Elizabeth Gaskell's 'mary Barton' On Bbc Radio 4

[nkgibbs]

C.netters,

Has anyone heard the introduction music to the above series, an episode of which can be played here?

The novel is set in Manchester between 1839 and 1842 so, lovely as it is, I'm not sure that the BBC have got their period music correct. Should we tell them?

Cheers,

Neil

 

Edited December 6, 2015 by nkgibbs

[Roger Hare]

Has anyone heard the introduction music to the above series, an episode of which can be played here?

The novel is set in Manchester between 1839 and 1842 so, lovely as it is, I'm not sure that the BBC have

got their period music correct. Should we tell them?

 

Yes, I just listened to the omnibus edition on R4Extra and have been trying (and failing so far)

to work out the introductory tune.

 

Don't tell the BBC, tell me - what is the tune and how is it out of its period?

 

Ta.

 

Roger

[nkgibbs]

Roger,
I am not sure what the tune is but was really questioning whether it should be played on a concertina.

Neil

[Stephen Chambers]

Never mind the tune, but concertinas were themselves extremely uncommon, and expensive (being bought mainly by members of the wealthy upper class), in the years 1839-42.

 

Wheatstone's were then the only makers in Britain and less than 350 had been made (by hand) by the end of 1839, and possibly 550 in total by the end of 1842, whilst cheap German concertinas seem to have been still unheard of...

[nkgibbs]

Stephen,

That was my question……I suppose that if there were 550 Wheatstone instruments around in 1842, even if they were owned by the upper classes, then the BBC are let off the hook!

Neil

[nkgibbs]

Interestingly (to me at least; I live 6 miles from Knutsford aka Cranford) Elizabeth Gaskell mentions in a letter of 1855, children singing ''Pop goes the Weasel' to the concertina'.

 

A quick search shows that this is not a very original observation; see an interesting article here.

 

Neil

Edited December 6, 2015 by nkgibbs

[Roger Hare]

I am not sure what the tune is but was really questioning whether it should be played on a concertina.

 

Ah! Now I understand - thank you.

 

Roger

[nkgibbs]

Roger, yours is still a very good question……..what is the tune?

Neil

[Roger Hare]

Roger, yours is still a very good question……..what is the tune?

 

There are any number of theme tunes for elderly BBC radio dramatisations which get recycled on

R4X about which one could ask this question.

 

I'm thinking particularly of some of the DIckens novels, and the condensation of the Aubrey novels

(I think that one is 'Rolling Sea', but a bit different from the Eliza Carthy version fromm memory).

 

Roger.

[Mike Franch]

The English country dance listsev frequently discusses what's authentic and what's not, especially in regard to the Jane Austen movies.

 

My own pet peeve is the use of Ashokan Farewell in the Ken Burns' documentary on the American Civil War. It's haunting and effective, but a modern tune.

 

The key thing, most people seem to agree, is the "haunting and effective" part. Dramatic performances are about setting a tone in the listener's or viewer's mind, and appropriateness to the cognoscenti doesn't count. I suppose they're right, but the historian in me bridles at this.

 

Mike