I was told by a member of mining community this is a song of celebration with a sting in the tail . The final verse is a comment that animals had more rights at that time than workers!
From a miner’s son who has sung and taught for a working lifetime. The reference to a pig was related to a recently passed Parliamentary bill concerning animal cruelty while workers rights remained unaddressed. Looking round little seems to have changed over time!
@@glynluff2595 From another miner's son, and from the East end of Newcastle, Walker in fact, and whose mother lives in a house that is slap bang on top of where the shaft to Walker pit was, this is bollocks.
Always interesting to learn community views of history’s vision as applied to them. We only know what we read and are advised by the communities involved. Perhaps historians can be too subtle!
Yes, it's a stunning performance : but it's not a traditional Northern tune: musically it's an adaptation of the American shape-note piece 'Where are the Hebrew children' with an anachronistic tierce de Picardie at the end... The Carthy/Swarbrick version seems to use a traditional Northern tune ...
I hear what your saying, but respectfully I feel pentatonic melodies with a harmony in 4ths and 5ths, as well as shifting the 3rd is fairly common in old British music.
@@joshuaperkins9916 Not sure what you mean. All I REALLYT said was that this wasn't an authentic British setting ...BYKER HILL is really quite a different tune from this one: yes, Sacred Harp composers rediscovered a sort of neo-medieval harmony for themselves: and just occasionally Sacred Harp pieces are found in English Mss: and one of the springs that fed those composers was music from the British Isles: but how old is your OLD? If you can find me a UK source for this setting older than the early Sacred Harp period I'll eat my copy of that esteemed hymnal - early versions of which RARELY display major 3rds in the final chord of a minor piece. I'm afraid modern folk music, while I love it to bits, plays merry hell with historical fact! Look at the YT's version of IDUMEA: the original is in 3/2 and their version deforms it into 4/2 (or 4/4)
Hi Blaise, I agree that a well placed major 3rd at an end of a piece or phrase is something more akin to European classical. What I meant is there seems to be musical tendency in music out side of arranged chords and large chord progressions to express freely with shifting 3rds and 6ths as well as well as strong use of drones, suspensions, 4ths and 5ths, etc. That sort research on both sides of the the Atlantic from Philip Tagg back to Cecil Sharp, as well as looking at old manuscripts and instrument designs gives us some insight. We could talk about shifting modes and such, but my real point was just that the basic elements in this particular version are not that far off from British and Irish tradition. As a musician and someone who loves history I really enjoy digging deep and having chats like this from time to time. I appreciate your reply, knowledge, and feedback. All the best Josh
@@blaisecompton3442 This from Martin Carthy regarding his 1967 recording with Dave Swarbrick: 'The tune of Byker Hill sung here is not the one sung traditionally. It is a Northumbrian dance tune in 9/8, unusual in that instead of being divided into three threes as are most other 9/8 tunes, it is divided in three twos and one three and appropriately called The Drunken Piper. The words are an amalgam of a version I learned years ago while playing with the Thameside Four, and the version sung by A.L. Lloyd'. And this from A L Lloyd: 'First printed in John Bell’s Rhymes of Northern Bards (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1812, facsimile reprint, 1971). Directed to be sung to the tune of Off She Goes (see, for instance, Kerr’s First Collection of Merry Melodies for the Violin, Glasgow, n.d. Book 1, p.29 No.14). Other melodies have been attached to these words of recent years, including the tune of the American camp-meeting hymn Where Are the Hebrew Children? (see The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, New Haven, Conn., 1835, p.266), and a version of the north-eastern dance tune My Dearie (Laddie, Lassie) Sits Ower Late up'.
So sad to hear of Heather Wood's death on July 16, 2024. Rest in peace for the last member of Young Tradition.
My students love this one. I've been teaching it for 40 years. Love this group's harmonies
I was told by a member of mining community this is a song of celebration with a sting in the tail . The final verse is a comment that animals had more rights at that time than workers!
Not sure where you got that from but it's bollocks tbh.
From a miner’s son who has sung and taught for a working lifetime. The reference to a pig was related to a recently passed Parliamentary bill concerning animal cruelty while workers rights remained unaddressed. Looking round little seems to have changed over time!
