Concertinas And Sea Music

[David Barnert]

In celebration of my Morris team's 30th anniversary, we have invited several other teams to Albany to dance with us this weekend in various locations around New York's Capital District. One of our stands this morning was at the Hudson River dock site of a replica of Henry Hudson's boat, the Half Moon.

 

So there we are,

Morris Dancing in front of the Half Moon (and interestingly, directly between it and the weathervane atop the D&H building that dominates downtown Albany,

which is also a replica of the Half Moon)

when one of the Half Moon organizers asks me what my instrument is called. "Concertina," I say.

 

"Where can I get one? We definitely need one for the boat." I gave him the Button Box's web site. I didn't have the heart to tell him Concertinas hadn't been invented yet in 1609.

[Stephen Chambers]

I didn't have the heart to tell him Concertinas hadn't been invented yet in 1609.

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Somebody should have told the archaeologists who excavated the wreck of Henry VIII's flagship the Mary Rose (sank 1545) too. They found the remains of a few instruments, fiddles, tabor pipes etc., including a "concertina end" that was actually a hexagonal wooden lid for some kind of container (maybe a concertina case ? ).

Edited June 11, 2005 by Stephen Chambers

[John Wild]

and interestingly, directly between it and the weathervane atop the D&H building that dominates downtown Albany,

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Does that mean half-way up the building?

 

- John

[David Barnert]

Does that mean half-way up the building?

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Well the boat was directly east of us, and below us in the water (we were on a raised dock, about 20 feet above the water). The building was directly to our west.

 

I didn't say "half-way," I only said "directly between."

[Stephen Chambers]

When is the gathering of the boats?

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I don't know the date for 2005 yet, but last year year Cruinniú na mBád was held on the weekend of 13th - 15th August, so it will probably be around the same time again.

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Helen,

 

This year Cruinniú na mBád is from 19th-21st August, featuring hooker, gleoiteog, púcán and curach racing, with a traditional turf race from Sruthán in An Cheathrú Rua (Carraroe) to Cinn Mhara (Kinvara). Also traditional music sessions and a climín race.

 

See you there ?

[PeterT]

Some time ago, on another topic I said I would start some research onto the use or otherwise of concertinas by sailors.

There is some controversy as to whether concertinas were used much if at all, despite the public impression of the concertina as a "sailors instrument".

Certainly they were not used to accompany sea shantys, but no instrument ever was.

It is difficult to find much at all to answer the question one way or the other, since there is very little written about the use of any instruments aboard ship, and indeed, very little is written about the lifestyle of the common sailors at all.

 

Hi Rod,

 

Back in about 1981, I saw the late Stan Hugill play a couple of tunes on a melodeon. As far as I'm aware, he never owned one, but I guess that aboard ship, or ashore, instruments might have been passed around for other sailors to "have a go". Stan's sons became musicians, so I guess that Stan might have learnt the tunes after his Shantyman career had ended.

 

I subscribe to the theory that on sailing ships, if it was relatively small, cheap, and robust, the sailors played it. As indicated earlier in this thread, that would probably cover a variety of instruments.

 

A player who lived near to me, Frank Fuller (died 1991) was in the Royal Navy, and was in the Far East soon after WWII. From what he told me, both he and his brother played MacCann Duet whilst aboard ship. Certainly, when I bought the concertina which had belonged to Frank's brother, there was an overpowering smell of tar, which didn't go away, even after a service by Colin Dipper. Frank played a 55 key, his brother 57 key. Both instruments were ebony-ended.

 

Regards,

Peter.

[Alan Day]

I was told many years ago that the instruments used on the sailing ships were cheap Lachenals,due to the fact that due to high corrosion caused by salt water and general wear and tear,thay if there was any problem with the instrument then they would throw them overboard.

Al

[Cream-T]

(...) if there was any problem with the instrument then they would throw them overboard.

 

And the players went with them!

[Chris Timson]

Amazing how Peter and a couple of other new members are resurrecting old threads that for us old hands are years back in our memories. In the main it's seems a pretty worthwhile thing to do, so thanks.

 

Chris

[allan atlas]

FOLKS: one of the things i hope to do upon finishing up my Ladies project (very soon) is spend a bit of time at the wonderful little Whaling Museum just outside Huntington, on the north shore of long island. . . .among the holdings in the library there are log books and diaries of sailing vessels from the nineteenth century. . . . .who knows..........allan

[allan atlas]

FOLKS: more precisely: the whaling museum to which i refer is in a little town called COLD SPRING HARBOR. . . . .nothing like digging through the sources themselves. . . . . .and nothing like one of my replies to kill the conversation. . . . .