The Vicky Arms

I had a lovely opportunity last night to go to a session that I had not been to before; a once-monthly one at the Vicky Arms, out in the sticks near Oxford. It's the pub where people congregate on May Day (which I'm excited about already!) to drink and sing and dance etc. The pub was gorgeous, really spacious but cosy, with huge windows, an open log fire and Christmas decorations galore! After getting very cold from being outside, I was extremely chuffed to find that they also served mulled wine, as well as the best (and strongest) cider I've ever tasted. But of course, that's by the by...

I'd arrived with a nice crew of Half Moon musicians, and there were a good number already there, so it wasn't long at all before the tunes started. I was very pleased to see a hammered dulcimer being played, after having only recently bought a hammered dulcimer CD and lamenting that I'd never actually seen one 'in the wood', so to speak. It's a beautiful instrument, very delicate and ancient-sounding, but it still managed to hold its own above the accordians and violins and guitars.

There were some great tunes played as expected, and also we were treated to a fully-costumed 'mumming' by some of the locals, enacting the story of St George and the Turkish knight, with Santa Claus, the Devil, a GP and a man in drag thrown in for good measure! I had never seen a mummers' play before, so that was a nice addition to what was a really cosy, friendly, festive session.

We also ad some songs from Sharron (who sang my favourite 'Corpus Christi Carol' that I've been ranting on about, gorgeously accompanied by her dulcimer), Ian, Lizzy and some other people whose names I don't know (yet). There was a very funny 'A to Z of Folk' song which made us all laugh, and someone else sang a different version of the 'Nine Joys of Mary' (a different tune, slightly different words and only seven joys included). I sang 'Bitter Withy', which, seeing as I didn't have any other even vaguely related Christmas folk songs that hadn't already been sung, was ok because it was at least about Jesus. 'Bitter Withy' is one of the most odd, but fascinating, folk songs I have ever heard. I believe Peter Bellamy / The Watersons may have done an older version, but I learned it from Lisa Knapp, possibly my favourite folk singer of these days (of which more in a later post, doubtless). It follows Jesus as a young child in England, and a miracle he performs which results in three deaths, for which Mary spanks him in punishment (well, I did say it was odd...) There is something very mysterious about the story and the phrasing, and even the rhythm of the song. It was the first time I had actually sung it, but it went ok I think.

I'm currently learning a medieval song, 'Undrentide', adapted from a longer poem, 'Sir Orfeo'. I heard the song from one of my favourite bands, the Mediaeval Baebes, http://www.mediaevalbaebes.com/, and loved the complex tune and rhythm of the song. The story is great, so I thought I'd reproduce the words here:

Befell so is the comessing of May
When mirry and hot is the day
Oway beth winter shours
And every feld is full of flours
And blosme breme on evry bough

Overall wexeth mirry anough
This ich quene Dame Heurodis
Took two maidens of pris
And went in an undrentide
To play by an orchard side

To see the floures sprede and sprin
To here the fowles sing
They set hem down all three
Under a faire impe-tree
And wel sone this faire quene
Fell on slepe opon the grene

The maidens durst hir nought awake
Bot lete hir ligge and rest take
She slepe till after none
That undrentide was all ydone
(That undrentide was all ydone)

Ac as sone she gan awake
She cried and lothly bere gan make
She froted hir honden and hir feet
And cracched hir visage, it blede weet
Hir riche robe hie all to-rett
And was reveyd out of hir wit

The two maidens hir beside
No durst with hir no leng abide
Bot urn to the palais full right
And tolde bothe squier and knight

That her quene awede wold
And bad hem go and hir athold
Knightes urn and levedis also
Damisels sexty and mo

In the orchard to the quene hie come
And hir up in her armes nome
And brought hir to bed atte last
And held hir there fine fast
Ac ever she held in o cry
And wolde up and owy

I have made a vow to learn a good number of folk songs over Christmas while I have the time, so this is not a bad start! It's the kind of song that stays in your head for days on end - the story is also haunting, being about a Queen who becomes enchanted by a fairy-tree and can't stand being back in the mortal world when she wakes, so goes mad. Cheerful stuff...but then, for folk, it's not too bad - after all, there's a nice tree in it at least.

