Saturday 16 May 2009

Over the Hills and Far Away

A song that does come from the early 1700s is this song - here done by Laurence Olivier in John Gay's Beggars Opera written in 1728. My piece is done for Lord Orkney's Regiment is from the play The Recruiting Officer (1706). I'm not going to even mention the horrible guitar version on a popular tv series of the Napoleonic wars.
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4 comments:

  1. andygamer16 May 2009 at 15:53

    I vaguely recall from my youth a version of the Beggars Opera starring a rocker (Roger Daltry?) with the song including the line...
    Let's be gay, while we may,
    Summer hath all too short a stay...

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  2. 170424 May 2009 at 12:33

    Aaa :^) I recall I offerred to sing this song to Dave Allen in Narva sitting near fireplace in 2004 - he didn't know the words!

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  3. Robert25 May 2009 at 07:54

    A great tune. A more "robust" version of this song can also be found on YouTube here.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTnaD7VtzGo

    I do like your site very much. Fascinating material all round!

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  4. Anonymous6 February 2011 at 14:24

    Hi,
    Another two great versions of this song can be found on Tarleton's Jig second LP ("A Fit Of Mirth For A Groat"), one is instrumental (fifes and drums), the other one is vocal. Fantastic recordings:

    http://www.tarletonsjig.co.uk/reviews-more2.html

    And still another very nice version (drums and male voices) on the Royal Military School of Music Band, Kneller Hall LP "Sounds Military", Vol.1 1600-1750:

    http://www.tillystips.com/dis/royalsch.htm

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