| Author | Topic: Add: Down In Yon Forest | |
| Jon Freeman | Posted - 01 Sep 03 - 06:54 pm | |
Down in Yon Forest (1) 1. Down in yon forest be a hall, Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary! 'Tis coverlidded over with purple and pall. Sing all good men for the new-born Baby! 2. Oh in that hall is a pallet bed: Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary! 'Tis stained with blood like cardinal red. Sing all good men for the new-born Baby! 3. And at that pallet is a stone, Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary! On which the Virgin did atone. Sing all good men for the new-born Baby! 4. Under that hall is a gushing flood: Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary! From Christ's own side, 'tis water and blood, Sing all good men for the new-born Baby! 5. Beside that bed a shrub tree grows, Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary! Since he was born hit blooms and blows. Sing all good men for the new-born Baby! 6. Oh, on that bed a young Sguire (Lord) sleeps, Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary! His wounds are sick, and see, he weeps. Sing all good men for the new-born Baby! 7. Oh hail yon hall where none can sin, Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary! Cause hit's gold outside and silver within, Sing all good men for the new-born Baby! Source: The Second Penguin Book of Christmas Carols, ed. Elizabeth Poston Notes: From The Second Penguin Book of Christmas Carols, p. 23. DOWN IN YON FOREST. This striking version collected by John Jacob Niles in North Carolina is closely related to its counterparts, the English folk version of the sixteenth-century text known as the Corpus Christi Carol (Balliol College, Oxford, MS. 354): Lully, lulley, lully, lulley, The faucon hath borne my make away the mystical Eucharistic carol in the language and imagery of chivalry. The Scottish traditional version 'The heron flew east, the heron flew west' is close to the English text. An English folk version from North Staffordshire is quoted by Sir Frank Sidgwick in Notes and Queries (1862); one from Derbyshire was published by Vaughan Williams. Peter Warlock (1894-1930) used the Balliol text in his modern setting. The Derbyshire version has a direct reference to Christmas in the last verse only, one which seems to have been tacked on as ending on a more cheerful note after the preceding austere and sombre verses, a switch of mood parallelled in the last verse of the North Carolina version. The reference to the blossoming thorn in verse 5 Derbyshire and to the shrub tree in verse 5 North Carolina derives from the legend of the Holy Thorn of Glastonbury. Database entry is here Down in Yon Forest (2) 1. Solo: Down in yon forest there stands a hall: Chorus: The bells of Paradise I heard them ring: Solo: It's covered all over with purple and pall: Chorus: And I love my Lord Jesus above anything. 2. In that hall there stands a bed: It's covered all over with scarlet so red: 3. At the bed-side there lies a stone: Which the sweet Virgin Mary knelt upon: 4. Under that bed there runs a flood: The one half runs water, the other runs blood: 5. At the bed's foot there grows a thorn: Which ever blows blossom sincce he was born: 6. Over that bed the moon shines bright: Denoting our Saviour was born this night Source: The Oxford Book of Carols, ed. Percy Dearmer, R. Vaughan Williams and Martin Shaw. Notes: From The Oxford Book of Carols, p. 127. Melody and text taken from Mr. Hall, Castleton, Derbyshire, by R.l Vaughan Williams (Eight Traditional Carols), Stainer & Bell. Text unaltered except for (4) flood for 'river' (5) bed's foot for 'foot of the bed'. Database entry is here | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 02 Sep 03 - 02:49 am | |
Roud 1523. Ralph Vaughan Williams and Ivor Gatty noted Down in Yon Forest from Mr J. Hall of Castleton, Derbyshire, in 1908 (exact date unspecified). It was printed in The Journal of the Folk Song Society, vol.IV (14) 1910, p.63, as Over Yonder's a Park. Mr Hall wrote the words down for them; his written text had "purple so tall" in the first verse, but RVW was sure that he had actually sung "purple and pall". His was the first tune ever recovered from tradition for this song, though the earliest example of a text is from the commonplace book kept by a London grocer, Richard Hill (16th century; see above). Anne Gilchrist quoted the 16th century text along with that from Notes and Queries in the Journal, together with a very detailed discussion of the imagery, linking the song with the Troubadour tradition and suggesting connections with the Grail myth and Mithraic tradition. This was backed up by G. R. S. Mead. This tentative analysis has tended, subsequently, to be assumed as received wisdom; but should probably be treated with great caution. Other variants of the tune, attached to other songs, have been found in various parts of Britain and Ireland. The Staffordshire text, printed in Notes and Queries vol.II 3rd. series (32) Aug. 9 1862 p.103 can be seen at The Internet Library of Early Journals: North Staffordshire Christmas Carol. | ||
| Mary in Kentucky | Posted - 02 Sep 03 - 04:24 am | |
In The Oxford Book of Carols, no. 184 is "All Bells in Paradise." And the notes are as follows: See no. 61 [Down in Yon Forest] for the version with its traditional tune. This version was recovered in the middle of the nineteenth century in North Staffordshire and contributed to Notes and Queries in 1862, but without its tune. The theme is still eucharistic: v.3 describes the altar with dorsal and riddels; v. 7 the Glastonbury thorn. X:1 T:All Bells in Paradise B:The Oxford Book of Carols, M:3/4 L:1/4 K:Eb (c/d/)|(ed)c|B2G/G/|(=Ac)=B|c3| w:Ov-ver yon-der's a park, which is new-ly be-gun: BBc|B/G/EF|Gc=A|B2(c/d/| w:All bells to Pa-ra-dise I heard them a-ring, Which is ed)c/c/|BBc|(_dc)B|A2G/F/| w:sil-ver on the out-side and gold_ with-in: And I E2F|GeB|(AG)F|E2|| w:love sweet Je-sus a-bove_ all thing. Over yonder's a park, which is newly begun: All bells in Paradise I heard them a-ring, Which is silver on the outside and gold within: And I love sweet Jesus above all thing. And in that park there stands a hall: Which is covered all over with purple and pall: And in that hall there stands a bed: Which is hung all round with silk curtains so red: And in that bed there lies a knight: Whose wounds they do bleed by day and by night: At that bedside there lies a stone: Which our blest Virgin Mary knelt upon: At that bed's foot there lies a hound: Which is licking the blood as it daily runs down: At that bed's head there grows a thorn: Which was never so blossomed since Christ was born: | ||
| Mary in Kentucky | Posted - 02 Sep 03 - 04:31 am | |
I had never heard of the Glastonbury Thorn. Edited By Mary in Kentucky - 02-Sep-2003 04:30:22 AM | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 02 Sep 03 - 06:02 pm | |
Worth mentioning that the tune for All Bells in Paradise was written by Martin Shaw. | ||