About the Music
Written in 1924, Vaughan Williams' English Folk Song Suite was composed for British Military Band. This nine and half minute work is based entirely on English Folk Music and is comprised of three movements (March--Seventeen Come Sunday, Intermezzo--My Bonny Boy, and March--Folk Songs from Somerset)
Interestingly enough, this piece was originally 4 movements! Sea Songs, another work by Vaughan Williams, was included as the second movement. The world premiere was held in Kneller Hall on July 4, 1923. The following year it was arranged for full orchestra and brass band by Vaughan Williams' student Gordon Jacob.
Click on the folk song titles for links to their recordings!
Interestingly enough, this piece was originally 4 movements! Sea Songs, another work by Vaughan Williams, was included as the second movement. The world premiere was held in Kneller Hall on July 4, 1923. The following year it was arranged for full orchestra and brass band by Vaughan Williams' student Gordon Jacob.
Click on the folk song titles for links to their recordings!
Mvt I: March- "Seventeen Come Sunday"
This ABCBA movement includes three folks songs. After a four bar intro, "Seventeen Come Sunday" is presented as the first melody. The words of this English Folk Tune were first published between 1838 and 1845.
As I walked out on a May morning, on a May morning so early,
I overtook a pretty fair maid just as the day was a-dawning.
Chorus:
With a rue-rum-ray, fol-the-diddle-day,
Whack-fol-lare-diddle-I-doh.
Her eyes were bright and her stockings white, and her buckling shone like silver,
She had a dark a rolling eye, and her hair hung over her shoulder.
Where are you going, my pretty fair maid? Where are you going, my honey?
She answered me right cheerfully, I've an errand for my mummy.
How old are you, my pretty fair maid? How old are you, my honey?
She answered me right cheerfully, I'm seventeen come Sunday.
Will you take a man, my pretty fair maid? Will you take a man, my honey?
She answered me right cheerfully, Ooh, I dare not for my mummy.
But if you come round to my mummy's house, when the moon shines bright and clearly,
I will come down and let you in, and my mummy shall not hear me.
So I went down to her mummy's house, when the moon shone bright and clearly,
She did come down and let me in, and I lay in her arms till morning.
So, now I have my soldier-man, and his ways they are quite winning.
The drum and fife are my delight, and a pint of rum in the morning.
I overtook a pretty fair maid just as the day was a-dawning.
Chorus:
With a rue-rum-ray, fol-the-diddle-day,
Whack-fol-lare-diddle-I-doh.
Her eyes were bright and her stockings white, and her buckling shone like silver,
She had a dark a rolling eye, and her hair hung over her shoulder.
Where are you going, my pretty fair maid? Where are you going, my honey?
She answered me right cheerfully, I've an errand for my mummy.
How old are you, my pretty fair maid? How old are you, my honey?
She answered me right cheerfully, I'm seventeen come Sunday.
Will you take a man, my pretty fair maid? Will you take a man, my honey?
She answered me right cheerfully, Ooh, I dare not for my mummy.
But if you come round to my mummy's house, when the moon shines bright and clearly,
I will come down and let you in, and my mummy shall not hear me.
So I went down to her mummy's house, when the moon shone bright and clearly,
She did come down and let me in, and I lay in her arms till morning.
So, now I have my soldier-man, and his ways they are quite winning.
The drum and fife are my delight, and a pint of rum in the morning.
The more lyrical melody of "Pretty Caroline" is the next folk tune in the movement. The following are the lyrics to the original tune.
One morning in the month of May when brightly shone the sun,
Upon the banks of Tilbury stream there sat a lovely one,
She did appear a goddess fair, her dark brown hair did shine,
It shaded the neck and bosom white of pretty Caroline.
I said to her – ‘My pretty maid, do you remember me?
I am the jolly sailor which ploughed the Regency,
And for courting of a pretty maid her parents did combine,
They sent me off in a man of war from pretty Caroline.
It’s seven long years since I was bound all for to save the King,
Where rattling cannons roared around, which made the deep sea ring,
Here’s gold and silver I have brought and freely would resign,
Here’s gold and silver for a ring, ‘tis all for Caroline.’
