John Kirkpatrick in Wassail - A Traditional Celebration of English Midwinter, The Maltings Farnham 1995.12.09 - cassette aud master never circulated FLAC
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Checksum in Traders Little helper
JK says:
The soppy and sentimental preoccupations that seem to overwhelm us at this time of year have been rather forced on us by Hollywood in general, and Walt Disney in particular; and before that by the Victorians, who invented their own new set of rules for the celebrations. When you strip off the layers of heavy varnish that have been slapped all over the festive season, you find that in the middle of winter there is a real life and death struggle going on, and much of the symbolism in these ancient survivals centres on one basic idea. The Old Year is dying and the New Year is being born. We need to make sure that the sun comes back to warm our crops and feed us.
All good pagan stuff, undoubtedly full of profound resonances and full of timeless mystery. But there is another side to the survival of these traditions which goes way beyond what we might see as merely quaint rustic superstition. The elemental struggle of midwinter was felt most keenly by those for whom the lack of warmth and food - and the chance to work to attain those basic requirements - was a very real concern. The poor of the parish had to beg to survive this harshest season of the year, and their continued performance of these customs, involving always the giving and receiving of the essentials of life itself, was driven by a keen vitality that is easy for us to overlook.
Nowadays the collection of money that accompanies these rituals tends to have a less urgent significance. But whatever the reason, the rituals themselves are still with us and they are living proof that at this darkest point of the year, despite many centuries of Christian teaching, we still feel the need to express some pretty powerful primitive urges.
WASSAIL SONG (Trad an CmsslGregorylHogsden/KirkpatricklLe Faux/Threlfall) The word "Wassail" comes from the Anglo Saxon expression "wes hal", meaning "be of good health". Several kinds of "wassailing" occur in England. This song accompanies the parading of a wassail bowl, filled with drink, from house to house. You are invited to drink from the bowl for good luck, and in return make a contribution of money, or more drink, or preferably both. The song was collected by Cecil Sharp in Drayton, Somerset, in 1909, after witnessing a performance at the vicarage where he was staying. Sharp slightly doctored the verses, using lines from other Somerset wassail songs to make them all of uniform length. 1 have subsequently doctored Mr Sharp's doctoring.
HUNTING THE WREN (Trad an Cross/Gregoiy/Hogsden/Kirkpatrick/Le Faux/Threifalll A song with echoes of some sort of sacrificial offering. On the day after Christmas it was the practice to parade around with a recently killed wren ceremonially displayed, with this as the accompanying song. In return for a contribution you were given a feather from the wren for good luck. When all the feathers were gone, you would have a feast, and then bury its bones, gaining strength from the King of the Birds. Versions of considerable variation have been found all over the British Isles, and this one was recorded from Joe & Winifred Woods, of Douglas, Isle of Man, by Leslie Daiken in the 1940s.
POOR OLD HORSE (Trad arr Kirkpatrick)
This song was originally attached to a Christmas play - The Old Horse Play - that was reasonably
widespread at the turn of the century in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and has still
not entirely died out. Ceremonial performances of the song, with a horse's skull suitably decorated,
can be found to this day in North Yorkshire. In the last verse the singer holding the skull kneels
down to symbolise the death of the horse. As with the wren, we take the horse's strength to keep
us going through the coming year.
The song was taken up and widely distributed by broadside printers, so that it has been found all
over the country even where the accompanying play is quite unknown. This is a jumble of some of
the many variants.
SWORD DANCE SONG AND TUNES (Trad arr Kirkpatrick)
Midwinter is the time for Yorkshire sword dancing. Often the dance is preceded by a calling-on song which praises the heroic qualities of each dancer. The words of our song, however, make an interesting departure form the usual celebratory verses, and reflect an episode from the Old Testament story of Samson. It is a rather chilling context in which to find a song about killing a champion. It was noted from the dancers of Kirkby Malzeard, near Ripon, in 1911 by Cecil Sharp. The Tunes Napoleon's March - Found in various versions all over England, but used for the brief opening figures of the Handsworth Dance, as collected by Sharp in 1912 and used by the team up till the 1950s. Bobby Shafto - Nothing like the well-known song tune. Used by the dancers at Sleights, collected by Sharp in 1912.T'Auld Wife of Coverdill - Noted by the Rev. John Tinkler when a team of sword dancers turned up unexpectedly to perform for him at the vicarage in Arkengarth-Dale, near Richmond, in 1869.The Wonder Hornpipe - Another tune that crops up all over the country. Collected by Sharp to accompany the Reel in the dance from Grenoside.
