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Peterkin Songs
Posted by Chris Howell on June 1, 2017, 6:58 am
Jonathan Woolf notes with slight surprise that Alastair Chisholm's notes to the Lyrita disc of songs by Norman Peterkin does not offer dates, "so it’s superficially tricky to tell if any post-date his retirement from OUP in 1937 or are largely confined to the period between 1918 and taking on his onerous publishing responsibilities". I have scores of exactly half of the songs so I can provide publication dates, at least, for the following: The Fidil is Singing (1935) The Song of Fionula (1935) Never More, Sailor (1925) A Little Wind Came Blowing - Irish Air (1952) I Wish and I Wish (1925) The Song of the Secret 1935) Song of the Water Maiden (1925) So We'll Go No More A-Roving (1929) Rune of the Burden of the Tide (1925) The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls (1943) Beata Solitudo (1919) This latter is one of the early Boston group, all the rest are OUP. The published copies of The Garden of Bamboos and Dubbuldideery are undated, but this in itself tells us they are from OUP's first batch of publications. As can be seen, Peterkin maintained at least some activity until the early 1950s, though obviously I have no proof there were not revisions of much earlier pieces.
Re: Peterkin Songs
Posted by John Quinn on June 1, 2017, 8:52 am, in reply to "Peterkin Songs"
I am in the process of compiling a review of this disc - Jonathan beat me to it! Like Jonathan, I have found it impossible - so far - to locate any information on the internet as to the composition dates of these songs. I suspect, therefore, that publication dates will be as close as we'll be able to get. Thank you for this information, Chris; I'll include those dates in my review.
If any other readers can help further with dates of songs that will be appreciated.
Re: Peterkin Songs
Posted by Chris Howell on June 1, 2017, 9:42 am, in reply to "Peterkin Songs"
A little work on the British Library online catalogue tracked down the rest so here's the complete list. Publishers are OUP unless stated otherwise
The Fidil is Singing [2:07] 1935 The Song of Fionula [2:58] 1935 Five Poems from the Japanese [4:34] Boston 1918 All Suddenly the Wind Comes Soft [2:08] 1935 Pierrette in Memory [1:50] 1925 O Men from the Fields [1:37] Enoch c.1924 The Garden of Bamboos [1:13] my copy undated but BL says 1924 Advice to Girls [1:16] 1924 Never More, Sailor [3:09] 1925 Little Red Hen - Irish Folk Tale [3:39] 1935 A Little Wind Came Blowing - An Irish Air [2:59] 1952 Sleep White Love [3:46] c.1940 The Chaste Wife's Reply [2:41] Boston 1923 Hours of Idleness[1:54] Boston 1923 I Wish and I Wish [2:49] 1925 The Song of the Secret [1:52] 1935 The Fiddler [1:43] 1925 If I be Living in Eirinn [2:48] 1927 Dubbuldideery 'The Monkeys' Journey Song [4:53] my copy undated but BL says 1924 Song of the Water Maiden [1:49] 1925 So We'll Go No More A-Roving [1:56] 1929 I Heard a Piper Piping [1:34] 1924 Rune of the Burden of the Tide [3:25] 1925 The Bee's Song [2:19] 1940 The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls [3:14] 1943 Beata Solitudo [4:18] 1919
The BL catalogue reveals that (1) the supply of songs has not been milked dry by the Lyrita disc, though it may well have creamed off the best ones and (2) though Peterkin mainly wrote songs, there are a number of short piano pieces (not enough for a CD, by the look of it) and an even smaller number of instrumental pieces. A curious item, which someone might slip into an anthology, are the 3 Songs for voice and viola - I have the score to one, "The Journeyman Weaver" - and it looks rather intriguing
