Popular Music Of The Olden Time Vol 2

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

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566                                  ENGLISH SONG AND BALLAD MUSIC.
The following is printed in score, in compliance with modern custom, but surely the old plan of placing the whole in consecutive order, as it is to be sung, is to be preferred. The musician has the advantage of seeing the harmonies by the score, but here the eye of the singer must wander over two or three lines back­wards or forwards, at every two bars, to find the place.
Catches should be learnt by memory, and half acted when they are sung. The manner of singing them has been explained at p. 482, but the second singer commences here after the fourth, bar, and the third singer after the eighth.
THE MAN OF KENT.
In " The Essex Champion; or, The famous History of Sir Billy of Billericay
and his squire Bicardo," 1690, the following songs are mentioned: " Three
merry wives of Green-Goose Fair," " Tom a Lincoln," and " The Man of Kent."
The song of The Man of Kent is by D'Urfey, and the tune by Leveridge,
composer of The Roast Beef of Old England, Black-e-fd Susan, &c.
D'Urfey wrote a second song to the same air for his play of Masanielb, and Leveridge, who was a base singer, sang it on the stage.
The latter is in praise of fishing, commencing, " Of all the world's enjoy­ments," and has the following burden :—
" Then who a jolly fisherman, a fisherman will be, His throat must wet, just like his net, To keep out cold at sea."