Songs of the West: Folk Songs of Devon & Cornwall Collected from the Mouths of the PeopleBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
General
Songs of the West: Folk Songs of Devon & Cornwall Collected from the Mouths of the People
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Ballads, English; Folk songs, English
Mr. Frank Abbott, gamekeeper at Pencarrow, but born at Tetcott,
informed me, concerning Dogget: "Once they unkennelled in the
immediate neighbourhood of Tetcott, and killed at Hatherleigh. This
runner was in at the death, as was his wont. John Arscott ordered him
a bed at Hatherleigh, but to his astonishment, when he returned to
Tetcott, his wife told him all the particulars of the run. 'Then,'
said Arscott, 'this must be the doing of none other than Dogget;
where is he?' Dogget was soon found in the servants' hall, drinking
ale, having outstripped his master and run all the way home."
In the MS. copy of 1820, the names of the "Sons of the Blue" were Bob
(Robt. Dennis of S. Breock), Bill (Bill Tickell), and Britannia (Sir
J. Molesworth). The tune, which is in the Æolian mode, was obtained
through the assistance of Mr. W.C. Richards, schoolmaster at Tetcott.
We also had it from John Benney, labourer, Menheniot.
Mr. Richards writes:--"This song is sung annually at the Rent-audit
of the Molesworth estate at Tetcott. Thirty years ago an old man
sang it, and the version I send you is as near the original, as sung
by him, as can be secured. Workmen on the estate often hum the air,
and always sing it at their annual treats." The Arscott property at
Tetcott passed by inheritance to the Molesworths.
Half of the tune was employed by D'Urfey, a Devonshire man, in his
"Pills to Purge Melancholy," to the words, "Dear Catholic Brother"
(vi. p. 277, ed. 1719-20). From D'Urfey it passed into the "Musical
Miscellany," 1731, vi. p. 171, to the words, "Come take up your
Burden, ye Dogs, and away." From England the same half-tune was
carried into Wales, and Jones, in his "Musical Relicks of the Welsh
Bards," 1794, i. p. 129, gives it set to the words of "Difarwch gwyn
Dyfl."
As Benny's variant is interesting, I give it here--
[Music: And sing Fol-de-rol.]
3. UPON A SUNDAY MORNING. The melody taken down from Robert Hard,
South Brent. This is the song to which reference has been made in
the Introduction. It is not a genuine folk melody, but it is an
interesting example of the way in which the folk muse reshapes an air.
Hard sang the words of Charles Swan--
"'Twas on a Sunday morning, before the bells did peal,
A note came through the window, with Cupid as the seal."
These words were set to music by Francis Mori in 1853. I give Mori's
tune, and advise that with it should be compared Hard's variation of
it. I have written fresh words to this variation--
[Music: F. Mori.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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