Week 310 – Staines Morris

I think I must have first heard ‘Staines Morris’ at the end of Shirley and Dolly Collins’ Anthems in Eden suite, but learned it – as, no doubt, did countless others – from Shirley’s singing on Morris On. The source of the song is William Chappell’s Popular music of the olden time (1859). Chappell says

This tune is taken from the first edition of The Dancing Master. It is also in William Ballet’s Lute Book (time of Elizabeth); and was printed as late as about 1760, in a Collection of Country Dances, by Wright.

The Maypole Song, in Actæon and Diana, seems so exactly fitted to the air, that, having no guide as to the one intended, I have, on conjecture, printed it with this tune.

John Playford’s Dancing Master was first published in 1651, while the Actæon and Diana referred to here is Acteon & Diana with a pastoral storie of the nimph Oenone followed by the several conceited humours of Bumpkin the huntsman, Hobbinal the shepherd, Singing Simpkin, and John Swabber the seaman, by Rob. Cox, acted at the Red Bull with great applause, circa 1655. You can find the complete text on the University of Michigan’s Early English Books Online website. These verses are sung by “Country Wench 1”.

These days I’m pretty resistant to all this Merrie England guff, but I’ve retained a soft spot for this song. After all, the words might be a bit twee, but it is a rather fine tune. In our teens we used to sing it in our vocal harmony group Gomenwudu (in fact I’m pretty sure Mike used to sing Ashley Hutchings’ bass line). I’ve always thought of it primarily as a vehicle for vocal harmonies. But a couple of years ago I realised that it was possible to play it on the anglo. I didn’t really get it together then and, if I’m honest, I haven’t entirely got it together now. But as May Day approached I had another go at it. Put into a more singable key, with different fingering, on a different concertina, it seemed like a more viable proposition. And here it is – somewhat under-rehearsed, but if I’m ever going to post the song on this blog, it really has to be on May 1st – with multi-tracked vocals and two concertinas. Oh, and a Tierce de Picardie at the end. Again, something I tend to avoid like the plague, but here it just seemed right.

Maypole dance – from an early 20th century postcard, unknown location and date.

Staines Morris

Andy Turner – vocals, C/G and C/F anglo-concertinas