them to 1st face each other and either take hands in an "O" shape or an "X" shape then shift so they are shoulder to shoulder still holding hands, both facing counter-clock-wise. The promenade for the introduction then stop and sing the first verse. One the refrain, "Git out the way" the promenade again but this time as soon as they say "You're to late to come to super" they do a right arm swing with their partner for 7 counts and switch arms on beat 8. Then they do a left arm sing for 7 counts and then on beat 8 cross their arms over their chest and do a dosey-do, dosey-do, dosey-do, dosey-stop. Sing the second verse. They say this while they do one complete dosey-do. On the refrain they promenade again. As soon as they say "You're too late to come to super, they do the right arm swing, left arm swing and dosey -do pattern like after the last refrain. Now they sing the third verse. On the last refrain they promenade. As soon as it gets to the spoken part "Git Out the way" they put their hands in the air on the "git out the way part" "V" shape. Then put hands on hips for the "Old Dan Tucker" part and alternate like that till the coda is complete. I have two kids come up to the front to learn promenade, arm swing and doesy-do. The class watches them learn and then they each go get a different partner and demonstrate again. Then they get new partners and keep going till everyone has learned. Then we do it as an entire class. Make sure you tell them how arm swings are not like "crack the whip". One step per beat and anyone flying into the wall loses recess for a week. They get my drift thatway. --- Listee, MK8 Newsletter-------------------------------------
OLD DAN TUCKERThe song is accredited to Daniel Emmett (1815-1904), A Northerner of Irish decent. It was introduced by his Virginia minstrels in New York City in 1843. Some believe "Old Dan Tucker" was actually authored by American slaves in Georgia to memorialize their friend, the Reverend Daniel Tucker (1740-1818). The popular tune was often used to create parody songs. In one presidential campaign the chorus was sung, 'Get out of the way, You Old Grand Party!" -- Contributed by Dee Truelove
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Here are two references on the web for it, with many verses: http://www.stephen-foster-songs.de/Amsong37.htm
http://www.visitnortheastgeorgia.com/olddantucker.htm
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"Besides farming and carrying travelers across the river, Daniel Tucker was probably best known for his role as a Methodist minister who cared very deeply for the slave population. He spent much of his time teaching them and praying with them. The slaves adored him, writing verse after verse about him to show their appreciation for all that he did for them. Their song about "Old Dan Tucker" has become a famous part of American folk music. "
Here are directions to the gravesite of the man believed to be the subject of the song (Northern Georgia) From Elberton, travel Highway 72 East approximately 6.6 miles. Turn left on Pearl Mill Road. Continue for 3 miles, turning right on Heardmont Road. After 1.7 miles, veer right, following signs to Dan Tucker's Grave.
http//www.elbertga.com/ See "attractions/Dan Tucker's grave
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***********************************************************************PAT A PAN
Patapan: Man of letters Bernard de La Monnoye is chiefly remembered for his collection of Burgundian carols, written in the local dialects that at one time flourished in central France. One of the carols in that collection is "Pat-A-Pan", a little homily to two boys who learn about praise and about the unity of God and man by playing their flute and drum together. Like a bagpipe drone, the drum's pat-a-pan sounds throughout the music, while above it the perky melodic line, a very ancient one, dances like the sound of flutes. Pat-A-Pan was first published in English in 1907.BACK to Song History topics
***********************************************************************PAW PAW PATCH
WHAT IS A PAW PAW?http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/09/what-are-pawpaws-wild-fruit-midwest-how-to-prep-and-eat-pawpaws.html
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***********************************************************************PEASE PORRIDGE HOT
07/05 PEASE PORRIDGE HOT Pease pudding (also peas pudding in some literature) is basically a pudding of peas and pork, tied into a sack and boiled. The peas, as they swelled, draw in the pork flavor. NOW, Helen or another one of our colleagues across the pond might want to expound on this with greater knowledge, but I found this in my British historical cookbook. Savaloys, according to the same book are SAUSAGES of some sort - Bill Ahlaman-------------------------------
