William Pint & Felicia Dale

Celebrating the ocean in song

 
 
CLICK HERE FOR LYRICS TO THESE SONGS Bransle D’Escosse is a French Scottish tune. William found it in a musty old book of guitar duets. We recorded another version of this with Tania Opland as a set with the Hunt is Up on one of her CDs. L’Orsque J’Etais Jeune Fille is a variation of the arrangement we played with John & Anna Peekstok as Extra Strength Telynor some years ago. We found this An Dro in the big Green Book od Breton Tunes - a gift from Gary Plazyk in the midwest. William's been singing Dido, Bendigo for years and years since first hearing it from Marc Bridgham in the late seventies. 
Reynard the Fox is a hybrid version put together from the Kennedy collection of songs from the British Isles, Martin Carthy's version and a few extra lines that came from nowhere. It seemed only fair to present another side of fox hunting after all the ‘tally ho - what jolly good fun' of Dido, Bendigo. 
This reel is one of Danny O'Donnell's unnamed tunes from the excellent collection, The Northern Fiddler. The Widow and the Devil was written by Mick Ryan (he calls it The Widow's Promise) We’ve changed a line or two. I Went to the Market to Buy a Cock came to us from the wonderful Watersons – an early version of Old Mac Donald had a Farm? top of page These Two An Dros in G come from the local Breton Dances held in Seattle by the local hurdy-gurdy fanatics. Down with the French This tribute to international understanding and good will, and peace between neighboring nations is of English origin (surprised?) It comes by way of Tania Opland and Mike Freeman She Moved Through the Faire A very popular Celtic melody. 
An Dro is another dance tune from the Pleuigner-Landaol area in Brittany. 
John Peekstok of Telynor wrote Watson in honor of his seven toed cat. Could Captain Grant have been one of Robin Hood’s poker buddies? Also heard from Marc Bridgham’s singing The White Cockade is a song of early English recruiting techniques and the kind of sentiment they aroused. Sing Ho to the Greenwood is a classic round in an unusual arrangement. We began to ‘hear between the lines’ on this one and it became a song of farmers toiling in the field at the edge of a dark, wild forest — haying and hoeing while wishing to be in the cool, green woods. William first heard John Roberts & Tony Barrands sing ‘Twas in the Pleasant Month of May. This Copper Family song is just so pastoral, pleasant and sunny we couldn’t resist it. Rufty Tufty is one of the popular dance tunes we learned in Bristol, Wisconsin at a Renaissance Faire. Martin Carthy sang Johnny Sands, a tale of wedded bliss the first time he came to Seattle. He was kind enough to sing it slowly on the trip to the airport while William hastily transcribed it on the back of an envelope. It was a Lover and His Lass is a bit more pastoral bliss and hey nonny nonny. Shakespeare refers to this very song in one of his plays, so it’s been around for a good, long while. Simon the King is said to have been a dispenser of good ale and sage advice — especially on the topic of drinking. 
Give us a Drink of Water is a popular slip jig from Ireland. It seemed to fit thematically.hhlyrics.htmlhttp://www.pintndale.com/CDpages/hh%20pages/hhnotes.htm#topshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1
Rufty Tufty Captain Grant Twas in the Pleasant Month of May Bransle D’Escosse/
L’Orsque J’Etais Jeune Fille/An Dro It Was a Lover and His Lass Down with the French I Went to the Market to Buy a Cock The Widow and the Devil The White Cockade Two An Dros in G Simon the King /
Give Us a Drink of Water Dido Bendigo/Reynard the Fox /Danny O'Donnell's Johnny Sands Sing Ho to the Green Wood She Moved Through the Faire/
An Dro/Watson
HaRTwell
horn (1999)

“...This is a winner of a CD - vital, fresh and highly addictive ”

David Kidman
fRoots Magazine, England

“...They deliver an amazingly full, energetic sound without ensemble instrumentation or massive amplification. This, their latest offering is no different; in fact, it may be their best outing thus far.”

Bill Compton

., Victory Music Magazine

Something a bit different from our usual nautical material.

credits:
Felicia Dale: hurdy-gurdy, whistles, vocals
William Pint: guitar, octave mandolin, bodhran, vocals.
Tania Opland violin and vocals on The Widow and the Devil

recorded, mixed and mastered at JB Productions, Bellevue, WA

produced by W.Pint and F. Dale

engineered by Jim “works for me” Bachman


graphics and layout by Adrienne Robineau and William Pint

In the last few years we have made a few appearances at several renaissance faires in the United States.

These faires are fanciful recreations of a market town in the mid 1600s (with ice cream available, and VISA cards accepted to be sure -- we did say 'fanciful') filled with entertainers, cleavage, artists, craftsmen, cleavage, jousting, music, cleavage, etc.

We performed not only music of the sea, but also traditional folk songs and dance tunes of the British Isles,
Brittany and France.

Faire patrons asked for a CD.

May you enjoy listening to them as much as we have enjoyed playing them.