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[JoseSPiano]

Oops.... I quoted the wrong post before...  So...

Jose, have you watched your Bollywood movie yet?

It is sitting on top of my DVD player as I type this.  Now that I actually have a couple of full days off...

Soon... I promise.. (ah, A Little Night Music reference...)

[elmore3003]

-Oh, Britten's version of "The Ash Grove"... Very simple and effective.  Beautiful.  "Salley Gardens" too.  Now if folks could just get past the "controversy" surrounding "Little Sir William".

DRJose, the controversy over "Little Sir William" should long be over, since the text was altered a long time ago.  I don't know if there's even a recording of the song using the first published text.  The last two complete recordings of the folksong arrangements used the politically correct "school wife."  

[Danise]

I forgot to say that the log cabin and the manger both were lit inside.  You can't see inside the window but the cabin is fully furnished.  My Mom made little curtins for it and there is a stone fireplace--you can just see the top of the chimney.  

We somehow lost the Manger but I think the cabin is in one of the sheds.

[S. Woody White]

I believe there's always some composition work involved in arranging, but Britten, Brahms, and Ives are also master composers, something Sir andrew will never be, and the Theme and variations situation is a knotty one.  As opposed to arranging "Moon River" for Liz Callaway, which is a simpler job of composition and arranging, Rachmaninoff's Variations on a Theme of Paganini is a masterpiece of composition, as are Brahms' Variations on a Theme of Haydn, the Ives, the Britten and others.  Others I love are Mozart's variations on "Ah vous dirai-je Maman, which Dohnanyi also used in his piano-orchestra variations.   However, Beethoven, Britten, Haydn, along with Vaughan Williams, Holst, and others also arranged English folksongs, all different and all interesting, and all involving compositional skills (Britten's "Ash Grove" succeeds a lot because of Britten's bi-tonal skills in handling the emotions of the song).   Brahms arranged German folksongs, even wrote a song for mezzo-soprano and viola based on the German carol "Joseph lieber, Joseph mein."  Now I'm rambling.  does this make any sense?

In a "what a blurry borderline we've got here" way, yes.  Throw Copland's use of American folk music into the mix, and the borderline gets pretty well erased.

[td]

the controversy over "Little Sir William" should long be over, since the text was altered a long time ago.  I don't know if there's even a recording of the song using the first published text.

For the uniformed, could you explain?
I did a websearch, and came up with the "school wife" lines. . . .

[Danise]

Did I spell Manger right?  It looks wrong now that I'm looking at it. My spell check says it's right but does not give a definition.  

Sigh.  I miss Word Perfect for that.  It not only spelled the words but gave the definiton as well so if you were not sure you had the right word it would help you.

[S. Woody White]

Danise: I regularly use AOL's Miriam-Webster.  There are other on-line dictionaries out there, but the M-W is what I keep handy.

And a question: where did you grow up?  Because of Dan's pics, and knowing he's from the Pennsylvania area, der Brucer is thinking that the Christmas Garden might be a local thing.

Anyone else out there familiar with the tradition?  With my SoCal roots, it's new to me, and I don't think Mom (Upstate New York) knew about it, either.

[JoseSPiano]

DRJose, the controversy over "Little Sir William" should long be over, since the text was altered a long time ago.  I don't know if there's even a recording of the song using the first published text.  The last two complete recordings of the folksong arrangements used the politically correct "school wife."  

Hmmm... The Hyperion set I have has the original text in the booklet... I'll have to put the CD on to find out what it is being sung.

And I think I've told this story before, but I was in the audience during a recital given by the baritone, Thomas Allen, a few years ago in DC.  After singing "Little Sir William" a small chorus of "boos" started from the audience.  Some people started getting out of their seats and leaving the hall.  Eventually, a woman stepped forward and approached the stage, and Thomas Allen and his pianist left the stage.  Well, the woman proceeded to give a history of the song - even though Mr. Allen was performing the revised text of the song.  Eventually, the audience calmed down - after a few more people had left the hall (I suspect most of them had no real idea about what they were "protesting") - and Mr. Allen returned to the stage to a hearty round of applause and continued his recital.