My husband was born in Newfoundland and when we were visiting there they made Jiggs Dinner with Pease Porridge. Jiggs dinner is corned beef with vegetables and for the pease porridge they put dried green peas in a cheescloth and dropped it into the pot to cook. After it was soft they mashed the peas and added butter. That's what they called pease porridge. Monica in WI
RECIPE:
Servings: 8
4 slices Bacon
3/4 C Onions; Chopped
22 1/2 oz Condensed Green Pea Soup;
2 Cans 4 C Water
1 1/3 C Minute Rice
3/4 tsp Salt
Cook the bacon in a large saucepan until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on absorbent paper towels, patting to remove all the grease, and crumble. Reserve 2 tbsp. of the drippings and discard the remaining grease. Cook and stir the onions, in the reserved drippings, until tender and lightly browned. Add the soup and gradually mix in the water, blending well. bring to a full boil. Add the rice, salt and bacon, stirring to blend, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. -- Leslie Bakkum
Come suppertime again, whatever was in the big pot in the fireplace was reheated. Whatever was there was stretched if necessary by adding more fresh ingredients. If THAT wasn't consumed, then it was reheated for later meals-- Martha Stanley
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***********************************************************************PUFF, THE MAGIC DRAGON
05/30 Comments by Paul Kehoe(printed with permission) : "Puff the Magic Dragon" was 'born' in 1958 while Peter was attending Cornell University. He and his roommate, Leonard Lipton co-wrote the song which started as a half written poem in a typewriter in their dorm room. The two worked together to finish the poem and then it was put to music. This was still about two years before Peter, Paul & Mary met each other...and five years later, in 1963, "Puff" was included on the trio's second album, MOVING.The song was written with no other hidden meaning...It is a song about the loss of childhood innocence. That's all:) Mary once explained from the stage that if the group was going to sing a covert song about drugs, they would have shared that with the audience! So how did "Puff" acquire this reputation? In 1967 Newsweek Magazine published an article detailing certain songs that contained hidden meanings and drug lyrics. Mary has humorously stated that it must have been a slow news week! Anyway, the article mentions songs from the Beatles like "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" and PP&M's "Puff". It was 'purported' that these songs had a hidden drug message.
However , the author of the article never contacted Peter to ask him! So the article was published and the rumor about "Puff" was born. To this day it still a rumor that is asked about again and again...So even though the comedy movie, Meet The Parents, reintroduces this interpretation of "Puff", the fact is... it is simply a song about a child and the loss of his imaginary friend..and the sadness attached to the loss of childhood innocence...
Interestingly enough, the author of the Newsweek article eventually apologized to Peter for his analysis of "Puff". He admitted that he he was looking for the most innocent song to interpret as a drug lyric and that he didn't think the rumor would spread (and stick!) the way it did.
PP&M have consistently maintained both on stage and in interviews that "Puff' was never about smoking or drug use. Peter used do an introduction to "Puff" that showed how easy it is to misinterpret a song. He explained how you can take any song and twist it to mean whatever you want it to based on the criteria used to do the analysis.
He humorously showed how the "Star Spangled Banner" could be viewed as a drug lyric:
"Oh, say can you see" (c for cocaine)
"by the dawn's early light" (the time that junkies like to get high) "
what so proudly we hailed" (talking about how good it is) "whose broad stripes"
(the stripes on a prisoner uniform) "and the rockets red glare/the bombs bursting in air"
(what you see when you're high)
Peter then goes on to say that this just proves how idiotic the analysis is..both to the Star Spangled Banner and Puff. You can actually hear a streaming audio clip of Peter's introduction from a 1981 concert if you visit the 'history' section of the PP&M website: http://www.peterpaulandmary.com/
Look for where it says 'Peter's reply to the story' on the second page of the history section.