This maiden fair ‘twixt joy and woe away from him she flew –
‘Oh stand away without delay, unless you tell me true;
Produce the ring, the braided ring, and a lock of hair of mine,
No mortal man shall e’er deceive this faithful Caroline.’
This braided hair and ring of gold young William did her show,
Then Caroline and William unto some church did go,
Down in some lofty mansion so splendid they did shine,
The sailor blessed the month of May he met with Caroline.
Upon the banks of Tilbury stream there sat a lovely one,
She did appear a goddess fair, her dark brown hair did shine,
It shaded the neck and bosom white of pretty Caroline.
I said to her – ‘My pretty maid, do you remember me?
I am the jolly sailor which ploughed the Regency,
And for courting of a pretty maid her parents did combine,
They sent me off in a man of war from pretty Caroline.
It’s seven long years since I was bound all for to save the King,
Where rattling cannons roared around, which made the deep sea ring,
Here’s gold and silver I have brought and freely would resign,
Here’s gold and silver for a ring, ‘tis all for Caroline.’
This maiden fair ‘twixt joy and woe away from him she flew –
‘Oh stand away without delay, unless you tell me true;
Produce the ring, the braided ring, and a lock of hair of mine,
No mortal man shall e’er deceive this faithful Caroline.’
This braided hair and ring of gold young William did her show,
Then Caroline and William unto some church did go,
Down in some lofty mansion so splendid they did shine,
The sailor blessed the month of May he met with Caroline.
The third folk tune in this movement is Dives and Lazarus which is Child ballad 56 and a Christmas Carol. It is based on the parable of The Rich man and Lazarus. Vaughan Williams also composed an entire work for orchestra based on this song entitled "5 Variants Of Dives & Lazarus." The tune was published in the Oxford Book of Ballads, 1910.
As it fell out upon one day,
Rich Divès made a feast,
And he invited all his friends,
And gentry of the best.
Then Lazarus laid him down and down
And down at Divès’ door:
“Some meat and drink, brother, Diverus,
Bestow upon the poor.”
“Thou’rt none of my brothers, Lazarus,
That liest begging at my door;
No meat, nor drink will I give thee,
Nor bestow upon the poor.”
Then Lazarus laid him down and down,
All under Divès’ wall:
“Some meat, some drink, brother Diverus,
For hunger starve I shall.”
“Thou’rt none of my brothers, Lazarus,
That liest begging at my gate;
No meat, no drink will I give thee,
For Jesus Christ His sake.”
Then Divès sent out his hungry dogs,
To bite him as he lay;
They hadn’t the power to bite one bite,
But licked his sores away.
Then Divès sent to his merry men,
To worry poor Lazarus away;
They’d not the power to strike one stroke,
But flung their whips away.
As it fell out upon one day,
Poor Lazarus sickened and died;
There came two angels out of heaven,
His soul therein to guide.
“Rise up! rise up! brother Lazarus,
And go along with me;
For you’ve a place prepared in heaven,
To sit on an angel’s knee.”
As it fell out upon one day,
Rich Divès sickened and died;
There came two serpents out of hell,
His soul therein to guide.
“Rise up! rise up! brother Diverus,
And come along with me;
There is a place provided in hell
For wicked men like thee.”
Then Divès looked up with his eyes
And saw poor Lazarus blest;
“Give me one drop of water, brother Lazarus,
To quench my flaming thirst.”
“O, was I now but alive again
The space of one half hour!
O, that I had my peace again
Then the devil should have no power.”
Rich Divès made a feast,
And he invited all his friends,
And gentry of the best.
Then Lazarus laid him down and down
And down at Divès’ door:
“Some meat and drink, brother, Diverus,
Bestow upon the poor.”
“Thou’rt none of my brothers, Lazarus,
That liest begging at my door;
No meat, nor drink will I give thee,
Nor bestow upon the poor.”
Then Lazarus laid him down and down,
All under Divès’ wall:
“Some meat, some drink, brother Diverus,
For hunger starve I shall.”
