tune page
Both Sexes Give Ear to my Fancy
Found in Both_Sexes_Give_Ear_to_my_Fancy_6.abc
from the John Chambers abc collection
The abc for this tune contains background information but no music.
X:1
T:Both Sexes Give Ear to my Fancy
B:Songs of the West, Sabine Baring Gould.
S:John Rickards of Lamerton, Devon.
L:1/8
Q:1/4=100
M:6/8
K:G D|G D G B G B|d3 c2 (G/A/)|B c B A G A|G3 z2
w:Both sex-es give ear to my fan-cy, In_ praise of sweet wo-man I sing, D|G D G B G B|d3 c2 (G/A/)|B c B A G A|G3 z2
w:Con-fined not to Doll, Sue, or Nan-cy; The_ mate of the beg-gar or king. B|d B d d B d|e3 d (BA)|G B d d c B|(B3 A2)
w:When A-dam was first a-cre-a-ted, And_ lord of the u-ni-verse crown'd;_ (B/A/)|G D G B G B|d3 c2 (G/A/)|B c B A G A|G3 z2|]
w:His_ hap-pi-ness was not com-ple-ted, Un-*til that a help-mate was found. From <i>Songs of the West</i> (revised edition of 1905). Noted by Sabine Baring Gould and H. Fleetwood Sheppard from John Rickards of Lamerton, Devon. Baring Gould commented: "This old song is a favourite with the peasantry throughout England. The words are printed in Bell's <a href=http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/lit/poetry/AncientPoemsBallads/toc.html>Songs of the English Peasantry</a>, p. 231. He says, "We have had considerable trouble in procuring a copy of the old song, which used, in former days, to be very popular with aged people resident in the North of England. It has been long out of print, and handed down traditionally. By the kindness of Mr. S. Swindells, printer, Manchester, we have been favoured with an ancient printed copy." "In the original the song consists of ten verses. The earliest copy of it that I know is in <i>The Lady's Evening Book of Pleasure</i>, about 1740. It will be found in a collection of garlands made by Mr. J. Bell about 1812, and called by him The <i>Eleemosynary Emporium</i>. It is in the British Museum. The air is found in <i>Vocal Music, or the Songster's Companion</i>, 2nd ed., 1772, to the song, <i>Farewell You Green Fields and Sweet Groves</i>, p.92. It was taken into <i>The Tragedy of Tragedies, or Tom Thumb</i>, 1734, as the air to <i>In Hurry, Post-haste for a licence</i>, and was attributed to Dr. Arne. In <i>Die Familie Mendelssohn</i>, vol.ii., is a scrap of music written down by Felix Mendelssohn, dated Leipzig, 16th August 1840, which is identical with the first few bars of this melody. But the earliest form of the air is in J.S. Bach's <i>Comic Cantata</i>, where a peasant sings it. "We took the song down from John Rickards, Lamerton, and again from J. Benney, Menheniot. Mr. Kidson prints a Yorkshire version in his <i>Traditional Tunes</i>, 1891. Miss L. Broadwood has noted it down from the singing of a baker at Cuckfield, Sussex. Dr. Barrett gives our melody to <i>The Gallant Hussar</i>, No. 13 [in <i>S.O.W</i>]. We have also taken it down to this ballad; so has Mr. Sharp in Somerset." Other versions of this song have been found in various parts of England, often as <i>Old Adam</i> or <i>When Adam Was First Created</i>; under the latter title it remains, as noted above, in the repertoire of the Copper family of Rottingdean, Sussex. There are several examples from Aberdeenshire in the Greig-Duncan collection, and the song was also quite widespread in the USA and Canada. There are broadside copies under a number of titles at <a href=http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/ballads/ballads.htm>Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads</a>: <a href=http://bodley24.bodley.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/acwwweng/ballads/image.pl?ref=2806+c.13(192)&id=12998.gif&seq=1&size=0>When Adam was first created ("Both sexes give here [sic] to my fancy ...")</a> Printed between 1840 and 1866 by J. Harkness, Church-Street, Preston. [Largely illegible] 2806 c.13(192) <a href=http://bodley24.bodley.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/acwwweng/ballads/image.pl?ref=Firth+b.25(242)&id=16373.gif&seq=1&size=0>Adam & Eve ("Both sexes give ear to my fancy ...")</a> Printed by Wm. Ford, York-st. Sheffield [no date]. Firth b.25(242) <a href=http://bodley24.bodley.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/acwwweng/ballads/image.pl?ref=Harding+B+28(19)&id=10847.gif&seq=1&size=0>In praise of dear women I sing ("Both sexes give ear to my fancy ...")</a> Printed by Liptrot, St. Helen's [no date]. Harding B 28(19) and Harding B 28(175) <a href=http://bodley24.bodley.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/acwwweng/ballads/image.pl?ref=2806+c.17(319)&id=14057.gif&seq=1&size=0>Old Adam ("Both sexes give ear to my song ...")</a> Printed c.1837 by J. Wheeler, Manchester. 2806 c.17(319) Preview: User name: Enter password: Link makerPlease read our notes on posting html.Contact us