This reminds me of my 20s when I lived on a boat on the river near Yalding in Kent. I would often sit on the deck and play folk songs to myself. Those were they days, lovely memories 👍😊
This song is a good teacher. It is at least many centuries old in English. Variations on it might indeed be thousands of years old, easily predating the English language. For millennia, in western culture the primary food was bread. [For my fellow Americans, “corn” in British English translates to “wheat” in American English (or more generally, any grain with a kernel). Barley remains barley.] This song wonderfully illustrates some of the main themes of mythology: sustenance, the sacrifice required for sustenance, the death required for life, the cycle of life, rebirth. Since the agricultural revolution, that has meant grain crops. 🍺
Love the history you have shared, Ana Tam. My gosh, I have some (at least 47) histories to learn from. OH!! A hurdy-gurdy!!!! Love your voice, and your choice of tempo. You and your hurdie-gurdie get along quite well. A match made in Heaven. Also heard at least one or two new verses. Bless you. r
Anna Tam, Oh Anna you could sing the dictionary and I would be thrilled to hear it! Thank you for all of the joy and happiness you spread with your music. Bless you dear Anna Tam. With admiration and respect, Ken Ruley
O wow, that was amazing, the trick to engage the extra string for to play the melody is just astounding. I found your singing so authentic for this song. absolutely delightful. It's been a long time since I had this song on a record collection that I lost. definitely not the Traffic one. great choice of instrument to play it. I wonder if Maddy Prior did a version or someone from that same era. thank you so much for sharing !!
I've never seen a boat like that. To be honest, it looks like some weird post-apocalyptic thing and I love it. Also I love your rendition of my favorite folk song on the hurdy gurdy.
*"It is the cunning'st alchemist that e'er was in the land;* *'Twill change your metal when it list, in turning of a hand;* *Your blushing gold to silver wan, your silver into brass;* *'Twill change a Taylor to a man, and a man into an Ass..."* - "The Little Barleycorn" (to the tune of "Cold and Raw")
Thank you so much Conn! It's a hurdy gurdy, sometimes called a wheeled fiddle (French vielle à roue) as it's played by rubbing a wheel against the strings.
Marvelous your singing, Anna, and your playing of the hurdy-gurdy, an instrument all too rarely heard. By the way, could "Beowa" have anything to do with Beowulf? I already read in Wiki that an early version of the song was called "Allan-o-maute" (or similar), or "Allan of the malt", which pleased me because my name is Allen. (Thanks also for saying ale instead of beer. For quite a few years I made my own ale, and so I appreciate the difference.
When society as we know it has succumbed to fire, flood and economic meltdown, you may have the best seat by the fire (along with the storyteller, of course.) And I'm curious to know how you managed to send me an email tonight that was almost creepily apposite to a blog post I'd just made. The message was timed at almost precisely the same moment as I published the post.
This reminds me of my 20s when I lived on a boat on the river near Yalding in Kent. I would often sit on the deck and play folk songs to myself. Those were they days, lovely memories 👍😊
This song is a good teacher. It is at least many centuries old in English. Variations on it might indeed be thousands of years old, easily predating the English language. For millennia, in western culture the primary food was bread. [For my fellow Americans, “corn” in British English translates to “wheat” in American English (or more generally, any grain with a kernel). Barley remains barley.]
This song wonderfully illustrates some of the main themes of mythology: sustenance, the sacrifice required for sustenance, the death required for life, the cycle of life, rebirth. Since the agricultural revolution, that has meant grain crops. 🍺
Love the history you have shared, Ana Tam. My gosh, I have some (at least 47) histories to learn from. OH!! A hurdy-gurdy!!!! Love your voice, and your choice of tempo. You and your hurdie-gurdie get along quite well. A match made in Heaven. Also heard at least one or two new verses. Bless you. r
Hey, thanks for sharing his with us, Anna. I loved your interpretation, vocals and hurdy-gurdy playing..
What a voice1 What an artist!
Stevie Winwood me trajo hasta aquí , amo el folk inglés....desde Sudamérica gracias 🌈🌴🌄
Love this song especially with the hg, sounds so ancient and earthy. I also love bunting, always makes me feel cheerful like there's an occasion!
Thanks so much Meg! Me too, I think I put the bunting up for a party then never took it down because it’s so cheerful 😊
Anna Tam,
Oh Anna you could sing the dictionary and I would be thrilled to hear it! Thank you for all of the joy and happiness you spread with your music.
Bless you dear Anna Tam.
With admiration and respect,
Ken Ruley
Bless you Ken! Thank you so so much!
I love hearing you speak almost as much as sing. Such a melodic sweet lyrical voice. O I thank you.
Very pleasing version!
I love this folk song, I also love your version as well as that of The Johnstons, Steeleye Span, John Renbourn Group and Traffic. Brava!
Thank you Giorgio!
Wonderful as always.
O wow, that was amazing, the trick to engage the extra string for to play the melody is just astounding. I found your singing so authentic for this song. absolutely delightful. It's been a long time since I had this song on a record collection that I lost. definitely not the Traffic one. great choice of instrument to play it. I wonder if Maddy Prior did a version or someone from that same era. thank you so much for sharing !!
Thank you so much Feter! I didn't put the outtake in when I forgot to engage the melody string and nothing happened when I went to play the keys!!
What a channel find. Thank you Anna
I've never seen a boat like that. To be honest, it looks like some weird post-apocalyptic thing and I love it.
Also I love your rendition of my favorite folk song on the hurdy gurdy.
Hi Paul, welcome to the channel!
*"It is the cunning'st alchemist that e'er was in the land;*
*'Twill change your metal when it list, in turning of a hand;*
*Your blushing gold to silver wan, your silver into brass;*
*'Twill change a Taylor to a man, and a man into an Ass..."*
- "The Little Barleycorn" (to the tune of "Cold and Raw")
Brilliant!! PS catch the next episode for some of that tune
So very nice, I always thought John Barleycorn was alcoholism, and the three men came to get rid of him.
Brava!!
The tune is very similar to the version collected in Bampton, Oxfordshire from, I think, Shadrach 'Shepherd' Hayden by Cecil Sharp in 1909.
Love it... What prey tell is the instrument you are playing soo well.. 😍
Thank you so much Conn! It's a hurdy gurdy, sometimes called a wheeled fiddle (French vielle à roue) as it's played by rubbing a wheel against the strings.
@@AnnaTamHave a listen to Donovan singing Hurry Gurdy man.
Marvelous your singing, Anna, and your playing of the hurdy-gurdy, an instrument all too rarely heard.
By the way, could "Beowa" have anything to do with Beowulf? I already read in Wiki that an early version of the song was called "Allan-o-maute" (or similar), or "Allan of the malt", which pleased me because my name is Allen. (Thanks also for saying ale instead of beer. For quite a few years I made my own ale, and so I appreciate the difference.
It was a really fun song. And I love the hurdy gurdy! Is the gurdy new?
Thanks so much! The hurdy gurdy is about two years old now 😊
Your gurdy is sounding great, but then you can't go far wrong with a Dugué!
Indeed, with one of Claire's instruments I know I can only blame myself!
Anna do you have Chinese ancestry? In HK Tam is a very popular Chinese name?
The tune is likely from Hampshire.
Thanks, lots of great tunes collected there.
When society as we know it has succumbed to fire, flood and economic meltdown, you may have the best seat by the fire (along with the storyteller, of course.) And I'm curious to know how you managed to send me an email tonight that was almost creepily apposite to a blog post I'd just made. The message was timed at almost precisely the same moment as I published the post.