Week 278 – Stannington

Regular visitors to this blog will probably be aware of my fondness for the carolling tradition that continues to this day in the villages around Sheffield. A few weekends ago I made my first ever visit to a Sheffield carolling session – the Sunday lunchtime sing at the Royal Hotel in Dungworth. The pub was (literally) full to overflowing, the singing was lusty and joyful, and it felt so good to be able to join in old favourites like ‘Hark Hark What News’, ‘Jacob’s Well’ and ‘Diadem’ in their proper surroundings. So, my first visit, but definitely not my last.

I’d previously heard this piece on the double CD The Theme, The Song, The Joy, which I reviewed for last year’s Folk Music Journal. The album contains recordings made over the years at the biennial Festival of Village Carols organised by Ian Russell, including a 2014 recording of ‘Stannington’ sung by carollers from the Royal Hotel, with Manny Grimsley taking the solo. To be honest the song hadn’t made much impression on me, but the day after going to Dungworth I found it was lodged in my head. So I dug out the words, worked out the chords, took it down a tone and worked out the chords again, and decided I’d try to get a decent recording made in time for Christmas. Give it another year and I might be more on top of it, but this is a blog, not a CD – spontaneity rather than perfection is the name of the game.

Stannington being sung at the Royal Hotel, Dungworth.

I’m indebted to Dave Eyre for providing some background information on this song, via a comment left on Jon Boden’s A Folk Song a Day entry for December 21st 2010

Ian Russell writes in the book which accompanied the Dungworth CD [i.e. Hark, Hark! What News]:

Central to the tradition since the 1950’s usually as a solo. Written by the late Mina Dyson (born Gee – 1890 – also wrote “Bradfield” in 1971). Tune (c. 1945) originally set to anniversary hymn “God Send You Many Days as Sweet as This” by Edward Lockton. Word “Sing All Ye People” written for Christmas 1952.

I’d like to add that this was always sung by a man called Wilf Daff and Brian Shuel has two photographs of his doing just that, one in front of the dartboard and one next to the organ with David Smith playing He was a remarkable tenor singer and when people joined in at the last verse – often at a cry of “altogether” – his voice soared over the crowd. Truly memorable.

When Wilf stopped coming the song was taken over by Billy Mills who was one of the singers who came from the Lodge Moor area when David Smith began playing.

Happy Christmas one and all! Here’s to hope, and joy, and peace.

Stannington

Andy Turner – vocal, C/G anglo-concertina

New Magpie Lane CD – ‘The 25th’

This afternoon and evening I’ll be playing with Magpie Lane at our annual Christmas concerts in the Holywell Music Room in Oxford. 25 years ago, when the first Magpie Lane Christmas gigs took place, I was actually in the audience as my wife was very heavily pregnant (our son Tom was in fact born a few days later on Christmas Day – hence my tune ‘The Christmas Baby’ which appeared on our Wassail CD). But I enjoyed watching that gig, and have never failed to enjoy playing at the Holywell over the succeeding years – in fact it’s one of the highlights of my year.

The first Magpie Lane CD, The Oxford Ramble, was released in April 1993 and the band’s very first public appearance came a couple of weeks later.

And we’ve just released our tenth album, which celebrates not only the band’s twenty-fifth anniversary,  but also those 25 years of Christmas concerts at the Holywell.

Cover of Magpie Lane CD The 25th.
Cover illustration by founder member Tom Bower.

Like Wassail (1995) and Knock at the Knocker, Ring at the Bell (2006) the  new album features songs and tunes suitable for Winter and the Christmas season. Many are carols drawn from English sources – from the West Gallery era, from the notebooks of the early twentieth century collectors, or from the vibrant living carolling tradition of South Yorkshire. As you’ll see below, live versions of several of these carols have featured on this blog over the last few years (but of course these new studio recordings are much better!).

The earliest piece on the album, ‘Angelus ad Virginem’, is from the thirteenth century – and is performed in a way that acknowledges the original links between carolling and dancing. ‘In Winter Time’, on the other hand, composed by guitarist Jon Fletcher’s father, is a starkly beautiful carol which deserves to be ranked alongside the finest examples of twentieth century English carol compositions.

There are also secular songs. Both George Wither’s seventeenth century ‘Christmas Caroll’ and Pete Joshua’s modern ‘I am Christmas Time’ celebrate the good things about Christmas – eating, drinking, and having a good time with friends and family.

The album is available to order now from the Magpie Lane website. Get an order in asap, and we’ll do our best to make sure your copy arrives before Christmas.

 

Tracklist

1. Sweet Chiming Bells
   a live version of this featured as Week 174 – Sweet Chiming Bells
2. Newton’s Double
   a live recording of this carol appeared as part of Week 122 – Hymn for Christmas Day / Sellwood Mollineux’ Carol / Newton’s Double
3. Gabriel’s Message
4. A Christmas Caroll
5. As Shepherds Watched their Fleecy Care
   for a live recording see Week 171 – As Shepherds Watched Their Fleecy Care
6. Christmas Carousing / Mummers’ Jig and Reel
7. Sellwood Molyneux’ Carol
   previously featured here in Week 122 – Hymn for Christmas Day / Sellwood Mollineux’ Carol / Newton’s Double
8. In Winter Time
9. Angelus ad Virginem / I Saw Three Ships
10. I am Christmas Time
11. On a Cold Winter’s Day / Down in yon Forest
    a preliminary sketch of On a Cold Winter’s Day was posted on my Squeezed Out blog: https://squeezedout.wordpress.com/2016/12/29/on-a-cold-winters-day-when-ye-cold-winter-nights-were-frozen/
12. Hark Hark What News
    for a live version see Week 68 – Lo! The Eastern Sages Rise / Hark Hark What News
13. A Christmas Tale / Christmas Day in the Morning
    I posted a solo recording of the first tune on my Squeezed Out blog: https://squeezedout.wordpress.com/2017/12/20/the-christmas-tale/
14. The Trees are all Bare
    our regular Christmas show-closer – check out Week 175 – The Trees are All Bare for a live recording

 

Listen to sample tracks