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A Pocket Book of Nursery Rhymes& Traditional Songs

Arranged for Classical GuitarBy D.Padgett

Copyright © Strings Attached Music Ltdemail: stringsattachedmusic@me.com

Company limited by guarantee No: 6067755Registered Charity No: 1119277

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Foreword page 5

Historical background " "

1. Pease Pudding Hot page 8

2. Michael Finnegan page 10

3. Oranges & Lemons page 12

4. Baa Baa Black Sheep page 14

5. O' du Lieber Augustin page 16

6. Frere Jacques page 18

7. Pop Goes the Weazel page 20

8. Go Tell Aunt Nancy page 21

9. In an English Country Garden page 22

10. Au Clair de la Lune page 24

11. Michael Row the Boat Ashore page 26

12. Old Macdonald page 28

13. The Ash Grove page 30

14. The Wedding March page 32

15. The Drunken Sailor page 34

16. Yankee Doodle page 36

17. Three Blind Mice page 38

18. Hickory Dickory Dock page 40

19. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star page 42

20. I Saw Three Ships page 44

21. Cockles & Mussels page 45

CONTENTS

6 About the author:

Dave Padgett BA(hons) PGCE is a free lance musician and tutor and has been playing and

performing for over thirty years.

He has performed his classical repetoire inEurope, in Cuba and throughout

the Greek Islands.

He now works and teaches in community settings covering most western styles

including folk, Jazz & Blues.

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Foreword

The concept to writing these short pieces came as a result of feedback from students who wereconcerned about 'timing' and getting 'rhythms' right.

These songs and nursery rhymes have been used over generations and have no signs of falling into obscurity; they are more than good little 'ditties', they serve a useful purpose in terms of

rhythm, timing and songwriting in general.

There is no claim of originality on my behalf with these old chesnuts; I have simply tried to putan original slant on old themes. Some of these pieces crop up in first grade books in the form ofa one string melody; which, is not very interesting to listen to or satisfying to play: This short

volume is to go beyond the one string melody and play these tunes in a way that will sound full,challenging, interesting and beneficial in terms of improving timing and technique.

They are intended for students who have completed the rudimentary stages and are gradedbetween 1- 3stages with the exception of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star which is a more advanced

study in harmonic shifts, chord substitution and inversions.

I sincerely hope you enjoy working through these popular old tunes and that you go on to impressfamily and friends by improvising here and there and getting others to join in.

Have fun!

Dave Padgett: December 2008

Nursery rhymes first appeared in print in England as early as 1570 with the printing of short books and pamphlets known as (Chapbooks). The rhymes were popular

among peasants who could not read or write and would pass on these rhymes,which, in many cases would allow them a certain amount of free speech

(providing you were not caught) t0 use as a vehicle to lampoon theruling classes and higher authority

Queen Mary 1 ('Bloody Mary') is given special attention in some rhymes depicting her instruments of torture ('silver bells') in her persecution, torture and

burning at the stake of protestants. The Black Plague and its symptoms wereparodied in 'Ring around the Rosy'. Metaphorical use of animals has also been

used to ridicule and parody people of all class destinctions.

The rhymes were often used to spread subversive messages and be critical in timeswhen free speech or a loose tonge could, result in death by public execution.

Above all, nursery rhymes, poetry and songs are a historical time-capsule as theyreflect historical events good and bad; political satire, social inequality and injustice or just tall stories that distort, deride or depict people and events in

a way that makes us sit up and pay attention.

Historical Background:

Pease Pudding Hot

Pease pudding is a traditional old dish that spans generations: I'm not so sure it would crop up in a Delia Smithbook or that it would be a good idea to try and impress dinner guests with but the recipe is still around and nodoubt, someone, somewhere will still be dishing it up.

Pease pudding is made from dried peas in a thick yellow sauce and can be re-heated over and over again. It is traditionally served with boiled bacon or a form of sasuage called a saveloy.

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Moderato q >120

Michael Finnegan

Michael Finnegan is an Irish traditional song that has many lyrical variations usually played in primary schools or nursery where young people can learn an easy, catchy little rhythm.

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Oranges & Lemons

The origin of the words to "Oranges and lemons" - and it's dark Satanic past!

The overall sound and tone to Oranges & lemons is bright, upbeat and innocent and conjures up the image of neighbourhood or schoolyard children indulging in a game with a ritualistic

chant simulating the words to Oranges and lemons nursery rhyme which would culminate with a child being caught between the joined arms of two others who would emulate the act of

chopping off their head.

