{"id":15231,"date":"2022-04-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=15231"},"modified":"2022-04-25T10:52:23","modified_gmt":"2022-04-25T08:52:23","slug":"spring-into-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/2022\/04\/06\/spring-into-song\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring into song"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Spring into song<\/h2>\n\n

Spring\u2019s blend of optimism, fertility and new life has always stirred people into song. Duncan Haskell <\/strong>takes us on a lyrical journey through the melodies of the season<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\n\n

S<\/span>pring is a season that demands a physical reaction. A reaction to winter\u2019s solitude that sees flowers burst into colour, birds releasing their music into the sky, and the sights and sounds of fertility and new life fill the air. It\u2019s no surprise that it\u2019s also a time of festivity, celebration and song. For what are songs if not a reflection and extension of the human experience, our response to the gifts of nature? After months of contraction, it\u2019s time to let our voices out.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

A look at the calendar throughout history shows the importance of songs in spring, which was the start of the calendar year during the Roman era. It is the time of the vernal equinox \u2013 Alban Eiler to the druids, Ostara in the pagan calendar \u2013 when the longing day finally meets the shortening night, welcomed by great festivities. As the centuries pass, new dates fill up the diary. March has its saints \u2013 Patrick and Cuthbert \u2013 as well as Lady Day. April is dominated by Easter but the pageantry of St George\u2019s Day, complete with mumming performances, should not be forgotten. Then arrives May, the carnival month filled with local celebrations, such as Randwick Wap and Helston Furry Dance and, most important of all, May Day.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

Songs, chants and other superstitions were practised to ward o bad fortune and encourage the weather required for a prosperous growing season. It wasn\u2019t all carried out in the name of ritual \u2013 there were practical reasons for joining together in song. Celebrations, both formal and informal, allowed rural communities to unite, enabling members of the opposite sex to mingle away from the glaring eyes of their families and employers. The result was a libidinous party atmosphere in which singing, dancing and drinking all played an important role.<\/p>\n\n

CHURCH VS PAGAN<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Of course, there have been the detractors down the years \u2013 there always are. In particular, the church had reason to clamp down. If people are out enjoying the freedoms of the season \u2013 or worse, customs from our pagan heritage \u2013 the inclination may not be there to attend the sermons of the day. As early as the 11th century, people were forbidden from making trees (a key part of the vernal equinox festivities) the centre of sites of worship.<\/p>\n\n

Such attitudes were reinvigorated during the Reformation, eventually going so far as to ban the Maypole \u2013 the mischievous sight of heathen superstition \u2013 in 1644, before its restoration just 16 years later. By the Victorian era, May was considered a more wholesome a air, with children firmly at its centre, temporarily giving revellers the chance to escape the industrialisation of the age, instead returning to a simpler, more colourfully garlanded time.<\/p>\n\n

We know there was music and song during these events because it has been documented by theologians, historians and writers such as Chaucer, Shakespeare and Flora Thompson (in the accounts of rural life that make up her <\/span>Lark Rise to Candleford <\/em>trilogy). Indeed, with its green cornfields, singing birds and young lovers, \u2018It Was a Lover and His Lass\u2019, as found in Shakespeare\u2019s As You Like It, <\/em>is something of the archetypal spring song.<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t all ritual \u2013 there were practical reasons for joining together in song\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

SOUNDS OF THE SEASON<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

And what of the many songs about spring? We have seen how this time of year, bursting with new life and carnal opportunity, is a fitting setting for any songwriter, complete with metaphorical treasures such as hares, eggs, blooming flowers and birds in full voice. It is a time of year when people can freely come together. There is also a suspicion that its popularity might just be because of the rhymability of the word \u2018May\u2019. Whatever the case, a vast catalogue of songs exist that capture the adventurous spirit of the season.<\/p>\n\n

Collectors of folk songs in the late 19th and early 20th century, such as Ralph Vaughan Williams, Cecil Sharp, AL Sharp and Lucy Broadwood, found numerous examples of spring ballads. The excellent The <\/em>New <\/em>Penguin <\/em>Book <\/em>of <\/em>English <\/em>Folk <\/em>Songs <\/em>reveals seasonal songs of love such as \u2018Cupid the Pretty Ploughboy\u2019 and \u2018Queen of the May\u2019, heartbreak ballads such as \u2018A Week Before Easter\u2019 or \u2018Early, Early All in the Spring\u2019, and general tales of rural spring life, as sung on \u2018The Jolly Wagoner\u2019, many dating to the 17th century. These folk songs, passed down through generations, aren\u2019t the sole property of the rural workers. \u2018The Spotted Cow\u2019, set \u201cone morning in the month of May\u201d, tells the tale of a girl looking for a lost cow, her search hindered by an infatuated boy (there\u2019s that opportunity to meet in the open again). Yet for all its bucolic charm, it was written for the London pleasure gardens of the 18th century, its popularity eventually spreading to the countryside from the capital.<\/p>\n\n

