Robert W. Service & the Concertina

[Bill N]

I am attending a "Double Bob Birthday Party" in a few weeks, which will jointly celebrate the birth and works of Robbie Burns and Robert W. Service (it's a Canadian thing!). Each guest has to present a song or poem from memory. I will be playing and singing Service's "Accordion", as set to music by the late David Parry of Friends of Fiddlers Green (and performed admirably by Brian Peters on his CD Anglophelia). Like Brian, I will be leaving out the most politically incorrect verse, and singing only the mildly politically incorrect ones.

 

In this semi-autobigraphical poem, Service eulogizes the trusty "accordion" that has been his protagonist's boon companion through many years of adventures and travel, but it is known that Service himself played the concertina. In fact, I know I have seen an image of Service holding one. But do you think I can find it now?

 

Can anyone point me in the right direction? I seem to remember it being part of an illustrated essay about famous people who where closet concertinists!

[yankeeclipper]

I am attending a "Double Bob Birthday Party" in a few weeks, which will jointly celebrate the birth and works of Robbie Burns and Robert W. Service (it's a Canadian thing!). Each guest has to present a song or poem from memory. I will be playing and singing Service's "Accordion", as set to music by the late David Parry of Friends of Fiddlers Green (and performed admirably by Brian Peters on his CD Anglophelia). Like Brian, I will be leaving out the most politically incorrect verse, and singing only the mildly politically incorrect ones.

 

In this semi-autobigraphical poem, Service eulogizes the trusty "accordion" that has been his protagonist's boon companion through many years of adventures and travel, but it is known that Service himself played the concertina. In fact, I know I have seen an image of Service holding one. But do you think I can find it now?

 

Can anyone point me in the right direction? I seem to remember it being part of an illustrated essay about famous people who where closet concertinists!

Here are a few links, including one which apparently had a now-defunct link to a photo of Service and his English concertina.

 

http://www.hmtrad.com/sbx-info/sbx-fame.html

 

http://www.accordionlinks.com/arts.html

 

http://edmonds.nick.tripod.com/index-38.html

 

BTW, I'm sad you feel it necessary to corrupt Service's poem by editing it for 'political correctness.' That's like the Victorian prudes putting fig leaves over the genitals of classic sculpture and paintings. Service creates a word-image of a time long gone, including the attitudes of that time. Rather than edit history, I think it is good to remind listeners today of how people in the past saw their world, and how we now see it differently. A few words of introduction should help your listeners through the "shock and awe" of past bigotry, without bowdlerizing the poetry.

[Bill N]

BTW, I'm sad you feel it necessary to corrupt Service's poem by editing it for 'political correctness.' That's like the Victorian prudes putting fig leaves over the genitals of classic sculpture and paintings. Service creates a word-image of a time long gone, including the attitudes of that time. Rather than edit history, I think it is good to remind listeners today of how people in the past saw their world, and how we now see it differently. A few words of introduction should help your listeners through the "shock and awe" of past bigotry, without bowdlerizing the poetry.

 

 

Thanks for the links. I think the one with the broken link to the picture is the one I was remembering. I hope it will show up somewhere else.

 

Yes, I hear you re: politically correct revisionism. In my non-concertina life I am a museum director, and wrestle with this issue all the time. And I agree that in the right context, and with the right kind of orientation, historical lyrics can provide a wonderful and powerful window to the world views of people of the past.

 

When I worked at a War of 1812 historic site, we created a "Songs of the Soldier" programme that used the popular music of the barracks room to explore attitudes, emotions, beliefs, etc. of the soldiers and their families in a way that wouldn't have been possible using "official" military records and histories. I remember workshopping the programme with a group of student teachers, including some Women's Studies grads. We used the lyrics from "Over the Hills and Far Away" to generate a discussion about reasons why men would join the army in the 18th and 19th centuries, including this verse:

 

We all shall lead more happy lives By getting rid of brats and wives That scold and bawl both night and day - Over the Hills and far away.

 

The student teachers jumped down our throats, and the aim of the lesson was lost in the outrage. We had to significantly beef up the introduction and context setting for the programme before we unveiled it for the public.

