Tuesday 23rd June 2009

I was given a tune book recently. Some kind soul knew of my interest in Folk Music and had found a small book entitled 'Folk Tunes' Book 1 for solo descant recorder copyright 1946. Yes, there is a book 2 and book 3.

Oh how things have changed thank goodness.

What was the idea of a folk tune in 1946? Well here is a list of things to play in a 1946 session (no, they didn't really exist then AFAIK).

• Ash Grove
• The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington
• Billy Boy
• Charlie is my darling
• Cockles and Mussels
• Early one morning
• God Save the Queen. (As a folk tune !?!)
• Greensleeves (must crop up in every folk collection)
• The Harp that once thro'Tara's Halls
• Lass of Richmond Hill
• My Love's an Arbutus (a plant as far as I can tell!)
  
• On Ilkley Moor bah't 'at
• O Shenandoah
• Robin Adair
• Star-spangled Banner
• Swing Low Sweet Chariot
• When Johnny Comes marching home
• Ye Mariners of England.

It is a characteristic of this time that American, often Civil War tunes were mixed quite casually with the Irish, Welsh, Scottish and English ballads of the day. Folk was a different world which transcended national boundaries but somehow still got lumped together. I still can't believe that some of them were 'classified' as folk.

Just a taster from Books 2 and 3:

Amongst quite respectable tunes such as Keel Row and the Lincolnshire Poacher are Rule Britannia, Yankee Doodle, Go Down Moses and Jeannie with the light brown hair. I think it's stretching it a bit to put those down as 'Folk'.

I'm glad things have changed but it does make you wonder if folk should be classified and categorised and pigeon-holed at all. Maybe someone will look back on the last 40 years and exclaim 'What were they thinking!".