The historical context to this rhyme reflects the harsh, brutal and sadistic side of a ruling establishment that would punish people harshly, sometimes for minor infringements: these

punishments came in the form of flogging, (if you were lucky) a humiliating spell in the stocks (if you were really lucky; or, be-heading (if your luck had ran out).

The neighbourhood names relate to some of the many churches of London who would ring theirbells before the public executions took place. The execution gallows were situated on the

infamous 'Tyburn tree' (Marble Arch) in 1783 then moved to Newgate, a notorious prison thathoused hard nosed criminals with pickpockets and people who had fallen into debt. Hence, the

-"when will you pay me?"

The move from Tyburn to Newgate happened because of problems caused by the huge public gatherings, (often exceeding 100,000) that would attend these public

executions and create public order problems along the execution procession route.

The 'Bells of Old Bailey' relates to the tenor bell of St Sepulcher which were used prior to 1783.After the move to Newgate Prison (now the site of the Old Bailey) they used another bell that would be rung for the unfortunate victims on death row. The Bell-man would inform them of their fate by candle light-'here comes the candle to light you to bed' at midnight prior to their

execution the following day: he would ring the execution bell (a hand held bell) and recite thefollowing:-

All you that in the condemned hole do lie,prepare you for tomorrow you shall die;

Watch all and pray:the hour is drawing near

That before the Almighty must appear;Examine well yourselves in time repent,

And when St. Sepulcher's Bell in the morning tolls;The Lord have mercy on your soul.

(A comforting bedtime story!) Sleep Well Sinners!

Andante q > 120

Oranges & Lemons

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Baa Baa Black Sheep

The 'black sheep' has often been used in a negative sense 'the black sheep of the family' and so forth, though thisrhyme or song originally was born in a sort of an advertisment to associate a product (wool from the sheep) in a positive light.

The wool industry was critical to the country's economy from the middle ages up until the nineteenth century. Thewool from the black sheep was of good quality and highly sought after commanding a high price on the markets.

The rhyme was also used as a political satire against King Edward 1 who imposed an export tax in Britain in 1275allowing himself (or the treasury, which was the same thing) to collect, what some thought was an unfair tax on all wool exports in every port in the country.

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O, du lieber Augustin

O, du lieber Augustin is an old German folk song that is somtimes sung at the October Bier Fest. It is originally a song of 'woe' about a young girl cut down in her prime.

"O mother, dear mother, come set you down by me.Come set you down by me and pity my case;For my wounds are now aching, my poor heart is breaking,And I in a low spirit must die."

The song crops up in various unlikely settings, such as English Folk Clubs, galas, festivals and childrens'events. The words are usually changed or turned on their head, parodying some unfortunate person,lampooning political figures through satire or just telling a simple story in the form of a nursery rhymeto make people laugh. The tune is versatile and has a 'catchy' simplicity about it which almost lends itself to misuse, interpretation and improvisation.

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Frere Jacques

Andante q > 120

Frère Jacques (Brother John) is a famous old French nursery rhyme that is mysterious in origin: some peoplehave suggested that it was written to mock the Jacobin monks of France.

The lyrics - "are you sleeping? are you sleeping? brother John, brother John"....... works well as 'rounds' with thesecond singer coming in when the first singer has reached bar three; this simple melody can sound quiteintricate with three or four participants all singing the different parts at the same time and has often been used innursery and school settings.

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'Pop goes the Weasel'

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To understand this popular rhyme is to understand local coloquial slang: no historical dates can accurately define when local regions started to twist and change words and their meanings. This particular one 'pop goes the weasel'is believed to date back to the 1700s from the rhyming slang which many claim originated in the East End of London.

Cockneys have traditionally been a close knit community with an inherant distrust of outsiders and even authority.They developed a language of their own which was difficult for outsiders or strangers to understand.

'Whistling flute' (best suit) 'Apples and pears' (meaning stairs) would be abbreviated for just 'apples', "watch your step on the apples". To "pop" is the slang word for pawn. Weasel is derived from the "weasel and stoat" meaningcoat. Most people owned a suit or some sort of 'Sunday Best'. The mode of dress did not always reflect the persons'finincial situation and when times were hard they would pawn their suit on a Monday and claim it back on Sunday.