So to conclude, 10/10 to the Vicky Arms, and I hope to be returning there next month!

A folk-filled weekend

Phew! I've just had a very busy yet highly enjoyable weekend packed full of folk! Saturday night saw me and my Half Moon-friend Dave going to the Town Hall to see Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band. It was quite a special gig for me because Maddy was the first folk gig (indeed, the first gig!) I ever went to, when my dad bought me surprise tickets when I was about 13 or so. We saw her at the Chester town hall and it more or less converted me to English folk music overnight, so it felt especially full-circle that Oxford's town hall actually resembles Chester's, with its wood-panelling and portraits etc. Mulled wine was served, and there was a lovely full crowd.
Maddy was well-kitted out as usual, in the first half with a minstrel's outfit and in the second half a gorgeous glittering orange net skirt so she could do her infamous dancing onstage. I didn't really know what to expect as I haven't been keeping that up to date with what Maddy has been doing, but the set-list was varied, inventive and by turns moving and funny. The band were tight and managed the daunting task of making some (over?)popular Christmas carols sound fresh. One of their Latin encores, sung by the whole band in close harmony, was absolutely stunning. I also had one of the great 'small-world' feelings common to both Oxford and the folk world in general - the violinist/flautist/singer of the band, Giles Lewin, looked very familiar to me, and after a few songs I realised that I had seen him perform with a wonderful singer called Vivien Ellis in a duo called Alva. The gig was over the summer in the fantastically atmospheric setting of St John's Church in Chester, and the two of them specialise in traditional songs from many different cultures, though frequently medieval France or England. Find more here: http://www.alva.uk.com/index.html
A bit of reading on Wikipedia has also informed me that Giles not only lives in Oxford at the moment, but that he is a member of Bellowhead (with fellow Oxfordians and Half-Moon regulars Spiers and Boden) and acquainted with other Half-Mooners/folk legends Magpie Lane (keep reading for more)...One of these days I really must draw a family tree of folkies!

On Sunday was the aforementioned Magpie Lane concert, at the Holywell Music Room (the oldest concert hall in Europe apparently). I had never seen the place before, and was impressed by the gorgeously sparse decor and fantastic acoustics, perfectly suited to the Magpies' robust harmonies and arrangements. I had also never had the pleasure of seeing Magpie Lane perform either, although I have some of their CDs (and know most of them through the Half Moon!). It was a faultless show of wonderfully off-the-beaten-track Christmas carols with a healthy dose of tunes, secular wassailing and drinking songs thrown in! Check the band out at http://www.magpielane.dsl.pipex.com/
I had an especial treat hearing Sophie do a breathtaking version of the 'Corpus Christi Carol' [?] with the words I wrote about in my last post. Sophie also sang a gorgeous song called 'The Nine Joys of Mary', which I had never heard before, to the tune of 'God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen'. I have just found the words from a great website, www.folkinfo.org:

The first good joy that Mary had, It was the joy of one,
To see her own son Jesus Christ to suck at the breastbone,
To suck at the breastbone, O Lord, and bless-ed may we be.
This brings tidings, sweet comfort and joy, and great joy,
This brings tidings, sweet comfort and joy.

The next ... two ... to read the Bible through.

The next ... three ... to make the blind to see.

The next ... four ... to say the Bible o'er.

The next ... five ... to raise the dead alive.

The next ... six ... to bear the crucifix.

The next ... seven ... to eat the bread of Heaven.

The next ... eight ... to make the crooked straight.

The next ... nine ... to turn water into wine.


(The website adds that this song was collected from Mr Wiltshire from the workhouse , Royston, Hertforshire in 1907 by Vaughan Williams.)