“Thou’rt none of my brothers, Lazarus,
That liest begging at my gate;
No meat, no drink will I give thee,
For Jesus Christ His sake.”
Then Divès sent out his hungry dogs,
To bite him as he lay;
They hadn’t the power to bite one bite,
But licked his sores away.
Then Divès sent to his merry men,
To worry poor Lazarus away;
They’d not the power to strike one stroke,
But flung their whips away.
As it fell out upon one day,
Poor Lazarus sickened and died;
There came two angels out of heaven,
His soul therein to guide.
“Rise up! rise up! brother Lazarus,
And go along with me;
For you’ve a place prepared in heaven,
To sit on an angel’s knee.”
As it fell out upon one day,
Rich Divès sickened and died;
There came two serpents out of hell,
His soul therein to guide.
“Rise up! rise up! brother Diverus,
And come along with me;
There is a place provided in hell
For wicked men like thee.”
Then Divès looked up with his eyes
And saw poor Lazarus blest;
“Give me one drop of water, brother Lazarus,
To quench my flaming thirst.”
“O, was I now but alive again
The space of one half hour!
O, that I had my peace again
Then the devil should have no power.”
Mvt II: Intermezzo- "My Bonny boy"
This ABA movement begins and ends with the dark, agonizing character of "My Bonny Boy". Lucy Broadwood collected this version in 1907.
I once loved a boy and a bonny bonny boy,
I loved him I vow and protest,
I loved him so well, there's no tongue can tell,
Till I built him a berth on my breast.
'Twas up the wild forest and through the green groves
Like one that was troubled in mind,
I hallooed, I whooped and I blew on my flute
But no bonny boy could I find.
I looked up high and I looked down low
The weather being wonderful warm;
And who should I spy but my own bonny boy
Locked fast in another girl's arms.
He took me upon his assembled knees
And looked me quite hard in the face,
He gave unto me one sweet smile and a kiss
But his heart's in another girl's breast.
Now my bonny, bonny boy is across the salt seas
And I hope he will safely return;
But if he loves another girl better than me
Let him take her, and why should I mourn?
Now the girl that enjoys my own bonny boy,
She is not to be blamed, I am sure,
For many's the long night he have robbed me of my rest
But he never shall do it no more.
I loved him I vow and protest,
I loved him so well, there's no tongue can tell,
Till I built him a berth on my breast.
'Twas up the wild forest and through the green groves
Like one that was troubled in mind,
I hallooed, I whooped and I blew on my flute
But no bonny boy could I find.
I looked up high and I looked down low
The weather being wonderful warm;
And who should I spy but my own bonny boy
Locked fast in another girl's arms.
He took me upon his assembled knees
And looked me quite hard in the face,
He gave unto me one sweet smile and a kiss
But his heart's in another girl's breast.
Now my bonny, bonny boy is across the salt seas
And I hope he will safely return;
But if he loves another girl better than me
Let him take her, and why should I mourn?
Now the girl that enjoys my own bonny boy,
She is not to be blamed, I am sure,
For many's the long night he have robbed me of my rest
But he never shall do it no more.
The middle B section of this movement contains "Green Bushes," a popular dance-song collected in England.
As I was a walking one morning in Spring,
For to hear the birds whistle and the nightingales sing,
I saw a young damsel, so sweetly sang she:
Down by the Green Bushes he thinks to meet me.
I stepped up to her and thus I did say:
Why wait you my fair one, so long by the way?
My true Love, my true Love, so sweetly sang she,
Down by the Green Bushes he thinks to meet me.
I'll buy you fine beavers and a fine silken gownd,
I will buy you fine petticoats with the flounce to the ground,
If you will prove loyal and constant to me
And forsake you own true Love, I'll be married to thee.
I want none of your petticoats and your fine silken shows:
I never was so poor as to marry for clothes;
But if you will prove loyal and constant to me
I'll forsake my own true Love and get married to thee.
Come let us be going, kind sir, if you please;
Come let us be going from beneath the green trees.
For my true Love is coming down yonder I see,
Down by the Green Bushes, where he thinks to meet me.