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***********************************************************************RATTLIN' BOG
06/09 POWERPOINT: http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/469247/The%20Rattlin%27%20Bog.ppt --- Ann WellsBACK to Song History topics
***********************************************************************SANTA LUCIA
02/03 (Swedish Version) Santa Lucia Day is primarily a Swedish tradition in this format, though other Scandinavian countries may observe it as well...just not as regularly. The oldest girl in the house wears a long white gown, with a robe of lighted candles on her head. As a child, ours were real, and my mom always put a wet washcloth on the top of my head, in case of an accident!:) We bought a lovely modern (translation: battery operated!) wreath from the American Girl Company when my daughter was born... anyway, she brings breakfast in bed to everyone in the family, awakening them by softly singing carols. The traditional song IS 'Santa Lucia'....yup, the Italian melody....translated into Swedish, of course!BACK to Song History topics
***********************************************************************SCARBOROUGH FAIR
This is a dirge for a young man dying during the plague. He used to go to the fair, but now is dying, and asks for someone to carry a message to her (who "was once a true love of mine"). An acre of land refers, literally, to a place to be buried, but, figuratively, to the fact that his death is certain (If she finds a piece of land between the salt water and the sea strand=impossible to find, THEN he will live and "she will be a true love of mine").The cambric shirt is the burial shroud, which was usually made out of cambric cloth. Of course, a shroud has no sleeves or needlework, because it is one piece of material wrapped around the body. The sickle (SP?) of leather is the the sickle that Death carries to gather up the dead souls. I am not sure, but I think they put heather in a grave as a death offering. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme refers to a cachet of herbs that healthy people would hold in front of their nose, and breathe through, to protect them from contagion. They believed these herbs fought off the plague.
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***********************************************************************SHE'LL BE COMIN ROUND THE MOUNTAIN
I found it in my handy-dandy THE SONGS WE SANG (Theodore Raph)!!!!. It came from railroading folklore as track building spread westward after the Civil War. It was sung as a work song. The melody was originally "The Old Ship of Zion" and "When the Chariot Comes." Railroad men gave the melody a snappy, hillbilly twist, and probably made up the repetitious words of the song. As a nonsense song, it was well-liked and spread rapidly as the railroad men moved along. It was first popular east of the Mississippi and later int he West as railroads expanded. A 1951 Abbott and Costello movie was named after the song, and the song was used in the 1946 movie Tangier. The song is dated in the book as 1870.You can certainly make a case for the westward expansion idea. The "six white horses" would have to be pulling something pretty heavy--like freight delivery, or even ore. Then there's the "toot, toot" which could be a train--a new thing for the area. Most of the kids wouldn't understand the concept that grandma had to kill a rooster for the company dinner, but those of us who grew up on a farm would!! Also, the idea of sleeping with grandma, because of small houses/shortage of beds, and wearing red flannel throughout the winter!!!! Could make a neat idea!!!
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***********************************************************************SHENANDOAH
10/01 Over a billion years ago, molten magma solidified forming the base for what is now known as the Blue Ridge Mountains. Millions of years ago, cracks form in the surface and this lead to volcanic activity. Lava flowed over Big Valley forming the bedrock under "Big Meadows." Eventually an ancient sea flooded the area which is now the Appalacian Mountains. With heat, weight and the creation of new layers of granite underneath, the metamorphic rock began to tilt upward forming mountains.The humans (Ice Age) of this region were nomads (hunters and gatherers). Around 1000 b.c., pottery was apparent. In 900 B.C., farming became apparent. The first person to leave a written account of the area was John Lederer, a German physician and scholar. In 1926, the deeds to land in the Shenandoah valley were turned over to the Federal government and 10 years later, President Roosevelt dedicated the area as a national park.
Shenandoah: There was a tribe of Indians called the "Shendo" or "Senendos" who lived in the valley several hundred years before the Delawares, Catawas, Algonquins or the Iroquois. They were an advanced race using copper and silver. They built cities (50 acres) behind earthen walls, created tropical animal statues of metal and judging by skeletons found, were (at least some) seven feet tall with three foot long thighs. Then the tribe disappeared.
The Iroquois word "Shenandoah" means 'Big Valley' and the Onandaga word means 'River Through Big Mountains' (Blue Ridge Mountains) but amoung the Valley people the most commonly accepted translation of the word (perhaps for romantic reasons) is "Clear Eyed Daughter of the Stars." The Indian nations have no written record or recollections of stories of the Shendos.
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***********************************************************************SILENT NIGHT
12/07 BACKGROUND http://silentnight.web.za/historyWWII STORY + SONG BACKGROUND: http://mymerrychristmas.com/the-true-story-of-silent-night/
JOSEPH MOHR BIO: http://www.stillenacht.at/en/mohr.asp
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***********************************************************************SOLFEGGIO
According to, "Great Composers" by Ventura, Guido D'Arezzo named the syllables do (ut), re, mi, fa, sol, la, si (ti) to simplify learning music for his monks. He used a Gregorian hymn of St. John the Baptist:Ut queant laxis resonare fibris
Mira gestorum fa muli tuorum Solve polluti labii reatum
(The melody to this chant whose notes of italicized syllables are the solfege pitches, appears in the Grout, "History of Western Music.")