 

In my own defence, my rational for this particular abridged performance is as follows:

 

1) I'm don't think a party is an ideal setting for creating the kind of interpretive context that a full rendition of the poem would need. Service uses some (now) highly charged racial epithets in the verse in question. It's likely that there will be modern representatives from some of those groups in attendance

 

2) This will be my first foray into self accompanied singing outside of my usual small circle of supportive friends. Nerves will be a big enough factor as it is.

 

3) I intend to do a short intro, and will direct people to the orignal collection and poem. Time is a consideration as well. Short and sweet is the order of the evening.

 

4) The remaining 5 verses still paint a great picture, and it's still a cracking good song.

 

 

[yankeeclipper]

BTW, I'm sad you feel it necessary to corrupt Service's poem by editing it for 'political correctness.' That's like the Victorian prudes putting fig leaves over the genitals of classic sculpture and paintings. Service creates a word-image of a time long gone, including the attitudes of that time. Rather than edit history, I think it is good to remind listeners today of how people in the past saw their world, and how we now see it differently. A few words of introduction should help your listeners through the "shock and awe" of past bigotry, without bowdlerizing the poetry.

 

 

Thanks for the links. I think the one with the broken link to the picture is the one I was remembering. I hope it will show up somewhere else.

 

Yes, I hear you re: politically correct revisionism. In my non-concertina life I am a museum director, and wrestle with this issue all the time. And I agree that in the right context, and with the right kind of orientation, historical lyrics can provide a wonderful and powerful window to the world views of people of the past.

 

When I worked at a War of 1812 historic site, we created a "Songs of the Soldier" programme that used the popular music of the barracks room to explore attitudes, emotions, beliefs, etc. of the soldiers and their families in a way that wouldn't have been possible using "official" military records and histories. I remember workshopping the programme with a group of student teachers, including some Women's Studies grads. We used the lyrics from "Over the Hills and Far Away" to generate a discussion about reasons why men would join the army in the 18th and 19th centuries, including this verse:

 

We all shall lead more happy lives By getting rid of brats and wives That scold and bawl both night and day - Over the Hills and far away.

 

The student teachers jumped down our throats, and the aim of the lesson was lost in the outrage. We had to significantly beef up the introduction and context setting for the programme before we unveiled it for the public.

 

In my own defence, my rational for this particular abridged performance is as follows:

 

1) I'm don't think a party is an ideal setting for creating the kind of interpretive context that a full rendition of the poem would need. Service uses some (now) highly charged racial epithets in the verse in question. It's likely that there will be modern representatives from some of those groups in attendance

 

2) This will be my first foray into self accompanied singing outside of my usual small circle of supportive friends. Nerves will be a big enough factor as it is.

 

3) I intend to do a short intro, and will direct people to the orignal collection and poem. Time is a consideration as well. Short and sweet is the order of the evening.

 

4) The remaining 5 verses still paint a great picture, and it's still a cracking good song.

 

Bill, I can certainly accept your #3 reason for bowdlerizing the Service poem! I'll be doing the 'Immortal Memory' toast at our local St. Andrew's Society Burns Night this month, and have had to edit a true story in order to fit the program. In performance, time constraints can justify editing.

 

But "Nigger" is the only word in Service's poem currently considered a racial epithet, and in a song could easily be replaced by "Negro" (if anyone objects to "Negro," refer them to the United Negro College Fund, to which I am a donor. UNCF is an important and longstanding contributor to the higher education of African Americans). The "lousy Esquimaux" line is not an epithet, but simply refers to the fact that the Inuit have always been notoriously plagued by lice, to the extent that it is part of their own Inuit mythology (see http://www.northerndelightstea.com/en/nunavik/legends/19.php).

 

Anyway, good luck with your performance!

[Boney]

[Bill N]

 

Brilliant! Thanks very much. Do you happen to know anything about the photo?

[Boney]

Brilliant! Thanks very much. Do you happen to know anything about the photo?

You're welcome. No, but I linked to the page it came from if you click on the picture. It's from the Internet Archive, a collection of old versions of web pages. Useful if you're looking for expired web content, a pain in the neck if you're trying to delete things you no longer want to be seen...