Penguin Classics The New Penguin Book Of English Folk Songs - Hardcover

Julia Bishop; Steve Roud

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0141194618 ISBN 13: 9780141194615

Publisher: Penguin Classic, 2012

Synopsis

One of the Spectator's Books of the Year 2012. 'Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain For we've received orders for to sail for old England But we hope in a short while to see you again'. One of the great English popular art forms, the folk song can be painful, satirical, erotic, dramatic, rueful or funny. They have thrived when sung on a whim to a handful of friends in a pub; they have bewitched generations of English composers who have set them for everything from solo violin to full orchestra; they are sung in concerts, festivals, weddings, funerals and with nobody to hear but the singer. This magical new collection brings together all the classic folk songs as well as many lesser-known discoveries, complete with music and annotations on their original sources and meaning. Published in cooperation with the "English Folk Dance and Song Society", it is a worthy successor to Ralph Vaughan Williams and A.L.Lloyd's original "Penguin Book of English Folk Songs". "Her keen eye did glitter like the bright stars by night. The robe she was wearing was costly and white Her bare neck was shaded with her long raven hair And they called her pretty Susan, the pride of Kildare". (In association with EFDSS, the "English Folk Dance and Song Society").

About this title

About the Author

Steve Roud is the Founder of the Roud Folk Song Index and the author of a number of major works on English folkways and customs, including The English Year. Julia Bishop has a PhD in folksong and is Chief Editor of the forthcoming edition of the James Madison Carpenter Folksong Collection.

Review

Refreshing ... beautiful ... academic but lively ... the book offers the experience of immersion into the strange, romantic and occasionally frightening world these songs were, and are, a part of ... A triumphant addition to the English folk canon, both as a source of reference and as an endlessly enjoyable collection to dip into The Times The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs couldn't be better timed ... an utterly indispensable collection of music for murder, wooing and wanton abandon Record Collector Compelling ... fascinating and refreshingly objective ... Free of any cloying romanticism, [Roud and Bishop] are willing to point out the many quirks and flaws in the progress of the art form, and show how ideology, nationalism and class all played a part in forming our wide notions of folk today ... An impressive and nourishing book, with an appeal far beyond the folk aficionado. Roud and Bishop have created something vital Telegraph A wonderful resource of knowledge and scholarship -- Tim Cumming Independent

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Classic
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0141194618
• ISBN 13: 9780141194615
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 496