'In and out the Eagle'? In the rhyme, "up and down the City road, in and out the Eagle,- That's the way the moneygoes- Pop! goes the weasel". The Eagle refers to the Eagle Tavern which was located on the corner of City Road inHackney North London. The Eagle was an old pub which was re-built as a music hall in 1825. The Eagle had a long reputation for its particular clientell which included Charles Dickens (1812-1870) among other well knowncelebrities of that time. The Music Hall was later taken over by the Salvation Army who were against drinking,music halls and most other things that provided pleasure.

The Hall was later demolished and re-built as a public house in 1901

This popular tune has been arranged as a Jazz standard and recorded by Anthony Newley who made a great jobof creating many variations of the piece.

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Pop goes the Weasel

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Moderato q >120

'Go, Tell Aunt Nancy'

Go Tell Aunt Nancy is a traditional children's folk song and according to a survey done in America, was voted andrated as being the 'number 1' best ballad/folk song in the USA. Published in 1960 and gone on to international recognition, this little song has been rendered and improvised upon and has taken on different forms and lyrics."Go Tell Aunt Rhody", "Go Tell Aunt Sally", " Go Tell Aunt Tabby", the list goes on: probably the reasons for thislittle song's popularity and longevity is its flexibiliy, versatility and innocent charm.

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Moderato q > 140

In an English Country Garden

The English Country Garden was written and published in the early 20th century by Percy Grainger who had takenan interest in collecting and preserving old English folk music. Grainger was concerned about the decline in the countryside and the affects pollution from the industrial revolution was having on rural Britain.

As a result of his research he compiled a detailed source of old songs, many of which dated back to medieval times;in fact the song Country Garden is an anonymous song that is thought to have originated from a morris dance tunewhich was called the 'Hankerchief Dance'. Grainger scored this tune for piano and dedicated it to his mother as a birthday present on July 8th, 1919.

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Allegretto q 100

Au Clair de la Lune

Au Clair de la Lune is an old eighteenth century folk song: anonymous trad: that translates to 'By the light of themoon'. I have taken this old tune and added an alternating bass: It has a classical feel about it that has a typicalFrench charm that works well on guitar: This piece has been covered many times by different musicians;the 'Carcassi variations' are a particular good advanced study on this popular theme.

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Michael, Row the Boat Ashore

Michael, row the boat ashore is an African American spiritual slave song written by Allen Ware and published in1867.

The song was first noted during the American Civil War when Ware was visiting St Helena Island, one of thesmaller sea islands of South Carolina. According to Ware, the slaves (who had been abandoned) sang this songas they rowed the small boat towards the island. Ware jotted down the words to the song and published the music later that year.

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Andante q > 110

Old Macdonald had a Farm

On researching the background to this song I found many people have claimed their stake in this old song.It has been covered in just about every genre possible from film, animation, cartoon, short story, serious politicalsatire, Jazz renditions and of course the plain old fun song that school teachers like to use as a medium to get kidssinging and making animal noises.

The song is a good exercise in teaching rhythm and can be varied and improvised without loosing the innocentsimplicity of the tune.

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Allegretto q > 120

The Ash GroveOld Welsh Folk Song

The Ash Grove is of Welsh origin though there is some dispute as to the original composer. The song was firstpublished in 1802 by Edward Jones who was a harpist; though the tune may be a lot older as there is a similartune called "Cease your Funning" published by John Gay in 1728 which featured in his 'Begger's opera'. Even thistune was thought to originate from an older source; it is claimed that the real original stems from a tune called"Constant Billy" which was an old morris dance tune.

The Ash Grove as we know it remains a popular piece and has been covered by many theatres and music events:The Ash Grove also featured in the BBC mini series of Pride & Prejudice in 1980

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The Wedding March

Maestoso q > 100

Richard Wagner (1813-1833)

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The"Bridal Chorus" from the opera Lohengrin by Richard Wagner is the standard music played for the bride'sentrance at some formal weddings throughout the western world.

The theme is generally known as "Here comes the bride". Its usual placement at the beginning of a wedding ceremony is not entirely in accordance with its placement in the opera. In the opera the chorus is sung after theceremony by the woman at the wedding party as they accompany the heroine Elsa to the bridal chamber. The marriage between Elsa and Lohengrin is an almost immediate failure.

Contrary to popular belief, this March tune is not played at all formal weddings: The Bridal Chorus is seldomplayed at Jewish weddings and is opposed by pastors of the Lutherian Church - Missouri Synod. The RomanCatholic Church generally does not use the Bridal Chorus.

