Popular Music Of The Olden Time Vol 1

Ancient Songs, Ballads, & Dance Tunes, Sheet Music & Lyrics - online book

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	REIGN OF ELIZABETH.                                               187
	The tune is contained in the Skene MS., and in several of the ballad-operas, such as The Quaker's Opera, 1728; The Jovial Crew, 1731, &c. The words are found in The Garland of Good-will, and in several of the cele­brated collections of ballads; also in Percy's Heliques, series ii., book 2.
	THK JOVIAL TINKER, on JOAN'S ALE IS NEW. On the 26th Oct., 1594, John Danter entered on the books of the Stationers' Company, " for his copie, a ballet intituled Jone's ale is newe;" and on the 15th Nov., of the same year, Edward "White one called " The unthrifte's adieu to Jone's ale is newe." In Ben Jonson's Tale of a tub, " old father Rosin, chief minstrel of Highgate, and his two boys" play the dances called for by the company, which are " Tom Tiler; The jolly Joiner; and TJie jovial Tinker." The burden of the song called " The jovial Tinker " is " Joan's ale is new." ( " Tom Tiler " is one of the country dances mentioned in Heywood's A woman kill'd with kindness.) In the Mad PranJcs and merry Jests of Robin Goodfellow, 1628, there is a song to the tune of The jovial Tinker, which has a burden or chorus of four lines, unsuited to this air, although the song itself could be sung to it. As tinkers were so famous in song, there was probably another tune called The jovial Tinker. " He that a tinker, a tinker will be," is one of the catches in the Antidote to Melancholy, 1661; "Tom Tinker lives a merry life," is in Davenant's play, The Benefice; "Have you any work for a tinker," in Wit and Drollery, 1661; and Ben Jonson says, in Paris' Anniversary, " Here comes the tinker I told you of, with his kettle­drum before and after, a master of music."