English Traditional Music

Although I am happy to play the dulcimer in almost any musical context (and frequently do) my 'core business' is to use it for the accompaniment of English traditional music and particularly traditional folk songs. This is the musical area where I feel most at home and where I can play most authentically. However, if there was a historical tradition of playing the dulcimer for singing to, it has been largely lost, as there are few recorded examples of traditional players using the dulcimer for song accompaniments, at least that I have come across. There are a few, but not many. Consequently, some inventiveness is needed to use the dulcimer as an accompaniment to traditional songs, without changing them too much. This is much the same challenge that guitar players found when they started playing accompaniments to English traditional songs 60 or 70 years ago, or when Cecil Sharp started adding piano accompaniments to traditional songs that he had collected at the start of last century (originally these songs were sung almost entirely unaccompanied).

Given the lack of traditional precedence, I hope that what I am doing is along the right lines, but I will leave the listener to judge. What follows are links to some video and sound recordings of mainly English traditional songs that I have made using a dulcimer accompaniment.

Links to Youtube Videos:

Riding Down to Portsmouth

Riding Down to Portsmouth - this traditional song tells of the midsadventures of a sailor on his way to Portsmouth. The song comes from the singing of Tom Willett and is accompanied by dulcimer and pipe organ.

Death and the Lady

Death and the Lady. This is very appropriate for Halloween, this kind of song was sung as a part of the morality plays that were performed at certain times of the year at cathedrals in mediaeval times. The figure of death as the grim reaper would warn people to mend their ways before it was too late. This version was collected from the singing of Mr Baker of Maidstone in 1946. It seems that the mediaeval period went on for longer in Maidstone than in other places! 😉😉

Dream of Napoleon

The Dream of Napoleon - accompanied by dulcimer, mouth organ and foot drum. Although this English traditional song is about 200 years old, the theme remains contemporary. The more things change, the more they remain the same!

Jack Hall

This song recalls Jack Hall, a chimney sweep with a side-line in burglary, who met his end at Tyburn in the early years of the 18th century. The song is accompanied here by dulcimer, mouth organ and foot drum.

Foggy Dew

Grandfather's Clock

My Grandfather's Clock was written by Henry Clay Work in 1876. I always loved the song, but only recently discovered that it was based upon a Yorkshire folk tale about the Piercebridge George Hotel - see:

https://web.archive.org/web/201503161...

The song is here accompanied by dulcimer, mouth organ and foot drum, with some quiet chords on piano added.

Links to Soundcloud Audio Recordings:

The White Cockade

Go and List / Greensleeves

Death and the Lady

The Bonny Bunch of Roses O

Mary of the Wild Moor

Flash Company

Just as the Tide was Flowing