@@glynluff2595 From another miner's son, and from the East end of Newcastle, Walker in fact, and whose mother lives in a house that is slap bang on top of where the shaft to Walker pit was, this is bollocks.
Always interesting to learn community views of history’s vision as applied to them. We only know what we read and are advised by the communities involved. Perhaps historians can be too subtle!
@@glynluff2595 Subtle? No, never. Biased, to their own agenda, yes always.
Way better than the first version that pops up when you search UA-cam for this song
it is at least fifth day in a row and i cant stop singing this one
Incredible song.
brilliant love these guys
Totally agree.
Brilliant! Simply brilliant!
This is a sea shanty
This is actually a work song! A sea shanty is a type of work song
@tangodown69 ahh yes... It's a more general work song... Genoese mariners had this tradition too
It’s really not 🙄 it’s in reference to mining!
Amazing!!!!!!!
500 likes well done
You're really showin off your skills!
Hardcore!
David Black RIP gets it right. You have to know the area
Howay the miners!
Lee Betty Perez Mark Hernandez Eric
Yes, it's a stunning performance : but it's not a traditional Northern tune: musically it's an adaptation of the American shape-note piece 'Where are the Hebrew children' with an anachronistic tierce de Picardie at the end... The Carthy/Swarbrick version seems to use a traditional Northern tune ...
I hear what your saying, but respectfully I feel pentatonic melodies with a harmony in 4ths and 5ths, as well as shifting the 3rd is fairly common in old British music.
@@joshuaperkins9916 Not sure what you mean. All I REALLYT said was that this wasn't an authentic British setting ...BYKER HILL is really quite a different tune from this one: yes, Sacred Harp composers rediscovered a sort of neo-medieval harmony for themselves: and just occasionally Sacred Harp pieces are found in English Mss: and one of the springs that fed those composers was music from the British Isles: but how old is your OLD? If you can find me a UK source for this setting older than the early Sacred Harp period I'll eat my copy of that esteemed hymnal - early versions of which RARELY display major 3rds in the final chord of a minor piece. I'm afraid modern folk music, while I love it to bits, plays merry hell with historical fact! Look at the YT's version of IDUMEA: the original is in 3/2 and their version deforms it into 4/2 (or 4/4)
Hi Blaise,
I agree that a well placed major 3rd at an end of a piece or phrase is something more akin to European classical. What I meant is there seems to be musical tendency in music out side of arranged chords and large chord progressions to express freely with shifting 3rds and 6ths as well as well as strong use of drones, suspensions, 4ths and 5ths, etc.
That sort research on both sides of the the Atlantic from Philip Tagg back to Cecil Sharp, as well as looking at old manuscripts and instrument designs gives us some insight.
We could talk about shifting modes and such, but my real point was just that the basic elements in this particular version are not that far off from British and Irish tradition.
As a musician and someone who loves history I really enjoy digging deep and having chats like this from time to time.
I appreciate your reply, knowledge, and feedback.
All the best
Josh
@@blaisecompton3442
This from Martin Carthy regarding his 1967 recording with Dave Swarbrick:
'The tune of Byker Hill sung here is not the one sung traditionally. It is a Northumbrian dance tune in 9/8, unusual in that instead of being divided into three threes as are most other 9/8 tunes, it is divided in three twos and one three and appropriately called The Drunken Piper. The words are an amalgam of a version I learned years ago while playing with the Thameside Four, and the version sung by A.L. Lloyd'.
And this from A L Lloyd:
'First printed in John Bell’s Rhymes of Northern Bards (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1812, facsimile reprint, 1971). Directed to be sung to the tune of Off She Goes (see, for instance, Kerr’s First Collection of Merry Melodies for the Violin, Glasgow, n.d. Book 1, p.29 No.14). Other melodies have been attached to these words of recent years, including the tune of the American camp-meeting hymn Where Are the Hebrew Children? (see The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, New Haven, Conn., 1835, p.266), and a version of the north-eastern dance tune My Dearie (Laddie, Lassie) Sits Ower Late up'.
Jones Betty Young Sarah Rodriguez Shirley
Jones Deborah Wilson Ruth Young Larry
Martinez Christopher Jackson Kimberly Taylor Daniel