After the Magpie Lane gig I was lucky enough to meet local (well, actually, how about national!) treasure Tim Healy, who runs the fantastic Beautiful Jo record label (http://www.bejo.co.uk/), the Oxford Folk Festival, writes local history articles, performs with the Oxford Waits (http://www.bejo.co.uk/bejo/html/artWaits.htm), and has his fingers in numerous other pies. I had first heard of Tim a while back through my good friend Terry, road manager to the fantastic Martin Simpson, and since moving to Oxford, have heard a lot about Tim but never actually met him. So it was a nice surprise to see him on the ticket stand and CD stall for Magpie Lane! As a result of Tim's smooth sales technique, I ended up being very sinful and buying six CDs, which I hope *eventually* to actually get time to listen to and review on here; but for now they include a hurdy gurdy CD (you will, dear reader, be hearing a lot about hurdy gurdies, for which I make no apology....), a hammered dulcimer CD (a beautiful instrument), a Magpie Lane CD (as was only right) of Oxfordshire-based folk songs, an Alva album and a CD of tunes and songs mentioned in Thomas Hardy novels (Hardy being another love of mine). I have an awful and seemingly incurable habit of acquiring a steady stream of CDs and not keeping up with them. The same terrible affliction has stricken with me and books too, but that's another saga...

Sunday evening, post-Magpie Lane now, and guess what, we are in the Half Moon! It was my friend Lizzy's birthday so we all dressed up (Lizzy was in a ball dress, some other brave men in white tie!) and wore masks (slightly conspicuous in any other pub, but in the Half Moon anything goes). It being Lizzy's birthday was lovely enough, but it also ended up being possibly the best session I have ever spent in the place, not least because Jon Boden turned up with his lovely wife Fay. Jon used to live above the Half Moon and always pops back when he's gigging in or visiting Oxford. He was there on my first ever Half Moon session - I remember walking rather timidly in, not knowing what to expect, and hearing a familiar voice in the corner. After a few minutes I realised I had heard the voice on the radio and television many times! I am still pathetically star-struck whenever Jon appears, which is silly considering he's the most down-to-earth bloke ever, and everyone else there knows him really well, but I still go ridiculously girly. We all have our foibles I suppose, and I'm sure there are many Spiers and Boden/Bellowhead fans out there who can sympathise with my plight!
Having Jon there gave the place an extra kick, but the session was full of the usual cracking musicians anyway, and there were a good number of singers in too. I sang three songs, 'The Cuckoo' (complete with Joe Ryan's [landlord] bird noises...), 'Waly Waly' (which I also sang on Friday, but I haven't had time to learn any new songs for a good while!), and 'O mo Dhuthaich' ['O my Country'], one of the most beautiful Gaelic songs about emigration/the Clearances. Dave gave us a number of great songs as always, including one of my favourites, 'Shallow Brown', which sent shivers down my spine when the entire pub joined in on the response lines. Various Magpie Lane members joined us, and Ian and Darren did their stunningly harmonised medieval song 'Gentle Robin', which I *always* request whenever I see them in the bar! Steph and Emily regaled us with their lovely voices too. I was there until around 4:30am (I have still never been brave enough to stay for longer than that with work the next day) before dragging myself home for a few hours' sleep. As Lizzy would say, 'Don't tell me I'm burning the candle at both ends, tell me where I can get more wax!'

So all in all, a fantastic weekend which continued to reaffirm my love for the tradition and for the Oxford folk scene in particular! I really don't think there is anywhere else like Oxford; it seems to be the central point of countless lines of musical activity, and its village-esque 'everyone-knows-everyone' atmosphere constantly amazes (and slightly terrifies) me!

Right, now I'd better learn some new songs...

