A new recording of this striking little song notable for its Shakespearean theme of gender confusion on board ship. I’ve stuck my neck out rather by recording it for Islington Folk Club’s annual Trad2Mad competition for singers who perform unaccompanied, so wish me luck! (PS – the late news is that I’ve been shortlisted! Now my fingers are seriously crossed!)
My wife and I are starting a series of free monthly singing workshops in the evening of the first Tuesday of each month in our home area of mid-Kent.
Julie is a formally trained singer who knows a lot about technique, while I’m a folkie with a long-standing interest in traditional songs including sea songs (as regular readers will know), and a passion for engaging an audience’s attention with a good tune and a story full of human interest.
Although it’s nice to have one, we don’t believe you have to have a wonderful voice to be an effective singer. So our aim will be to help people gain enough confidence to sing, to make a musical sound and to communicate their story.
Among other songs, sea songs will be a regular feature of these workshops – partly because they’re often great, earthy songs and popular almost everywhere, but also because they don’t generally demand a big vocal range and so are very suitable for those who are just getting started.
If there’s anyone you know who might be interested, please let them know.
Read all about the Horsmonden Song Workshops.