Annotation:Gathering Peascods

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GATHERING PEASCODS. English, Country Dance Tune (2/2 or 4/4 time). A Major (Barnes, Karpeles, Raven, Sharp): G Major (Chappell, Johnson). Standard tuning (fiddle). ABC (Chappell): AABBCC (Barnes, Johnson, Karpeles, Raven, Sharp). Peascods = pea-pods. John Brand, in his Observations on the Popular Antiquities of Great Britain (1849), records the custom of 'peascod wooing', along with the tradition of divining love affairs from pea-pods. This air was first published by Playford in the first edition of his English Dancing Master of 1650. Chappell (1859) observes that the first four bars are identical with those of "All in a Garden Green," and that, while the title suggests a ballad was once attached to the tune, no words have ever been found. Both "Gathering Peascods" and "All in a Garden Green" are derivatives (along with many other tunes) of the ancient ground "Hunts Up" or "King's Hunts Up (The)," a melody associated with Henry VIII.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Barlow (Complete Country Dance Tunes from Playford's Dancing Master), 1985; No. 27, p. 22. Barnes (English Country Dance Tunes), 1986. Chappell (Popular Music of the Olden Time), vol. 1, 1859; p. 301. Johnson (The Kitchen Musician No. 14: Songs, Airs and Dances of the 18th Century), 1997; p. 8. Karpeles & Schofield (A Selection of 100 English Folk Dance Airs), 1951; p. 12. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pp. 22 & 47. Sharp (Country Dance Tunes), 1909; p. 16.

Recorded sources: Harmonia Mundi 907101, The King's Delight - "17c. Ballads for Voice and Violin Band" (1992).

See also listing at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]

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