San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1892-07-01
ms WESTERN soNoMEN."
Medieval Melodies Handed Down From
Fnther to Son.


Father to Som
In the English Illustrated Magazine
Barring Gould gives an interesting
glimpse of the Western Songmen''
who arc now nearly extinct-men
who kept in their retentive memories
the songs OF the Western folk, and
liked nothing better than to troll them
out on n winter night before a huge
fire with the assistance OF copious
draughts OF one ambrOsia or another.
Such mon were common enough when
Barring Gould was boy; but it was
not until he recently inquired around
Dartmoor that he found any survivors
Of then.
These old songmen in many cases
inherit their songs from their fathers;
singing was family possession. and
Inc stock in trade consisted in batch
Of some fifty to a hundred songs
These a father taught his son, air and
words. and there can be no ques-
ton that by tlis means many were
handed down through several hun
dreds OF years in one family OF pro
fessional songmen the successors Of
the medieval gleemen. j know of
one case where two rival songmen
met and sang against each other for a
wager. They began at . o'clock in
the eveTing and sang one after the
other till q o'clock the following
morning, aud neither had then come
10 tho end OF his repertoire; conse-
guently the stakes were drawn.
OF one OF the old fellows from whom
| have gathered some of the most in
tel osting pieces I was told the follow
ing story: He had been singing all
the evening in 4 tavern to z party OF
lab9rers. when feeling himself lit
tie the worse for liquor. he rose to
Lin, TO stay. will you give me a
pint of ale for every fresh song sing?"
Certainly Twill - answered one Of the
men present lie sat down and sang
sixteen entirely fresh songs and drank
sixteen pints of ale. . This story
seemed to me Incredible; questioned
him on IL and hs admitted with
prize that il was true. As it hap
peIed, the nan who made the prom
Use was working for mo. and he also
admitted that it was true; no had to
pay fer the sixteen pints but then. !"
said the man that was . long time
age"
SOme o. the most yielding sources
are OLD men who can neither read nor
write. 1t is anna ring what memories
they have ami how CORE ct they often
sre. Ono told me-and | believe he
.poko The truth that in tho old days
when ne sang in the taverus he knew
over & hundred songs and his father
could tell tho titles OF 200 which he
could sing. l have collected thirty
from this man. lie sits N a settle by
my hall fire. turns up his eyes crosses
his hands on his breast, and sings.
Thai | sing after HIM. and he IS mos:
particular that should have all tho
| turns right. 'iOu nun give thjckey
rtbstl n Bit stronger no says-and
b. stronger he means take a tone or
scmi-tone higher. He will not allow
tho smallest deviation from what no
hus to impart. Its Just no use At
oil says he. my singing to you if you
won't follow correct Thickey turn
cane out Of your head. not mine"
Then ! must 10 hack again till l have
got tho tun9 0xact Il be master and
you be scholar. he says and IA
scholar nun laru what he be taught
urd t1r, ~ rsrhf
Curious ola tunes in the minor key
many of them are certainly not later
than the fifteenth century. Others OF
eNquiaite delicacy modulnte from
miner 10 major and then back again.
.IrGckon that's the beautifulest tune
as ever wtre sang anywhere. " says
ny master OF some specially archaic
air An, notice that he appreciates
the I'D m,nor tunes much more than
those ir ma.ors Then he heaves 9
sigh II liant sung hc'-by he
he raears the song II reckon for five
and twos " years till tonight Lor
bless :. the world be going that
wicked tho young chaps don't care fol
nv solra reckon the end o the
world can't be over far of accord
ing y"