Sewell’s reimagined, almost expropriated, folkiness, shows in her ‘well, actually you know’ story about England’s flag and patron saint - about what traditions are acceptable and which are not
When I was on patrol on a submarine, we had a few guitar players who would play folk songs every Saturday night. Everyone knew the Scottish and Irish songs but only a few of us knew the English songs. I found that very sad. It will be sadder still when all our remaining folk memories are gone.
How do you feel about “Heart of oak” within this tradition? Or even fiddler’s green?
On a wider point without nourishment folk traditions die. Is this not a natural process as the stories and tales change/evolve/disappear when they no longer speak to the culture?
Which was why Cecil Sharp and other spent so much time collecting and recording song and dance. And Holtz, Vaughan Williams and others put so much of it into their music.
Outside of the navy it’s lost is wider cultural relevance. I only heard about it reading the Aubrey Maturin series, yet it would have been much more common in the past.
I did have to look up the lyrics to realise it was about conquest of Canada etc
It has been the official song of the Navy for 250 years. It was only ever well-known because the Navy was well-known. It's fading now because the Navy is fading from view.
FWIW the “wonderful year” was about a bunch of battles won against the French… one of them happened to be in Canada.
When I was on patrol on a submarine, we had a few guitar players who would play folk songs every Saturday night. Everyone knew the Scottish and Irish songs but only a few of us knew the English songs. I found that very sad. It will be sadder still when all our remaining folk memories are gone.
How do you feel about “Heart of oak” within this tradition? Or even fiddler’s green?
On a wider point without nourishment folk traditions die. Is this not a natural process as the stories and tales change/evolve/disappear when they no longer speak to the culture?
Which was why Cecil Sharp and other spent so much time collecting and recording song and dance. And Holtz, Vaughan Williams and others put so much of it into their music.
I marched past to Heart of Oak every few weeks for six years. In the Navy, they still do. am curious what is special about it.
(not trying to start an argument. Just curious)
Outside of the navy it’s lost is wider cultural relevance. I only heard about it reading the Aubrey Maturin series, yet it would have been much more common in the past.
I did have to look up the lyrics to realise it was about conquest of Canada etc
It has been the official song of the Navy for 250 years. It was only ever well-known because the Navy was well-known. It's fading now because the Navy is fading from view.
FWIW the “wonderful year” was about a bunch of battles won against the French… one of them happened to be in Canada.