| Author | Topic: Censorship in Folksong | |
| dmcg | Posted - 27 Oct 02 - 07:46 am | |
The topic of Victorian prudery has cropped up a couple of times in various threads and 20th/21st century people usually respond with a condescending smile and mild regret that the collectors and singers felt they had to do this. As a result I think we often fail to see various ways we continue to carry out very similar censorship ourselves. A lot of what are often called "American Minstrel Songs" - a euphemism in its own right! - are simply not sung because it is felt to be inappropriate. They are, in fact, a clear example of what Sharp and co would have noted as "words offensive", but the collectors would at least have collected the air, which we seem to be content to lose. (Most Victorians were not, of course, as concerned by race issues are we are, but had they been, that is how the collectors would have behaved.) Again, it is very common to hear a phrase like, say, "flowers gay" changed to "flowers bright". Is this merely evolution of the song? Finally, on the sexual side of songs. We often feel we are free of most inhibitions in this area, and I don't think I would have any problems teaching a class of pubescent children a song with the line "You never shall have my maidenhead" [It's an adult theme and we are treating you like adults]. What I would dread would be teaching them an innocent song that could be wilfully misinterpreted. The line: With blushes red, "I come", she said Flowers in the Valley would, I think, cause uproar. Nor would I want to teach them a song with a chorus involving "Dil do lee", especially if there is a Lee the class. Knight and Shepherd's Daughter So: no conclusion, but several questions, really. How much censorship is going on today by us? Are we heading towards losing airs of "offensive" songs because we refuse to sing them? If we do want to keep these sorts of songs alive, should we censor them? And so forth. Censorship is a pretty complicated matter ... Edited By dmcg - 10/27/2002 8:07:02 AM | ||
| Jon Freeman | Posted - 28 Oct 02 - 03:24 pm | |
Interesting view point. I think you are right that most of us censor and that it's more a mater of shifts in what is considered acceptable at any given time. One area of songs I have cut out of my repertiore are the rebel songs. I learned quite a few from the Dubliners, Wolfe Tones, etc. I don't think we run the risk of losing airs to offensive songs these days as I think most things are recorded in one form or other but keeping the airs "alive" is a different matter. I'm not sure what the answer is. Jon | ||