By all accounts Wagner produced some great works of music but was not a popular man; he was known for his anti-semetic standpoint and borrowing money which he would not pay back. His operas were steeped in folklore history with many pagen elements on which he would draw upon. Many religious institutions regardWagner's music as secular rather than religious and associate the Bridal Chorus with sentimentality ratherthan worship.

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q > 170

Trad: Old sea shanty song

The Drunken Sailor

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The Drunken Sailor is a famous traditional sea shanty also known as "what shall we do with the drunken sailor?"

The theme of the song is self-explanatory; it begins with the question: "what shall we do with the drunken sailor early in the morning?" Each verse thereafter suggests some sort of punishment after sobering him up: castigatingor simply abusing him in one form or another.

This is a work song designed to raise moral and productivity on board and would be sung when raising the anchoror the main sail or anything laborious that needed team work..

Originating from a traditional Irish dance tune the drunken sailor was published in 1824 with the lyrics beingpublished in 1891 under the new title of: "What shall we do with the drunken sailor?".

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Vivace q > 175

American Trad:

Yankee Doodle

"Yankee Doodle" is a well know US song often asociated with the American Civil War. It is sung patriotically todayand is the state anthem of Connecticut.

The song's origins were in a pre-revolutionary war song originally by British military officers to mock the dishevelled,disorganised colonial "Yankees" with whom they served in the French and Indian War. The word 'doodle' firstappeared in the early seventeenth century to mean a 'fool or simpleton'.

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Vivace q > 140

Three Blind Mice

The origin of the words to the Three Blind Mice rhyme are steeped in English history. The 'farmer's wife'refers to the daughter of King Henry VIII, Queen Mary I. Mary was a staunch Catholic with a stong politicalawareness of how to protect herself in a volatile era where she saw enemies and threats to her positionlurking in every shadow. Her violent persecution of Protestants led to her nickname 'Bloody Mary'.Public executions, burning at the stake, torture and persecution was common place in these dark days ofBritish history.

The reference to 'farmer's wife' in Three blind mice refers to the massive estates which she, and her husbandKing Philip of Spain, possessed. The 'three blind mice' depicted in the rhyme were three noblemen whoadhered to the Protestant faith. They were convicted of plotting against the Queen - the Queen did showmercy and leniency towards the three and did not have them dismembered and blinded as inferred in theRhyme; instead she mearly had them burnt at the stake!

Another Nursery Rhyme which features 'Bloody Mary' can be found in: (Mary Mary Quite Contrary).

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Largo q > 80

Hickory, Dickory Dock

A nonsensical rhyme full of alliteration, rhythm and imagery that was designed to stimulate childrensimagination as well as help them learn to tell the time first published in 1744 and thought to be of Americanorigin. The harmonics used in the opening bar are to represent the three chimes of the clock.The bass notes there-after in this arrangement are meant to establish the metronomic beat of the old Grandfather clock.

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Largo q 80

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

The words to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star were written by joint authors who were sisters; Ann Taylor (1782-1866)and Jane Taylor (1783-1824) Their clever use of imagery and simile comparing a twinkling star with a diamondhas immortalized this rhyme in the imagination of young people.

The tune itself however, may have come from a Hyden Symphony: this famous theme was later improvised onby Mozart who created some breathtaking variations which have become a virtuoso workout for serious pianists.

This piece should be improvised with arpeggios: I have set this out in a block chord way to illustrate the differenttonal shifts and the different colours that can be produced by substituting chords; Maj, min, and 7th Chords.

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Allegretto q 80

I Saw Three Ships

The origins of I Saw Three Ships are unknown but thought to be about four hundred years old, probably from the old maritime days. It exists in numerous translations with many different variations.

I Saw Three Ships is used as a nursery rhyme because of its simple lyrics and repeated refrain although it is generally thought of as a Carol associated with Christmas. Some Christians have interpreted thethree ships to metaphorically represent the three wise men and later represent the Holy Family.

The words to the Carol were published in 1666 and became popular later in the Victorian era whereby people sawthis song as a beacon of light and optimism, happiness and joy which would be uplifting in dark times of periods ofuncertainty.

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Cockles and Mussels

Molly Malone has become an icon in Dublin where a statue commemorates the tragic figure of her pushing herbarrow. The song itself, has become an unofficial anthem that is internationally recognised in the Irish pubs around the world where it is sung. Whether or not Molly was a real person is strongly contested and debated though thesong is thought to represent the historical date of around 1700.

The song 'Cockles and Mussels' will probably be sung and remembered eternally as a good old fashioned Irish folksong that is symbolic of the spirit of the Irish.

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