Songs of the West (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Devon and Cornwall Folk Ballads, Maritime Laments, Rural Love Songs, and Victorian Piano-Vocal TraditionsBy S. Baring-Gould
Length7h 38m
About this audiobook
Songs of the West gathers the traditional airs and ballads of Devon and Cornwall into a volume that is at once songbook, folklore archive, and late-Victorian literary artifact. Its pages preserve maritime laments, rural love songs, comic narratives, and haunting survivals of older oral culture, often presented with piano accompaniments and editorial notes. The style balances antiquarian fidelity with Victorian refinement, situating regional song within the broader nineteenth-century movement to recover Britain's vernacular past. S. Baring-Gould—Anglican priest, antiquary, novelist, folklorist, and author of the hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers"—was unusually equipped for such a project. As squire of Lew Trenchard in Devon, he lived close to the communities whose memories carried these songs. His wide historical curiosity, pastoral access to singers, and fascination with popular tradition shaped the collection's rescuing impulse, even where his editorial hand reflects the moral and aesthetic assumptions of his age. This volume is warmly recommended to readers interested in folk music, regional identity, oral tradition, and Victorian cultural preservation. It rewards both the scholar tracing transmission and the general reader seeking the textures of western English life before modernity transformed them.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
Audiobook details
GenreOther
Length7 hrs 38 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJul 13, 2020
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Songs of the West (Annotated)
26No 21 The Saucy Sailor
2Introduction
27No 22 Blue Muslin
3Historical Context
28No 23 The Death of Parker
4Synopsis (Selection)
29No 24 The Hal-an-tow or Helston Furry Dance
5Introduction
30No 25 Blow Away Ye Morning Breezes
Show all chaptersShow less
6No 1 By Chance It Was
31No 26 The Hearty Good Fellow
7No 2 The Hunting of Arscott of Tetcott
32No 27 The Bonny Bunch of Roses
8No 3 Upon a Sunday Morning
33No 28 The Last of the Singers
9No 4 The Trees They Are So High
34No 29 The Tythe Pig
10No 5 Parson Hogg
35No 30 Old Wichet
11No 6 “Cold Blows the Wind, Sweet-heart”
36No 31 Jan’s Courtship
12No 7 The Sprig of Thyme
37No 32 The Drowned Lover
13No 8 Roving Jack
38No 33 Childe the Hunter
14No 9 Brixham Town
39No 34 The Cottage Thatched with Straw
15No 10 Green Broom
40No 35 Cicely Sweet
16No 11 As Johnny Walked Out
41No 36 A Sweet Pretty Maiden Sat Under a Tree
17No 12 The Miller and His Sons
42No 37 The White Cockade
18No 13 Ormond the Brave
43No 38 The Sailor’s Farewell
19No 14 Sir John Barleycorn
44No 39 A Maiden Sat a Weeping
20No 15 Sweet Nightingale
45No 40 The Blue Kerchief
21No 16 Widdecombe Fair
46No 41 Come to My Window
22No 17 Ye Maidens Pretty
47No 42 Tommy a’ Lynn
23No 18 The Silly Old Man
48No 43 The Green Bushes
24No 19 The Months of the Year
49No 44 The Broken Token
25No 20 The Chimney Sweep
50No 45 The Mole-catcher.
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