MAY THE MUSE BE WITH YOU<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Leap forward to today and it is fascinating to see how many modern artists still pluck inspiration out of the spring air. Take Ninebarrow, the modern folk duo of John Whitley and Jay Labouchardiere from Dorset, whose music is very much rooted in the landscape and history of the British Isles. Speaking about the inspiration behind their song \u2018The Hour of the Blackbird\u2019, Whitley says: \u201cIt\u2019s simple but uplifting, apt for the times we have found ourselves in these past few years. It\u2019s about how male blackbirds will sing together during spring afternoons as the days get longer, about banishing darker thoughts and finding happiness in life\u2019s simple things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cBursting with life and carnal opportunity, spring is a fitting setting for any songwriter\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

A similar feel permeates \u2018The Unfolding\u2019 by Northern Ireland composer Hannah Peel, who describes the song as, \u201clike the awakening of land, the unfurling of winter roots, the emerging of our minds from the muddy cells in the earth where we began. I wanted \u2018The Unfolding\u2019 to open with a universal, wordless voice. Sung by the soprano Victoria Oruwari, she soars into the air shaping her pure sounds, like trying to find your voice for the first time, supported by the woodwind, strings and electronic textures, as if they were all buds of spring emerging from the cold earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

One final example is \u2018Willow\u2019 by Ren Lawton, taken from his recently released album Today <\/em>Today <\/em>Tomorrow. <\/em>Lawton\u2019s composition, he says, \u201ccaptures the mood of a shady willow tree providing shelter from the early spring sun. It also talks about pouring rain and bulging riversides, which are iconic symbols of British spring time. The word \u2018love\u2019 in this song is meant in the sense of an emerging, the rebirth of something beautiful and familiar, much like the emergence of spring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

It should come as no surprise to us all in 2022 \u2013 after the past two years that in many ways have felt like one long winter \u2013 that spring remains such fertile ground. We are all like those buds, finally bursting into colour again. It\u2019s a time of new beginnings, a release from the grip of the past, a season that we should all raise a glass to and, like our ancestors, welcome with song.<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

FURTHER READING<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u2022 The <\/em>Stations <\/em>of <\/em>the <\/em>Sun: <\/em>A <\/em>History <\/em>of <\/em>the <\/em>Ritual <\/em>Year <\/em>in <\/em>Britain <\/em>by Ronald Hutton (Oxford University Press).<\/p>\n\n

\u2022 The <\/em>Seasons: <\/em>A <\/em>Celebration <\/em>of <\/em>the <\/em>English <\/em>Year <\/em>by Nick Groom (Atlantic Books).<\/p>\n\n

\u2022 The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs <\/em>by Julia Bishop and Steve Roud (Penguin Classics). <\/p>\n\n

\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Duncan Haskell is a freelance writer and naturalist based in Bristol with a passion for music and the great outdoors.<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

