| Author | Topic: Add: Captain Wedderburn's Courtship | |
| dmcg | Posted - 15 Jan 04 - 12:19 pm | |
As a duke's fair daughter of Scotaland was riding out one day, Two gentlemen from Ireland by chance did come that way. Says one unto the other, "If it wasn't for the law I'd take this fair maid in my arms either by stock or wall." "Hands off, hands off, young man," says she, "hands off to hide all shame * * * * * * * * * * * * * * But the supper bell will shortly ring and I'll be found awa' And before I'll be found in your arms either by stock or wall." You must get for me some winter fruit that in the summer grew, You must get for me a silk made cloak that shuttle never went through, You must get for me that bonny bird that flies without a gall And you and I will 'bove the quilt and you must pay for all." "My father he has winter fruit that in the summer grew, My mother has a silk made cloak that shuttle never whent through, The dove she is a bonny bird that flies without a gall, And you and I will 'bove the quilt and you must pay for all." "O what is rounder than the ring, what's higher than the sky, And what is worse than a woman, what is deeper than the sea, What bird sings best, what tree buds first, and where does the dew first fall? And you and I will 'bove the quilt and you must pay for all." "The globe is rounder than the ring, heaven's higher than the sky, The devil is worse than a woman, hell's deeper than the sea, The thrush sings best, the oak buds first on the earth when the dew first falls, And you and I will 'bove the quilt and you must pay for all." "You must get for me a wedding supper, a chicken without bones, You must get for me a wedding supper, cherries without stones, A sparrow's horn and a priest unborn to marry us right awa', Before I will lie in your arms either by stock or wall." "O chickens when they're in the shell I'm sure they have no bones, And cherries when they're in the blossom I'm sure they have no stones, A sparrow's horns are easily found for there's one on every claw, Now you and I must 'bove the quilt abd you must pay for all." Source: Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, Dec 1951 Notes: Anne Geddes Glichrist wrote:
'F.M.C.' then continues:
More talented people than I can argue about exactly which pentatonic it is. Using my implementation of the method devised by Phil Taylor, the two best modes are EDor and DIon, with the former slightly preferred. I have set the tune to Dorian, but that hardly fits the 'somewhat infrequent' in the paragraph above. The riddles in this version seem to be rather adrift. Arguably the first two aren't answered, though the answers of 'a son' and 'long hair' might be implied. The priest, on the other hand, appears to have been forgotten! Database entry is here. Edited By dmcg - 15-Jan-2004 12:23:46 PM | ||
| Jon Freeman | Posted - 15 Jan 04 - 01:39 pm | |
As there seemed to be some doubt expressed above over the key, I've just ran the tune through Barfly to see how it agreed with Dave's implementation. The one thing I noticed was although the tune is given as EDor, it is marked as hexatonic. I may have misread the score (as you know my reading is awful) but the only note I find to be missing is the C# so hexatonic to me would appear to be right. Jon | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 15 Jan 04 - 02:02 pm | |
Roud 36. "F.M.C." was Francis M Collinson. | ||