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Barbara Allen - A Musical Journey In Ten Versions
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Barbara Allen is the most widely travelled ballad in the English speaking world and exists in many different versions. In today’s show we follow the story of this remarkable ballad, finding its roots in colonial America, Transylvania and Ancient Greece, and listening to just a few of its many versions.
Ancient lyre music is included by kind permission of Michael Levy. Do visit his website at https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/
Music
Intro music is a version of Barbara Allen from Goathland, North Yorkshire, found in Kidson, Traditional Tunes (1891) pp.36-40
Rondo Minuet in G minor by Purcell
Barbara Allen tune from the Roxburghe collection: http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/33316/recording
Scottish version by Ewan McColl, which he learned from his mother: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYpwMGCd5pw
Norma Waterson’s version of Barbara Allen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpw7bx4NcyM
Clifton Hicks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4C50atG_Tc
Instrumental version based on the version collected and recorded by Jean Ritchie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihit0mpmz7o
An Ozark version of Barbara Allen sung by Kyla Cross: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HV3wT0tgFk
A Kentucky version of Barbara Allen sung by Sarah Wood: Sarah Wood - Barbara Ellen - Jim's Birthday Old Time Jam - YouTube
The music for King Arthur’s court is “En amours n’a si non bien”, an anonymous 15th Century French song.
The final Barbara Allen was arranged by John Pearse in “Saturday Night, 20 Tabulated Folk Songs for Guitar”, and imperfectly remembered by me after 35 years
A traditional version of Kadar Kota
Other references
https://mainlynorfolk.info/shirley.collins/songs/barbaraallen.html
https://mudcat.org/
http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/30145/image
https://www.pepysdiary.com/
https://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/C084.html
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48601012.pdf
David Atkinson (2014) The Anglo-Scottish Ballad and its Imaginary Contexts: https://library.oap
The Bonny Brown Girl: http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/C295.html
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/71970029.pdf
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/441468
https://www.folkschool.org/
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Stones Barn, Cumbria, and the wider Stones Barn community for starting me on this journey and encouraging me along the way. Find out more at http://stonesbarn.co.uk
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