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The Keel Row

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275: 127:. By this time the tune was well associated with the River Tyne but was also adopted further south on the River Wear. A few years before the 1850s the keelmen had met yearly to celebrate the founding of the Keelmen's Hospital, perambulating the town to the accompaniment of bands playing "The Keel Row". 96:
Kidson stated that he had found the tune of "The Keel Row" associated with a dance called "The Yorkshire Lad" as early as 1748. The tune under its present title, together with a long and elaborate set of variations, also appeared in the John Smith manuscript, now lost, which was dated 1752. In about
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copied this and 19 other tunes; he commented "there are many of the old Northumbrian pipe tunes in it" and claimed "so far as I know or have searched, this is the earliest copy of our Tyneside melody extant." Another early appearance of "The Keel Row" is in the
46:. A closely related song was first published in a Scottish collection of the 1770s, but may be considerably older, and it is unclear whether the tune is Scottish or English in origin. 251:: "The man who has never heard the 'Keel Row' rising high and shrill above the sound of the regiment...has something yet to hear and understand". The tune is also used by the 53:, that part of the quayside overlooking the River Tyne to the east of the city centre where the keelmen lived and which is still overlooked by the 206:
Other lyrics, printed in 1838, were said to then be the "favourite" song of the keelmen themselves and "the most popular melody on the Tyne":
566: 228: 536: 464: 532: 77:, edited by Charles Maclean, though the tune was also found in several late eighteenth-century English manuscript collections. 516: 278: 312: 561: 497: 173:
The traditional set of words, above, were later augmented by other versions. One, the "New Keel Row", was printed by
50: 93:... with a snowy rose upon it", a clear attempt to evoke Jacobite symbolism, whether dating from 1745 or not. 556: 232: 178: 571: 551: 274: 103: 17: 281: 86: 376: 123: 65:
Versions of the song appear in both England and Scotland, with Scottish versions referring to
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A Collection of Songs, Comic, Satirical, and Descriptive, Chiefly in the Newcastle Dialect
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and printed in 1827. Its first two stanzas are now often sung with the traditional ones:
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surmised that like many other songs collected by Maclean it may originally have been a
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The tune is used as a march to accompany the progress of the Queen of Hearts in
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mentioned the tune in one of his accounts of army life in India under the
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Due to its quick beat, the tune of "The Keel Row" is used as the
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rather than Sandgate. The earliest printing was in the 1770s in
164:      The keel row, the keel row, 147:      The keel row, the keel row, 359: 177:
along with the original lyrics, having first been composed by
162:      And weel may the keel row, 145:      "O, weel may the keel row, 166:      And weel may the keel row 259:
as its double past, and is used (as part of a medley with "
149:      O weel may the keel row 168:      That my laddie's in." 280:
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151:      That my laddie's in." 109:
In the 19th century variants of the song appeared in
211:"Weel may the keel row, the keel row, the keel row, 218:Weel may the keel row, the keel row, the keel row, 89:. Some versions of the song make reference to a " 543: 475: 445: 443: 481: 380:. London: Nichols, and Baldwin & Cradock. 440: 329: 327: 38:folk song evoking the life and work of the 537:International Music Score Library Project 409: 324: 49:The opening lines of the song set it in 519:on the song, includes recording of tune 482:Blood, Peter; Patterson, Annie (2015). 396: 14: 544: 384: 293: 370: 75:A Collection of Favourite Scots Tunes 567:Songs related to Newcastle upon Tyne 417:The Late Victorian Folksong Revival 335:The Late Victorian Folksong Revival 222:That gets the bairns their breed." 27:English folk song from the Tyneside 24: 301:used the melody in his 1973 song, 188:Sae leish, sae blithe, sae bonnie? 106:, dated 1770, also from Tyneside. 