And when he came there and he found she was gone,
He stood like some lambkin, forever undone;
She has gone with some other, and forsaken me,
So adieu to Green Bushes forever, cried he.
For to hear the birds whistle and the nightingales sing,
I saw a young damsel, so sweetly sang she:
Down by the Green Bushes he thinks to meet me.
I stepped up to her and thus I did say:
Why wait you my fair one, so long by the way?
My true Love, my true Love, so sweetly sang she,
Down by the Green Bushes he thinks to meet me.
I'll buy you fine beavers and a fine silken gownd,
I will buy you fine petticoats with the flounce to the ground,
If you will prove loyal and constant to me
And forsake you own true Love, I'll be married to thee.
I want none of your petticoats and your fine silken shows:
I never was so poor as to marry for clothes;
But if you will prove loyal and constant to me
I'll forsake my own true Love and get married to thee.
Come let us be going, kind sir, if you please;
Come let us be going from beneath the green trees.
For my true Love is coming down yonder I see,
Down by the Green Bushes, where he thinks to meet me.
And when he came there and he found she was gone,
He stood like some lambkin, forever undone;
She has gone with some other, and forsaken me,
So adieu to Green Bushes forever, cried he.
Mvt III: March- "Folk Songs from Somerset"
This AB(trio)A movement includes 4 English Folk Songs. This set of particular folk tunes are all originated in Somerset, England. "Blow Away the Morning Dew" is the first song to be featured in the movement. It is a Child Ballad and is also know as "The Baffled Knight." Its earliest printed version dates back to 1609.
There was a farmer's son,
Kept sheep all on the hill;
And he walk'd out one May morning
To see what he could kill.
Chorus
And sing blow away the morning dew
The dew, and the dew.
Blow away the morning dew,
How sweet the winds do blow.
He looked high, he looked low,
He cast an under look;
And there he saw a fair pretty maid
Beside the wat'ry brook.
Chorus
Cast over me my mantle fair
And pin it o'er my gown;
And, if you will, take hold my hand,
And I will be your own.
Chorus
If you come down to my father's house
Which is walled all around,
And, you shall have a kiss from me
And twenty thousand pound.
Chorus
He mounted on a milk white steed
And she upon another;
And then they rode along the lane
Like sister and like brother.
Chorus
As they were riding on alone,
They saw some pooks of hay.
O is not this a very pretty place
For girls and boys to play?
Chorus
But when they came to her father's gate,
So nimble she popped in:
And said: There is a fool without
And here's a maid within.
Chorus
We have a flower in our garden,
We call it Marigold:
And if you will not when you may,
You shall not when you wolde.
Chorus
Kept sheep all on the hill;
And he walk'd out one May morning
To see what he could kill.
Chorus
And sing blow away the morning dew
The dew, and the dew.
Blow away the morning dew,
How sweet the winds do blow.
He looked high, he looked low,
He cast an under look;
And there he saw a fair pretty maid
Beside the wat'ry brook.
Chorus
Cast over me my mantle fair
And pin it o'er my gown;
And, if you will, take hold my hand,
And I will be your own.
Chorus
If you come down to my father's house
Which is walled all around,
And, you shall have a kiss from me
And twenty thousand pound.
Chorus
He mounted on a milk white steed
And she upon another;
And then they rode along the lane
Like sister and like brother.
Chorus
As they were riding on alone,
They saw some pooks of hay.
O is not this a very pretty place
For girls and boys to play?
Chorus
But when they came to her father's gate,
So nimble she popped in:
And said: There is a fool without
And here's a maid within.
Chorus
We have a flower in our garden,
We call it Marigold:
And if you will not when you may,
You shall not when you wolde.
Chorus
"High Germany" is the next folk tune to appear in the movement and it dates back to around 1780. This particular version was collected by Lucy Broadwood in 1904.
O Polly dear, O Polly dear,
The rout has now begun
And we must march away
At the beating of the drum:
Go dress yourself all in your best
And come along with me,
I'll take you to the cruel wars
In High Germany.
O Harry, dear Harry,
You mind what I do say,
My feet they are so tender
I cannot march away,
And besides, my dearest Harry,
Although I'm in love with thee.