".....Because each hamistich of the hymn begins a grade higher than the one before it, by remembering the hymn, it was easy for the monks to intone the note written on each line. Because of his achievements, in his day Guido was considered to be almost the inventor of music."
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***********************************************************************STAR SPANGLED BANNER
02/03 Get Francis Scott Key on the enemy ship as quickly as you can tell it with the younger kids. Put your dramatic skills to work telling how he negotiated for the release of the Dr. and was told he was successful but that neither of them could leave because of the battle preparations thye had observed. Of course it's fun to talk about the big the flag was that was flying over Ft. McHenry. Your drama skills has them pacing the deck looking through the twilight. Then it got dark, no floodlights, etc. So they waited and when the rocket's red glare gave enough light to see that the flag was still there, or when the bombs burst in the air and gave enough light, they probably high-fived! But then it got quiet and dark.They waited, (dramatic pacing on the deck here, add in wringing of hands), then the dawn comes, very slowly. Take a long time to peer through the early morning light, fog and smoke to see if the flag is still flying. Of course you can't see it immediately. First you notice something moving, then you notice some red and white and blue. But you remember that the British flag is red, white and blue. Then finally it light enough to see that it is your country's flag and you have a huge silent celebration (remember you are on an enemy ship!) You are sooooooooooooo overcome with emotion, you have to express your feelings, so you start writing...quote the songe here and paraphrase if necessary. The kids are spell bound every year and I do the story with modifications for all grades K-6. (The 6th tell me the story.) For K's, I have them learn the first phrase and the last phrase. 1st graders, add the refrain...etc.
BTW, if you are ever near Baltimore, don't miss a visit to the Ft. McHenry National Park. It was a tremendously emotional experience for me. Watch the video in the visitor center first.
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02/03 A & E SSB Video: Go to A & E History Channel store and do a search for Star Spangled Banner.
http://store.historychannel.com/
You can get the teachers manual free, and the SSB video costs 19.95 the last
time I checked. Its a wonderful resource that uses math, science, music and language arts lessons to teach history. Check it out.
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For paper plate choreography to Star Spangled Banner, go to file #31 Movement, Dance, Drama/PROPS then to Star Spangled Banner
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***********************************************************************SUO GAN
SUO GAN (Huna Blentyn) means Christmas Lullaby. It was written by Robert Bryan (1858-1920). Numerous variants have appeared in several collections since 1800 as the Welsh are reknowned for making up verses...it is a tradition as shown by Nos Galan also which we know as Deck the Halls. Nos Galan wasa song sung all year round with hundreds of different versions.The version I know of Suo Gan ( the "a" should have an accent on it that looks like a roof)I have in a book called Songs of the Dragon (Caneuon y Draig)
verse 1 Huna blentyn arfy mynwes - Through the window by your cradle
Clyd a chynnes yd yw hon - shines a moonbeam soft and clear
Breichiau mam sy'n dyn amdanat Sleep my baby fear no danger
Cariad mam sy dan fy mron - None can harm you, mother's near.
Ni cha' dim amharu'th gyntun In the treetops winds are sighing
Ni wna undyn a (with a roof over the a)this gam. - Birds are flying to their nest.
Huna'n dawel anwyl blentyn - Warm and cozy no more crying
Huna'n fwyn ar fron dy fam. - Sleep my baby be at rest.
For your information when singing in Welsh an "f" makes a "v" sound, a "ff" makes an "f" sound, a "w" makes an "oo" sound and an "y" makes a short"i" sound. I have a second verse in Welsh and English if anyone is interested. I also have a version called "baban iesu" (baby Jesus) but only have the words for two verses in English and this is sung to the Suo Gan melody also. If you want to hear a version of Suo Gan rent the movie Empire of the Sun! Also the Welsh Choir of Southern California has a CD with it on and many other beautiful Welsh songs.....(I was in the choir when we made the CD). It has a web site. -- Sue Michiels
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***********************************************************************SUR LE PONT D'AVIGNON
A'vignon was the home of the pope in the 13th Century and the bridge of A'vignon which had a chapel built on it was a centre of activity for the elite. The bridge was built nearly 800 years ago. There is a legend connected with the bridge: A shepherd boy was told by a voice from heaven to build a bridge across the Rhone River. He asked the Bishop for help but the Bishop doubted his story until the lad picked up a huge rock and carried it to the river. The rock became the base for the first arch (there are 19). People were moved by this feat and began to help. The song is still sung by French children to honor the boy and the bridge he built.(1) At the lowest level of the bridge (above the first set of arches) it was widened in the 18th (I believe) century. This road can and is used by "official national park" cars as well as park visitors.
