Chor & Gesang

This ballad is one of the most enduringly popular, both in England and Scotland. It is mentioned by Samuel Pepys in his diary on 2 January 1666. It has been set to various tunes, but the familiar melo...

This is from Northumberland and is a shanty, or sailor's work song, sung while pulling together on a rope and so helping to secure rhythmic unanimity. The shantyman sang the tune, the rest joining in...

This 17th century air is still used for dancing around the maypole.

Shakespeare mentions this old and muchloved tune twice in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1597-1600). It probably dates from the mid-16th century.

This kind of riddle song depends on the correct answers being given to win the hand of the lady, so it becomes a battle of wits between the two people.

This children's rhyme and game was collected in Liverpool near the end of the 19th century by Frank Kidson. He included it in his Traditional Tunes (1891) and said, 'The air is somewhat pleasing, and...