NOW THAT\u2019S WHAT I CALL SPRING<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten songs \u2013 old and new \u2013 to help you celebrate the new season in the countryside<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ONE MAY MORNING EARLY <\/span><\/strong>
Bellowhead <\/strong><\/strong>
A May roamer who stumbles upon the sweetest of birdsong, this song has all the elements of a spring classic. We have opted for this 2007 version by contemporary folk band Bellowhead, which itself was inspired by the legendary Copper Family\u2019s take on the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE FALSE BRIDE <\/span><\/strong>
Shirley Collins <\/strong><\/strong>
This song was first printed on a broadsheet in the 1680s and The Copper Family were again responsible for passing it on, this time to Shirley Collins. Also known as \u2018The Week Before Easter\u2019, it has strong similarities with the song \u2018I Once Loved a Lass\u2019, as sung by Sandy Denny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IT WAS A LOVER AND HIS LASS <\/span><\/strong>
Al Bowlly <\/strong><\/strong>
Found in Shakespeare\u2019s As You Like It <\/em>but put to music here by the vocalist and jazz guitarist Al Bowlly, this version might not be folk in style or sound, but the fact a song first published in 1623 was still being performed long into the 20th century is very much in keeping with the genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE LARK IN THE MORNING <\/span><\/strong>
Steeleye Span <\/strong><\/strong>
Many variations of this song were collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams for the Folk Songs Journal. Some focus more on the pretty ploughboy and others the beatific lark. We\u2019ve opted for this Steeleye Span version, as found on their 1971 album Please to See the King. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GREEN BUSHES <\/span><\/strong>
Magpie Lane <\/strong><\/strong>
A song so well known that it inspired a play by JB Buckstone in 1845, furthering its popularity. There exists a recorded version of \u2018Green Bushes\u2019 from 1907, performed by influential Lincolnshire folk singer Joseph Taylor, now digitised by the British Bushes. Here it is faithfully performed by Oxford folk group Magpie Lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

APRIL MORNING <\/span><\/strong>
June Tabor <\/strong><\/strong>
The freedom of the season isn\u2019t always something to be celebrated, nor are roving young men who leave a trail of broken hearts in their wake. That this ode to abstinence has also been called \u2018Young Men Are False\u2019 is an indication of the troubles within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE SPOTTED COW <\/span><\/strong>
Harry Cox <\/strong><\/strong>
Created for London\u2019s pleasure garden, this urban songwriter\u2019s take on the pastoral spring idyll proved so popular it was appropriated by rural communities across England. This version is performed by Harry Cox, a strong influence on the folk revival of the \u201850s and \u201860s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE BONNY BLACK HARE <\/span><\/strong>
Martin Carthy <\/strong><\/strong>
Spring is a gift for the poetic lyricist. Hunting, hares, guns, love and lust \u2013 this isn\u2019t overly subtle but nor is the British tradition of double entendre. This version is taken from the Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick album Byker Hill. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE SEEDS OF LOVE <\/span><\/strong>
Bella Hardy <\/strong><\/strong>
The publication of The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs <\/em>in 2012 was followed a year later with an album containing a selection of the book\u2019s songs. The whole thing is well worth a listen; our pick is this tale of a young lover wishing to bloom like the flowers in her garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE HOUR OF THE BLACKBIRD <\/span><\/strong>
Ninebarrow <\/strong><\/strong>
The grand tradition of songs inspired by springtime is alive and well. Ninebarrow\u2019s track portrays the pagan tradition of the robin being crowned \u2018King of the Greenwood\u2019 at the passing of the vernal equinox. The blackbirds\u2019 song is a celebration of spring renewal and hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Listen to all these tracks on BBC Countryfile Magazine\u2019s spring playlist available on music streaming service Spotify. Simply scan this QR code and enjoy.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

Illustration: Andy Lovell<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spring is a season that demands a physical reaction. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":15226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"58","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"58","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_58-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_58-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"May-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"May-2022","purple_external_id":"May-2022-58-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"May-2022-58-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000084055||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000084055||","purple_android_product":"com.im.countryfile.189","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.countryfile.189","purple_ios_product":"com.im.countryfile.189","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.countryfile.189","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"91da22fd-9e7f-40d1-a93f-fc46e9516d91","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-04-08T09:39:56Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"93b6ee70-a1f3-464a-be97-151c0fdd6fa0","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-04-25T08:52:31Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/Ak7bucKHzRkq-lxUcD91voA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[20],"tags":[21,14],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/5b607d19-fe97-471f-88a5-f8291807ea97.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"9","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/5b607d19-fe97-471f-88a5-f8291807ea97.jpg",1546,2048,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/5b607d19-fe97-471f-88a5-f8291807ea97-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/5b607d19-fe97-471f-88a5-f8291807ea97-226x300.jpg",226,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/5b607d19-fe97-471f-88a5-f8291807ea97-768x1017.jpg",768,1017,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/5b607d19-fe97-471f-88a5-f8291807ea97-773x1024.jpg",773,1024,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/5b607d19-fe97-471f-88a5-f8291807ea97-1160x1536.jpg",1160,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/04\/5b607d19-fe97-471f-88a5-f8291807ea97.jpg",1546,2048,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Spring is a season that demands a physical reaction.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15231"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15231"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15671,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15231\/revisions\/15671"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}