The Port Mahon

What better way to start off the blog with a report of one of my favourite folk sessions; Friday night at the Port Mahon. This place was the first experience of the Oxford scene when I first moved here not all that long ago, and I had reservations at first in case it was one of those dubious institutions who claim to be a 'folk club' but instead end up being a 'Best of Simon&Garfunkel night' or something. There is, I am sure, a time and a place for That Sort of Thing, but not for Trad.Arr semi-purists like me. Anyhoo, my worries were over when I first ascended the stairs to the little room at the top of the pub and heard Caroline singing 'The Banks of the Sweet Primroses'. Since then I've met some lovely people and heard some beautiful songs.

Tonight was the first time I'd been to the PH in almost a month, what with having a few weekends away, so I had been having some withdrawal symptoms. It was quiet to start off with, but by the end of the night we had a lovely little crowd, with some people I hadn't seen before as well as the regulars. Caroline very kindly wrote the words down to a beautifully sad song I had heard her sing a while back called 'The Bonny Light Horseman':

'When Boney commanded his armies to stand
He levelled his cannon right over the land
He levelled his cannon his victory to gain
And he slew my light horseman o the way coming home

Broken-hearted I'll wander
Broken-hearted I'll remain
Since my bonny light horseman
In the wars has been slain

Ph, were I a small dove and had wings for to fly
I would fly o'er the salt sea to where my darling do lie
And with my fond wings I'd beat over his grave
And I'd kiss the pale lips that lie cold as the clay

Oh, the dove she laments for her make as she flies
Oh, where, tell me where is my darling, she cries
And where in this wide world is there one to compare
With my bonny light horseman who was slain in the war.

The tune is beautiful too, I just hope I can remember it. I often find that's the trouble when you hear a song you really want to hear - you can generally get the words quite easily on the Internet, but the tune has often totally disappeared from your head by that point!

There were some lovely carols sung tonight too, inkeeping with the approaching Christmas spirit...I'm very hard to please when it comes to carols, but if it can't be Latin then medieval will do very nicely too, and we had three carols from around this date tonight; 'Coventry Carol' from Pam (ie 'Lulley, lullay, thou little tiny child, Lulley lulley lullay' etc), and a beautiful song from Isabel which I have seen called a variant of the quite well-known 'Corpus Christi Carol'. The lyrics are something like this:

Down in yon forest there stands a hall
Bells of paradise I hear them ring
It's gilded all over with purple and pall
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything
Down in that hall there lay a bed
The bells of paradise I hear them ring
All scarlet the cover that over it spread
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything
Down under that bed there runs a flood
Bells of paradise I hear them ring
Half run in water, Half run in blood
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything
By the side of the bed there standeth a stone
The bells of paradise I hear them ring
The sweet Virgin Mary kneeling thereon
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything
Down at the bed feet there grows a thorn
The bells of paradise I hear them ring
It blooms its white blossoms the day he was born
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

I think it may well be a variant of the 'Corpus Christi Carol' because of the 'and on the bed there lieth a knight / His wound it bleedeth day and night' lines in that which fit with this song too.
Isabel also sang a lovely version of a Robert Southey poem about a vision of the baby Jesus surrounded by flames, which I shall have to find the name of. It will involve trawling through the 70 or so of his poems on the ever-handy PoemHunter website, but now is not the time methinks.

I sang three songs, the heartbreaking Gaelic 'Mo Run Geal Og', written by a woman who has lost her husband in the battle of Culloden , 'Waly Waly' and 'Bonny May'. I really need to learn some new songs this weekend...

Greetings!

Hello all and sundry! I'm totally new to the blogging world, but seeing as how I seem to nearly always be talking about folk music to anyone who will listen (and even those who won't), it would be silly to deprive myself of the excellent soapbox opportunity which a blog provides. So I hope to be using this blog to talk about particular traditional songs that I'm listening to or learning, folk sessions and gigs that I've been to, and new CD releases etc. Feel free to join in any discussions, as the folk world is all about sharing enthusiasm for the tradition and the sense of community that having a good sing/play/dance can bring.

So for now I will say slainte mhath a h-uile and watch this space!