..Hmm... I just put on the CD, and Jamie MacDougall is indeed singing the original text.

I wonder if the text was altered for subsequent releases of this set - if there were subsequent releases.  I know Hyperion also did a complete orchestral set, maybe the altered text appears on that recording.  Although, I'm not sure if "Little Sir William" was orchestrated...

[Danise]

Danise: I regularly use AOL's Miriam-Webster.  There are other on-line dictionaries out there, but the M-W is what I keep handy.

And a question: where did you grow up?  Because of Dan's pics, and knowing he's from the Pennsylvania area, der Brucer is thinking that the Christmas Garden might be a local thing.

Anyone else out there familiar with the tradition?  With my SoCal roots, it's new to me, and I don't think Mom (Upstate New York) knew about it, either.

Well, you have to remember, I was born and raised in Tampa, FL but my folks are both from Pittsburgh, PA.  Which is why if you ever get the chance to listen to my speech (Jane will tell you), I sound like a Southern Yankee.  

I say "Ya'll" with a Northern accent.  

[elmore3003]

For the uniformed, could you explain?
I did a websearch, and came up with the "school wife" lines. . . .

DRtd, the original English folksong is a bit of anti-semitism:  Little Sir william is away at school and when his mother goes to fetch him home at Easter, he's dead, stabbed by the Jew's Wife.  The first editions of Britten's arrangement used the original folk text, and it was later changed to the Schhol Wife to remove the smear.  To protect Britten, I will add here that he was not anti-semitic, and when he stayed in Long Island in the late 1930s and early 40s he and Peter Pears lived with a Jewish family.  I believe it was there he wrote "Les Illuminations," the great Rimbaud song cycle.

[JoseSPiano]

For the uniformed, could you explain?
I did a websearch, and came up with the "school wife" lines. . . .

I was about to defer to you, Mr. Moore, but I see that you have already proffered.

[Danise]

I forgot, Elmore can tell you how I talk as well!

Sorry, Larry!  

[td]

Thank you DR elmore3003.  Is this something that I want to hear Sarah Brightman singing?

[JoseSPiano]

DRtd, the original English folksong is a bit of anti-semitism:  Little Sir william is away at school and when his mother goes to fetch him home at Easter, he's dead, stabbed by the Jew's Wife.  The first editions of Britten's arrangement used the original folk text, and it was later changed to the Schhol Wife to remove the smear.  To protect Britten, I will add here that he was not anti-semitic, and when he stayed in Long Island in the late 1930s and early 40s he and Peter Pears lived with a Jewish family.  I believe it was there he wrote "Les Illuminations," the great Rimbaud song cycle.

...In fact, "Little Sir William" is from the first set of Folk Song Arrangements that Benjamin Britten wrote while he was in America, and they were written with and for his partner/tenor, Peter Pears.  Additionally, "Little Sir William" is dedicated to Dr. William Mayer, the psychiatrist who was hosting Mssrs. Britten and Pears at the time.  -And the "The Ash Grove" and "Oliver Cromwell" are dedicated to Dr. Mayer's children.

[elmore3003]

DRJose,  I went to the definitive 3-CD set of complete Britten folksong arrangements, now out-of-print, and the text is "School Wife," sung by Felicity Lott, as it is in my published volume of Britten English folksongs, Vol. 1, and in the recently published miniature score for the orchestral arrangements.  If you ask me, the woman booing at the concert was needlessly rude, making a scene for nothing.  Incidentally, "Little sir william" was dedicated to Britten's Long Island host, Dr Mayer, and another song in the volume, and one of my favorites, "The Trees They Grow So High," is dedicated to Bobby Rothman.

[Danise]

Well, my four day holiday is over.  Sigh.  Off to dream land for me.  Everyone have a nice evening.

[elmore3003]

Thank you DR elmore3003.  Is this something that I want to hear Sarah Brightman singing?

Sarah did record an album of the Britten folksong arrangements, and she acquits herself quite nicely, as I told her when Judy Kaye introduced us!  How's that for name dropping?

