Category: Uncategorized

Lafrowda Day music (plus whatever it is I do…)

Lots of promising music on Lafrowda Day – Saturday July 15th – in St Just (that’s St Just in Penwith, not the one in Roseland). Unfortunately for those with good taste, there’s also half an hour of music from me, but here’s a full list of what other music is happening as part of the festival on the 14th and 15th so you can avoid hearing me. (There are lots of other things happening during Lafrowda week, which runs from the 9th of July to the 15th.)

Lafrowda 14th July 

Market Square Stage (only)
Bob Henley – 19.00-19.25
Dave Jenkin – 19.30-19.55
Marmalade Shed – 20.00-22.00
DJ Trevor – 22.05-23.30

Lafrowda Day 15th July

Market Square Stage

11.00-12.00 Nancherrow Project
12.00-12.40 Procession
Cape Singers – 12.40-13.40
Joe Duke – 13.50-14.40
Tiger Balm – 14.50-15.40
Catman and the Mancats 16.00-16-50
True Foxes – 17.10-18.00
18.00-19.00 Break
Emerald Dawn – 19.00-19.50
Boundless Brothers – 20.10-21.00
Die Spangel – 21.10-22.00
22.00-22.30 Procession
Jolly Roger Band – 22.30-23.30

Plen an Gwarry Stage

12.0-13.00 Procession
Schools etc. – 13.00-15.30
15.30-16.30 Procession
Schools etc. – 16.30-17.00
17.00-18.00 John Brolly
Cath Navin – 18.00-18.30
Soundless Exit – 18.40-19.10
Steve Bayfield – 19.20-19.50
David Harley – 20.00-20.30
Rob Boughton – 20.40-21.10
Amber Valentine – 21.20-22.00
22.00-22.30 Procession
22.30-23.30 Wetback

 

Twm Siôn Cati

A song about ‘the Welsh Robin Hood’ – a story I originally found and borrowed from George Borrow’s Wild Wales. Three traditional tunes for the price of one, but on the whole I think I like the Sheepstealer version best. There’s much more information about Twm (and the song) in my next book, Tears Of Morning.

(backup)

(Sheepstealer tune)

(backup)

[Limerick Rake tune]

(backup)

A man of resource and a thief of ill-fame
Tregaron my home, Twm Siôn Cati my name
Your horses and cattle are all of my game
But rich and respected I’ll die, just the same
Respected I’ll die just the same

In an ironmonger’s shop in Llandovery fair
A fancy I took to a porridge pot there
“Oh”, said the man
“Here are three of the best”
And one I admired above all of the rest
That one above all of the rest

But before I ventured to lay money down
I examined the pot above and around
“Oh no, my good man, this won’t do for me:
There’s a hole in this pot as you plainly may see.”
“There’s a hole in the pot, as you see.”

He peeked in the pot, said “Your pardon I crave,
But no hole can I find, as I hope to be saved.”
I said “Put in your head, and you’ll see it quite plain…”
So he put in his head and tried once again:
He put in his head once again.

But the man had such brains, his head hardly would fit
So I rammed the pot down, meaning but to assist:
The while that he struggled to free himself there
I tiptoed away with the other pair.
I tiptoed away with the pair.

But as I departed, my pots in my hand,
Some advice I gave, as I left him to stand:
“Indeed, there’s a hole, for if there were not,
However could you put your head in the pot?
How could you put your head in the pot?

I’ve considered three ways of setting this to music. The Limerick Rake and the Derry-down-derry tune  both work with minimal adaptation, and I have recorded a version of each here (you’re welcome). At the moment, though, I rather like the idea of using a variation on the tune associated with I Am a Brisk Lad (Roud 1667), also known as The Sheepstealer (hence the repeated last line, which is a new addition). It’s a tune closely related to the version of The Holy Well used on the Tears of Morning album as the instrumental introduction to Song of Chivalry.