70-2 Summer 2008

This year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Lucy Broadwood, folk song collector, singer and editor.

In celebration, the Singer, Song and Source article features the song ‘The Sweet Nightingale’ from Broadwood and Fuller Maitland’s 1893 collection, English County Songs. The singers are Lancashire’s Trio Threlfall – sisters Jane and Amanda Threlfall and instrumentalist Roger Edwards. The source is Lucy Broadwood’s singer, Mr Grantham.

To continue the Lucy Broadwood theme, and also to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Ralph Vaughan Williams, his 1948 tribute to Broadwood is re-printed, with an introduction, showing that there was no single view about folk song in the early twentieth century. The issues raised still have relevance today.

The Vaughan Williams anniversary has led to folk song being featured in classical music concerts and festivals, including the BBC Proms: there is a round-up of events.

A further anniversary – the centenary of Cecil Sharp’s visit to Derbyshire’s Winster Morris Dancers – is celebrated in an article by Winster musician, Ian Russell.

Dance and concert band, Boldwood, are featured, revealing the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library as the source of some of their tunes, two of which are printed in the article.

There are 580 more tunes in The Great Northern Tune Book, which has just been published in a new edition by the EFDSS and the Northumbrian Pipers’ Society: Alistair Anderson and Colin Ross give their personal views of this important collection.

The caller in the black hat, Martyn Harvey, explains his approach to dance calling.

Further information on Lucy Broadwood, Winster Morris and Wm Vickers.

Reviews

Including Spiers & Boden, Jackie Oates, Kerr Fagan Harbron, Faustus, Eunson & Matthews, Frankie Armstrong, ‘Peerie’ Willie Johnson, The Committee Band, George Papavgeris, Will Duke, Cath & Phil Tyler, Graham & Eileen Pratt, Carthy & Swarbrick, Down Trodden String Band, Bobby Casey, Martyn Wyndham-Read, The Bothy Folk Song Club, Bass Instincts, Harry Boardman, Peggy Seeger, the Young Coppers and Benji Kirkpatrick. Book reviews include John of the Green The Cheshire Way and Uppies and Downies.

Regular Features:

Branching Out (The New Scorpion Band captured as Bath Abbey angels, and Jon Boden at the RSC); Festive Round-Up; Lives Remembered (including Pat Tracey); News; The Summer Dancing Season (list of dance events); Letters; EFDSS Matters and The Source.

Music credits

Sound files that complement the features are included here:

‘The Sweet Nightingale’ sung by Trio Threlfall from their forthcoming CD of the same name. Thanks to Trio Threlfall for permission to include this track.