Ballads - A Bridge between Poetry and Music
Description
Before radio, television, e-mail, and newsprint, important events were publicized by word-of-mouth. To make things easier to remember, the story was put into verse, and to make the verse more acceptable it was put to music. Important battles of war, courageous actions of famous heroes, love affairs, and scandalous events were publicized by these verse stories, which came to be known as ballads.
As they travelled to other countries, ballads were put in different languages, and variations came about both in the story and in the music. Some of the more popular ones have almost a hundred different ways of expressing the same story. Ballads were called popular because they were made and distributed by the common people. It was their means of communicating. Accompanied by stringed instruments as musical instruments were perfected, the songs were passed around by word-of-mouth for hundreds of years before they were finally written down. Dr. Wagner presents this concert of ballads--the bridge between music and poetry.
This is a two-hour presentation that can be adjusted to meet the scheduling needs of the community.
The full recital is also available on a double-volume set of compact discs.
Included Works
VOLUME I
Lord Randal, my Son -- Anonymous, England c. 1450
An American Frigate -- Anonymous, 1779. Of John Paul Jones (Listen!)
The Highwayman -- Alfred Noyes, England
The Ballad of Moll Magee -- William Butler Yeates (Listen!)
Song of the Shirt -- England, Thomas Hood (Listen!)
As Long as the Grass Shall Grow -- Peter La Farge (Listen!)
The Strong Swimmer -- William Rose Benet
The Mountain Whippoorwill -- Stephen V. Benet
Sweet William's Farewell -- To Black-Eyed Susan, 1720. John Gay, England
Not in a volume yet
Edward Tragedy of Fratricide
Wife of Usher's Well
Sir Patrick Spens
Get Up and Bar the Door
Greensleeves
The Unquiet Grave
The Bitter Withy
Henry Martin
Golden Vanity
Cherry Tree Carol
Elfin Knight
Three Ravens
Maid Freed from the Gallows
Lord Bateman
Well Met, Well Met My Own Love
Wraggle Taggle Gypsies, O!
The Four Marys
Silkie
Matty Grove
Knight and the Sheph's Daughter
Bailiff's Daughter
Lilliburlero
Old Man Who Lived in the Woods
John Henry
Cowboy's Lament
Pretty Polly
Foggy Dew
Barbara Allen
Lord Thomas and Elinore
Brennan on the Moor
Captain Kidd
The Fox
Scarboro Fair
Riddle Song
Lass of Glenshee
Frog Went A-Courting
Farmer's Curst Wife
Geordie
The Trees They Do Grow High
Mary Hamilton
Keep Your Garden Clean
Bonnie Lass of Fyvie
House Carpenter
Go No More A-Rushing
Spanish Lady
Au Chateau D'Huirondelle
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Return to the music | Return to the main page