THE RATTLING CANNISTER MAN (Kirkpatrick)
The idea of making a noise to drive away the evil spirits that lurk in the dark is something we find all over the place. In Broughton in Northamptonshire they have a Tin Can Band which starts up at midnight on the third Sunday in December, and marches around the village for an hour, with saucepans, dustbin lids, kettles and anything else that will make a noise. I took this as the basis for "A Tin Can Shout" and used some of the more "metallic" lines from mummers plays as the inspiration for this peculiar Edward Lear-like piece.
STIR THE FIRE (Kirkpatrick)
The First of two new songs specially commissioned by Folkworks for the "Wassail!" tour, and
completed with financial assistance from Northern Arts.
Fire is the strongest form of magic against cold and darkness. We've all heard about the Yule log, and its part in ancient winter tradition, but I'm not sure we'd know what to do with one these days if the central heating broke down! In fact, keeping the fire alight was the first priority for survival -so much so that in some parts of the country it was bad luck for a visitor arriving in a house to speak unless they had first given the fire a good stir with the poker. Some mummers plays begin with the words "Stir the fire and light the light", and that's what I took as the title for the song.
THE DERBY TUP (Trad an Cross/Gregory/Hogsden/Kirkpatrick/Le Faux/Threlfall) Like Poor Old Horse, the song is far more widely known than the play from which it comes. In fact the Derby Ram is probably one of the most widespread folk songs in the English-speaking world. In north-east Derbyshire groups of teenagers take out their local version of the play every Christmas, spreading the miraculous tale of reassuring plentifulness. This is based on the version recorded in 1978 in Stanfree by lan Russell, who published it, along with many others, in the 1979 issue of The Folk Music Journal
CAROL TUNES (Trad an Cross/Gregory/Hogsden/Kirkpatrick/Le Faux/Threlfall)
Here we have three terrific old dance tunes that were given new English words during the
nineteenth century:
The Nantgarw Flower Dance was traditionally done in Wales on New Year's Eve, and is also known as "Nos Galan", which means ''New Year's Eve" in the Welsh language. Branle De L'Official - usually translated as the Servants' Brawl - meaning a kind of dance. From a book of French dances called "Orchesographie", compiled in 1588 by Thoinot Arbeau. Tempus Ad Est Floridum - a springtime song that first appeared in 1582 in a work called "Piae cantiones", a book of songs for students published in Greifswald, Finland, in Latin!
THE HOLLY AND THE IVY (Trad arr Hogsden/Threlfall)
Here's a song that is obviously a kind of hymn to nature, despite the references to the Christmas story. In the middle of winter, when most forms of vegetation are conspicuously devoid of life, it is still a source of wonder that some plants not only hold onto their leaves, but also bear fruit in the most spectacular way. No wonder we bring their branches into the house to remind us that life does go on.
This version was recorded fifty years ago from Peter Jones of Bromsash in Herefordshire, by Pat Shaw and Maud Karpeles, as part of the BBC's massive Folk Music Collection programme.
THE CHERRY TREE CAROL (Trad arr Cross/Kirkpatrick/Threlfall)
Nature bending, quite literally, to the power of God. This lovely story of great magic at work has been around for over a thousand years, and a song for at least half that. This version was recorded in the 1940s by Peter Kennedy, also as part of the BBC project, from John Patridge of Cinderford, Gloucestershire, whose family had had the song for generations.
ON CHRISTMAS DAY (Trad arr Le Faux)
One of the most chilling songs from the tradition, with a severe warning about the consequences of failing to observe Christmas properly. It was recorded in the 1960s from May Bradley, in Ludlow, Shropshire, by Fred Hamer, fifty years after the same song was noted down from the singing of her mother, Esther Smith, by Vaughan Williams, in Herefordshire. May Bradley said it was her mother's favourite song.
KING HEROD AND THE COCK (Trad an Cross/Gregory/Hogsden/Kirkpatrick/Le Faux/Threlfall Another song of magic and miracles, with a story dating back for centuries. Cecil Sharp collected the song from Mrs Plumb, from Armscote, Worcestershire.