[elmore3003]

Well, my four day holiday is over.  Sigh.  Off to dream land for me.  Everyone have a nice evening.

Sleep well, DR Danise!

[JoseSPiano]

Thank you DR elmore3003.  Is this something that I want to hear Sarah Brightman singing?

Actually, Ms. Brightman's recording - which I think may still be in print (EMI?) - is not that bad.  Well, maybe "surprisingly good" is a better description.  If you've never heard the recording before, it may be worth checking out.  It's some very straightforward, simple singing.  -And for better or worse, it actually shows just how "small" her voice is.

[td]

And for better or worse, it actually shows just how "small" her voice is.

well. . .so does the London cast recording of CATS. . . . .

[JoseSPiano]

DRJose,  I went to the definitive 3-CD set of complete Britten folksong arrangements, now out-of-print, and the text is "School Wife," sung by Felicity Lott, as it is in my published volume of Britten English folksongs, Vol. 1, and in the recently published miniature score for the orchestral arrangements.  If you ask me, the woman booing at the concert was needlessly rude, making a scene for nothing.  Incidentally, "Little sir william" was dedicated to Britten's Long Island host, Dr Mayer, and another song in the volume, and one of my favorites, "The Trees They Grow So High," is dedicated to Bobby Rothman.

JINX!!!

 

...As it turned out, the woman who came forward was on the board of directors of the Vocal Arts Society who was the sponsor/presenter of the recital.  Go figure.

And I just pulled out my copy of the Folk Songs, Vol. 1, and it has "Jew's Wife".  However, that copy is an older copy I found in the used bins at Patelson's.  In my newer copy/edition, it has "School Wife".

So there!

 

Can you say "E-bay"?!?!?

 

[JoseSPiano]

Sarah did record an album of the Britten folksong arrangements, and she acquits herself quite nicely, as I told her when Judy Kaye introduced us!  How's that for name dropping?

JINX!

Well, I guess the past couple of posts have put to rest the rumors that Larry Moore and I are the same person.



...Now onto the "mystery" of Michael and Janet Jackson!

 

[JoseSPiano]

So, is it now time to discuss Brahms "elevation" of some minor poets and their minor poetry through his Lied settings?

Or shall we go onto the French composers (Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc, etc.) preferences for the Parnassians and the Symbolists?

...Don't make me break out my "History of Song"!

[elmore3003]

So, I've pulled all my recordings of the Britten folksongs.  I see I no longer have the Brightman recording, it was EMI, but I do have many.  On Maria Jette's recording, she sings "Schoolwife," as do Robert Tear, Elizabeth Soderstrom, and Peter Pears who recorded it with Britten in Jan. 1944.  Jamie McDougall and James Griffett sing the original text, which may have been a publisher's error and not Britten's.  The song was first performed, according to my friend Donald Mitchel's definitive catalogue of the Britten oeuvre, in concert, Grand Rapids, Michigan, November 26, 1941, and first recorded in 1944, using the School Wife text.

Donald is Britten's executor and he says this:
"As soon as Britten realized that the text , whether historical or not, perpetuated an ugly racist myth, he had it amended to read School Wife. . . However, since copies of the original edition are still in circulation, the Britten estate has requested that all possible care be taken to ensure that the song is only performed in the version Britten wanted heard."  I guess the estate isn't to happy the the Hyperion Records and James Griffett!

[Jane]

You leave your wallet with ATM and license in the car

Such a trusting soul!

I think your dream was telling you not to do that anymore.

[DearReaderLaura]

I spent all afternoon in a board meeting. ALL afternoon.

[elmore3003]

I spent all afternoon in a board meeting. ALL afternoon.

Sounds like a bored meeting!

[JoseSPiano]

I want chocolate.

I want ice cream.

Hmmm...

But I think it's now time to turn the heat on for the night...

-Yes, ice cream!

[td]

DR tomovoz - I'm NOT listening to the former mrs. alw, I am listening to the magnificent DUSTY IN MEMPHIS.      

[bk]

Is this dear reader Jane's first appearance today???