I am not fit for cruel wars
In High Germany.
I'll buy you a horse, my Love,
And on it you shall ride,
And all of my delight shall be
Riding by your side;
We'll call at ev'ry ale house,
And drink when we are dry,
So quickly on the road, my Love,
We'll marry by and by.
O cursed were the cruel wars
That ever they should rise
And out of merry England
Press many a lad likewise!
They press'd young Harry from me,
Likewise my brothers three,
And sent them to the cruel wars
In High Germany.
The rout has now begun
And we must march away
At the beating of the drum:
Go dress yourself all in your best
And come along with me,
I'll take you to the cruel wars
In High Germany.
O Harry, dear Harry,
You mind what I do say,
My feet they are so tender
I cannot march away,
And besides, my dearest Harry,
Although I'm in love with thee.
I am not fit for cruel wars
In High Germany.
I'll buy you a horse, my Love,
And on it you shall ride,
And all of my delight shall be
Riding by your side;
We'll call at ev'ry ale house,
And drink when we are dry,
So quickly on the road, my Love,
We'll marry by and by.
O cursed were the cruel wars
That ever they should rise
And out of merry England
Press many a lad likewise!
They press'd young Harry from me,
Likewise my brothers three,
And sent them to the cruel wars
In High Germany.
"The Tree So High" is introduced at the start of the trio section. The song is thought to be about actual child-marriage, which was common in the Middle Ages . The final tune used in this movement is "John Barleycorn". There are at least 46 variants of this song!
There was three men came out of the west,
Their fortunes for to try,
And these three men made a solemn vow,
John Barleycorn should die.
They ploughed, they sowed, they harrowed him in,
Throwed clods upon his head,
And these three man made a solemn vow,
John Barleycorn was dead.
Then they let him lie for a very long time
Till the rain from heaven did fall,
Then little Sir John sprung up his head,
And soon amazed them all.
They let him stand till midsummer
Till he looked both pale and wan,
And little Sir John he growed a long beard
And so became a man.
They hired men with the scythes so sharp
To cut him off at the knee,
They rolled him and tied him by the waist,
And served him most barbarously.
They hired men with the sharp pitchforks
Who pricked him to the heart,
And the loader he served him worse than that,
For he bound him to the cart.
They wheeled him round and round the field
Till they came unto a barn,
And there they made a solemn mow
of poor John Barleycorn.
They hired men with the crab-tree sticks
To cut him skin from bone,
And the miller he served him worse than that,
For he ground him between two stones.
Here's little Sir John in a nut-brown bowl,
And brandy in a glass;
And little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl
Proved the stronger man at last.
And the huntsman he can't hunt the fox,
Nor so loudly blow his horn,
And the tinker he can't mend kettles or pots
Without a little of Barleycorn.
Their fortunes for to try,
And these three men made a solemn vow,
John Barleycorn should die.
They ploughed, they sowed, they harrowed him in,
Throwed clods upon his head,
And these three man made a solemn vow,
John Barleycorn was dead.
Then they let him lie for a very long time
Till the rain from heaven did fall,
Then little Sir John sprung up his head,
And soon amazed them all.
They let him stand till midsummer
Till he looked both pale and wan,
And little Sir John he growed a long beard
And so became a man.
They hired men with the scythes so sharp
To cut him off at the knee,
They rolled him and tied him by the waist,
And served him most barbarously.
They hired men with the sharp pitchforks
Who pricked him to the heart,
And the loader he served him worse than that,
For he bound him to the cart.
They wheeled him round and round the field
Till they came unto a barn,
And there they made a solemn mow
of poor John Barleycorn.
They hired men with the crab-tree sticks
To cut him skin from bone,
And the miller he served him worse than that,
For he ground him between two stones.
Here's little Sir John in a nut-brown bowl,
And brandy in a glass;
And little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl
Proved the stronger man at last.
And the huntsman he can't hunt the fox,
Nor so loudly blow his horn,
And the tinker he can't mend kettles or pots
Without a little of Barleycorn.
