Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Popular music of the olden time > Volume 2

394
ENGLISH SONG AND BALLAD MUSIC.
virginal music of the time of Queen Elizabeth, now in the possession of
Dr. Rimbault.
The two lute copies seem, like many others in the same manuscripts, to have
no tune in them. They are probably pieces constructed upon the ground or base
of the air,. to shew off the execution of florid passages on the lute. I have con-
stantly found melody sacrificed in that way, both in lute and virginal music. In
virginal music, the skeleton of the tune can generally be found running through
the piece, sometimes in the base, and sometimes in an inner part ; although the
arranger occasionally constructs a wholly different treble. The tune, in this
instance, is to be found in the base, and in the inner parts ; and I am indebted to
Dr. Rimbault for extracting it. Such versions are never very satisfactory, but
must be accepted when no better are to be had.
Drayton, in his Polyolbion, Song 28, speaking of Robin Hood, says: —
" But of his merry man, the Pindar of the town
Of Wakefield, George-a-Green, whose fames so far are blown
For their so valiant fight, that every Freeman's Song
Can tell you of the same — so be ye talk'd on long,
For ye were merry lads, and those were merry days."
If this be one of the Freemen's Songs, to which Drayton alludes, I suppose some
of the voices sang the burden.
The ballad is contained in Ritson's Robin Hood, ii, 16 ; Evans' Old Ballads,
ii. 100 ; &c.
Moderate time.
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In Wakefield there lives a jol - ly t J in-der, In Wake-field all
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Dare make a tres-pass to the
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town of Wakefield, But his pledge goes to the Pin - fold, His pledge goes to the Pin - fold.
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