THE APPLE TREE MAN (Story Trad an Kirkpatrick)/Apple Tree Wassail (Trad an Cross/Gregory/Hogsden/Kirkpatrick/Le Faux/Threlfall)
Because the ox and the ass were in the stable at Jesus' birth, they are rewarded every year with the gift of speech between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day morning. As well as that being the basis for this little cautionary tale against being too greedy, we are also told how to wassail an apple tree in order to guarantee a good crop the following year. The story was collected in two separate episodes by Ruth Tongue in the early years of this century in Pitminster, Somerset. The wassail verse is sung every year at Carhampton, near Minehead.
CHILDREN'S RHYMES (Trad arr Cross/Gregory/Hogsden/Kirfcpatriclc/Le Faux/Threlfall)
Christmas Is Coming - Now regarded as a nursery rhyme, but the words remind us that all these
songs and tunes were at one time carried out by the poor as one of their few chances to get a bit of
extra money or food.Little Jack Horner - A mysterious little fellow who's been with us getting on for three hundred years, maybe much longer. Some say the rhyme refers to the readiness of the Horner family to dive in and take advantage of the dissolution of the monasteries, helping themselves to the Manor of Mells. Or perhaps it's just about plums. Open The Door - A chant performed by children in Quarry Bank in the West Midlands, as remembered by George Dunn, born in 1887, and recorded as an old man in 1971. Another begging song Jingle Bells - Words learnt from the Kirkpatrick offspring. The extraordinary version of the tune was recorded from Suffolk fiddler Fred Whiting in the late 1970s.
HERE WE COME A-WASSAILING (Trad an Cross/Gregory/Hogsden/Kirkpatrick/Le Faux/Threlfall)
Another kind of perambulating wassail song from Yorkshire. This time the party goes round with an evergreen bough, sometimes decorated with oranges, sometimes with a baby Jesus inside! Learned by Martin Shaw, one of the compilers of The Oxford Book Of Carols in 1928, from his father, who had sung it in Leeds as a young boy.
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS (Trad an Kirkpatrick)
The giving of gifts at Midwinter has been going on since ancient times. So has the singing of daft songs as memory tests and tongue twisters, of which this is a fine example. I can't help thinking that the words may have originally been a recipe for one of those feasts where each bird is stuffed inside a larger one, but I accept that this theory doesn't hold water once we get to nine lads a-leaping, even though it might explain their eagerness to keep on the move. This slightly unusual list of presents comes from the repertoire of the Copper family of Rottingdean, Sussex.
CHARIOTS (Kirkpatrick)
Just when you were enjoying all that pagan imagery, here comes a full blown statement of the Christmas story. But without any disrespect to anyone's beliefs, it is worth noting that the symbol of a baby being born in the middle of winter, bringing the promise of new life, new hope, a new start, is so potent that it crops up in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and many other non-Christian cultures. The new birth represents the return of the Unconquered Sun, the giver of life and light.
Chariots is the second song commissioned for the "Wassail!" project by Folkworks, and was completed with financial assistance from Northern Arts. The piece works as a simple song, but for the tour 1 arranged it for five vocal parts which were performed by a different guest choir each night. There is also a simpler three-part version available. The original score also included three instrumental parts and a chord chart, and a full orchestral score has since been made by Andy Baker of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta.
CD 1
01 wassail song
02 banter
03 hunting the wren
04 banter
05 poor old horse
06 banter
07 calling on song/sword dance tunes
08 banter
09 the rattling cannister man
10 banter
11 stir the fire
12 banter
13 king herod & the cock
Christminster Singers - to track 20
14 while shepherds watched
15 banter
16 rejoice
17 banter
18 hark the herald angels sing
19 banter
20 peace anthem
CD 2
21 The Nantgarw Flower Dance/Branle De L'Official/Tempus Ad Est Floridum
22 banter
23 mummers play - "the derby tup"
24 banter/the holly and the ivy
25 banter/cherry tree carol
26 on Christmas day
27 the apple tree man/apple tree wassail
28 the twelve days of christmas
29 Band introductions
30 chariots
31 sweet chiming Christmas bells
32 here we come a-wassailing
John Kirkpatrick Button Accordion, Concertina, Vocals
Rosie Cross Hammered Dulcimer, Bassoon, Vocals
George Faux Fiddle, Viola, Mandolin, Guitar, Vocals
Jane Threlfall Mandolin, Mandola, Vocals
Carl Hogsden Mandolin, Guitar, Vocals
Richard Taylor Percussion, Drums
The Christminster Singers