(2) The waterway at the very top is no longer connected at either end -- so the aqueduct is not serviceable for its original purpose.
(3) In many tourist photos you will see people walking along the top of the aqueduct (or in the tunnel at the top where the water used to flow). When we were there in January the only way to get on the top was to sign up for an official tour. I am not sure whether this is the case in the summer months.
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***********************************************************************TAPS
TAPS (Article fromTaps was composed in July 1862 at Harrison's Landing in Virginia, but after that the fanciful e-mail quoted below parts way with reality. There was no dead son, Confederate or otherwise; no lone bugler sounding out the dead boy's last composition. How the call came into being was never anything more than one influential soldier deciding his unit could use a bugle call for particular occasions and setting about to come up with one.
If anyone can be said to have composed 'Taps,' it was Brig. Gen. Daniel Butterfield, Commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, during the American Civil War. Dissatisfied with the customary firing of three rifle volleys at the conclusion of burials during battle and also needing a method of ceremonially imparting meaning to the end of a soldier's day, he likely altered an older piece known as "Tattoo," a French bugle call used to signal "lights out," into the call we now know as 'Taps.' (Alternatively, he wrote the whole thing from scratch, a possibility not at all supported by his lack of musical background and ability.)
Whether he wrote it straight from the cuff or improvised something new by rearranging an older work, Butterfield brought 'Taps' into being. With the help of his bugler, Oliver W. Norton of Chicago, the concept was transformed into its present form. "Taps" was quickly taken up by both sides of the conflict, and within months was being sounded by buglers in both Union and Confederate forces.
Then as now, 'Taps' serves as a vital component in ceremonies honoring military dead. It is also understood by American servicemen as an end-of-day 'lights out' signal.When "Taps" is played at a military funeral, it is customary to salute if in uniform, or place your hand over your heart.
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***********************************************************************TWAS IN THE MOON OF WINTERTIME/Huron Indian Carol
The following is English transliteration of the original Huron words by Father Jean de Brebeuf (1593-1649), massacred by the Iroquois during the Iroquois war against the Hurons Use IPA pronunciation.My 5th graders have learned this successfully (and I find that having them sing in another language sure improves intonation), and performed with hand drums and shakers. Piano and other chordal instruments would be inauthentic and therefore inappropriate if you're thinking pc.Estennialon de tsonue Iesus ahatonnia,
Onnauateua 'd'oki n'onandaskuaentak;
Enonchien skuatrihotat h'onuandilonrachatha:
Iesus ahatonnia, ahatonnia; Iesus ahatonnia.
Since there are a few places where the "ua" is pronounced "wah" instead of "ooh-ah", here are the lyrics broken by syllabization:
Es-ten-ni-a-lon de tso-nu-e Ie-sus a-ha-ton-ni-a,
On-na-u-a-te-ua 'd'o-ki n'on-an-das-kua-en-tak;
En-on-chi-en skua-tri-ho-tat
nu-an-di-lon-ra-cha-tha:
Ie-sus a-ha-ton-ni-a,
a-ha-ton-ni-a;
Ie-sus a-ha-ton-ni-a.
Note that many English versions (including the Episcopalian hymnal) are "poetic interpretations" and not translations. There were more verses, but only the first has survived.
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***********************************************************************THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
From l558 until l829, Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning; the surface meaning, plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.------
Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, were prohibited from any practice of their faith by law - private or public. It was a crime to be a Catholic. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the 'catechism songs' to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith during that period when to be caught with anything in 'writing' indicating adherence to the Catholic faith could not only get you imprisoned, but could also get you hanged, drawn and quartered. The song's gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith.
The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
Two turtledoves were the Old and New Testaments.
Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
The eight maids a milking were the eight beatitudes.
Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. Love, Joy,
Peace. Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.
Eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
Twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
"True Love" mentioned refers to God. "Me" refers to every baptized person.
)Note: not all scholars accept the above interpretation.)