British songs

LECTURE 25: MUSIC OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

• The History of British Music

• Folk Music of England

• British Songs

The music of the United Kingdom, which is part of British music, refers to all forms of music associated with the United Kingdom since its creation, including music inherited from the states that preceded it.

Throughout its history, the United Kingdom has been a major exporter and source of musical innovation, drawing its cultural basis from the history of the United Kingdom, from church music, from Western culture and from the ancient and traditional folk music of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. In the 20th century, influences from the music of the United States became most dominant in popular music. The United Kingdom has one of the world’s largest music industries today, with many British musicians having had an impact on modern music.

Folk music of England is a type of traditionally based music, often contrasted with commercial music, for which evidence exists from the later medieval period. It has been preserved and transmitted orally, through print and later through recordings. The term is used to refer to English traditional music and music composed, or delivered, in a traditional style. English folk music has produced or contributed to several important musical genres, including sea shanties, jigs, hornpipes and dance music. It can be seen as having distinct regional and local variations in content and style, particularly in areas more removed from the cultural and political centres of the English state. Cultural interchange and processes of migration mean that English folk music, although in many ways distinctive, has particularly interacted with the music of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. There remains a flourishing sub-culture of English folk music, which continues to influence other genres and occasionally to gain mainstream attention.

There are thousands of traditional songs in England. Many of them tell stories about British history.

1. “Auld Lang Syne” is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song. It is well known in many English-speaking countries and is often sung to celebrate the start of the New Year. The song's title may be translated into English as “old long since”, or “long long ago”, “days gone by”, “old times”.

Singing the song on New Year's Eve very quickly became a Scots custom that soon spread to other parts of the British Isles.

Auld lang syne Scottish Song

(Words by R. Burns)

1. Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brough to min’?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And days of lang syne?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

We’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

2. And surely ye’ll be your pint stout

As surely I’ll be mine!

And we’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

CHORUS

3. We twa ha’e run about the braes,

And pu’d the gowans fine

But we’ve wander’d mony a weary foot,

Sin’auld lang syne.

CHORUS

4. We twa ha’e paidl’t in the burn,

Frae mornin’ sun till dine;

But seas between us braid ha’e roar’d

Sin’auld lang syne.

CHORUS

5. And here’s a hand my trusty freen’,

And gie’s a hand o’thine,

And we’ll tak’, a right gude willy waught

For auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Scottish words

1) auld = old

2) lang syne – старина, былые дни

3) tak’ = take

4) twa = two

5) ha’e = have

6) brae – склон холма

7) gowan – маргаритка

8) mony = many

9) sin’ = since

10) frae = from

11) braid = broad

12) freen’ = friend

13) gie’s = give us

14) gude willy waught = a hearty drink – хорошая выпивка

15) ye’ll = you’ll

16) stout = a kind of jug with a handle – кружка с ручкой

17) to paidle – переходить вброд

18) o’ = of

19) a burn – ручеек