25: 583: 510: 428:"So lithe, so merry, so handsome" 290:Tune – traditional (before 1770) 468:1927 edition and re-engraved in 456: 337:, Scarecrow Press, 2010, p. 203 199:He'll cut and shuffle slightly, 197:Or, in the dance sae sprightly, 139:Thro' Sandgate, thro' Sandgate, 431: 422: 419:, Scarecrow Press, 2010, p.273 364: 349: 340: 201:'Tis true, were he nae mine." 13: 1: 358:'s copy can be viewed at the 317: 277: 195:He'll set or row sae tightly 190:He's foremost 'mang the mony 7: 437:"He's first among the many" 10: 588: 313:Alice in Wonderland (1966) 104:William Vickers manuscript 60: 533:"The Keel Row" (Rimbault) 215:And better may she speed; 186:"O wha's like my Johnnie, 156:Blue bonnet, blue bonnet, 141:As I came thro' Sandgate, 137:As I came thro' Sandgate, 130: 85:air from the time of the 562:British military marches 192:Keel lads o' coaly Tyne; 154:"He wears a blue bonnet, 282:download the audio file 270: 453:, vol. 3056, 1838, 710 406:, Marshall, 1827, p. 6 377:The Bishoprick Garland 303:Well May the World Go. 225: 220:Weel may the keel row, 213:Weel may the keel row, 204: 171: 158:He wears a blue bonnet 143:I heard a lassie sing: 115:Northumberland Garland 449:"Songs of the Tyne", 346:Gregory, 2010, p. 423 261:The Road to the Isles 241:Royal Horse Artillery 208: 183: 160:A dimple in his chin. 134: 557:Scottish folk songs 393:, vol. 3, 1850, 148 391:The Land we Live In 311:film adaptation of 294:Popular adaptations 253:Royal Gurkha Rifles 44:Newcastle upon Tyne 34:" is a traditional 572:18th-century songs 552:English folk songs 462:Melody taken from 257:The Light Infantry 255:, and was used by 239:as well as of the 124:Bishoprick Garland 55:Keelmen's Hospital 529:singing the song. 488:. Milwaukee, WI: 286: 237:Household Cavalry 16:(Redirected from 579: 535:: Scores at the 527:Kathleen Ferrier 504: 503: 479: 473: 460: 454: 447: 438: 435: 429: 426: 420: 413: 407: 400: 394: 388: 382: 381: 368: 362: 353: 347: 344: 338: 331: 309:Jonathon Millers 21: 587: 586: 582: 581: 580: 578: 577: 576: 542: 541: 513: 508: 507: 500: 492:. p. 282. 490:Hal Leonard LLC 480: 476: 461: 457: 448: 441: 436: 432: 427: 423: 414: 410: 401: 397: 389: 385: 372:Sharp, Cuthbert 369: 365: 354: 350: 345: 341: 332: 325: 320: 296: 288: 287: 285: 273: 245:Rudyard Kipling 224: 221: 219: 217: 216: 214: 212: 203: 200: 198: 196: 194: 193: 191: 189: 187: 179:Thomas Thompson 170: 167: 165: 163: 161: 159: 157: 155: 153: 152: 150: 148: 146: 144: 142: 140: 138: 133: 63: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 585: 575: 574: 569: 564: 559: 554: 540: 539: 530: 520: 512: 511:External links 509: 506: 505: 498: 474: 465:Tyneside Songs 455: 439: 430: 421: 408: 395: 383: 363: 348: 339: 322: 321: 319: 316: 295: 292: 279: 276: 272: 269: 209: 184: 135: 132: 129: 119:Cuthbert Sharp 87:1745 rebellion 62: 59: 26: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 584: 573: 570: 568: 565: 563: 560: 558: 555: 553: 550: 549: 547: 538: 534: 531: 528: 524: 521: 518: 515: 514: 501: 499:9781480331891 495: 491: 487: 486: 478: 471: 467: 466: 459: 452: 451:The Athenaeum 446: 444: 434: 425: 418: 412: 405: 402:Thompson, T. 399: 392: 387: 379: 378: 373: 367: 361: 360:FARNE archive 357: 352: 343: 336: 330: 328: 323: 315: 314: 310: 305: 304: 300: 291: 283: 268: 266: 262: 258: 254: 250: 246: 243:. The writer 242: 238: 234: 230: 223: 207: 202: 182: 180: 176: 169: 128: 126: 125: 120: 116: 112: 111:Joseph Ritson 107: 105: 100: 94: 92: 88: 84: 80: 76: 72: 68: 67:the Canongate 58: 56: 52: 47: 45: 41: 37: 33: 19: 484: 477: 463: 458: 450: 433: 424: 416: 411: 403: 398: 390: 386: 375: 366: 351: 342: 334: 306: 302: 297: 289: 226: 210: 205: 185: 172: 136: 122: 114: 108: 95: 79:Frank Kidson 74: 64: 48: 32:The Keel Row 31: 29: 299:Pete Seeger 249:British Raj 233:Life Guards 99:John Stokoe 91:blue bonnet 546:Categories 485:Rise Again 318:References 265:The Rifles 229:trot march 523:Recording 415:Gregory, 333:Gregory, 97:1886–87, 71:Edinburgh 470:LilyPond 374:(1834). 83:Jacobite 51:Sandgate 36:Tyneside 18:Keel Row 517:Article 235:of the 231:of the 61:Origins 40:keelmen 496:  356:Stokoe 263:") by 175:Stokoe 131:Lyrics 494:ISBN 271:Tune 117:and 525:of 121:'s 113:'s 73:in 42:of 548:: 442:^ 326:^ 267:. 57:. 502:. 472:. 284:. 30:" 20:)

Index

Keel Row
Tyneside
keelmen
Newcastle upon Tyne
Sandgate
Keelmen's Hospital
the Canongate
Edinburgh
Frank Kidson
Jacobite
1745 rebellion
blue bonnet
John Stokoe
William Vickers manuscript
Joseph Ritson
Cuthbert Sharp
Bishoprick Garland
Stokoe
Thomas Thompson
trot march
Life Guards
Household Cavalry
Royal Horse Artillery
Rudyard Kipling
British Raj
Royal Gurkha Rifles
The Light Infantry
The Road to the Isles
The Rifles
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