FTX-125 SONGS IN CORNISH

RICHARD GENDALL (with guitar)

20 songs with guitar, mainly traditional, collected in Cornwall, but some of his own making which use traditional tunes, including some poached from Celtic neighbours: Wales, Ireland, Scotland and from Brittany. Spoken introductions give details of origins, meanings and the importance of the songs as representing Cornish musical heritage.

1. PELEA ERA WHY MOAZ, MOES FETTOW? (Where are you going, my pretty maid?) - 1'56"

2. OW HERYADES (My darling) - 3'03"

3. LUL-HA-LAY (Hush-a-bye) - 2'47"

4. NANCY HEGAR (Lovely Nancy) - 2'33"

5. MAP KER DEW (God's Dear Son) - 3'59"

6. CUSK, OW WHEGYN (Sleep, my sweet one) - 1'34"

7. CAROL AN MYS YOW (Carol of the months) - 1'17"

8. AN GWANDRYAS (The Rover) - 2'55"

9. DURSONA ANENGH-WHY (God bless you) - 3'25"

10. AN MYNFEL BLUTHA (A charm with Yarrow) - 2'35"

11. KEMER OW RO (Take my gift) - 4'01"

12. HUN, TEGEN, HUN (Sleep, my jewel, sleep) - 1'51"

13. AN EDHEN OLEW (The Bonny Bird) - 4'11"

14. MAR UGHD AN GWYTH (The trees they are so high) - 4'10"

15. AN GOLOM GERYS (The beloved dove) - 2'24"

16. LAN YFFARN (A song of Purgatory) - 5'31"

17. 'MA GRUN WAR'N GELYNEN (The holly bears a berry) - 2'49"

18. DYNARGT A HE'N GWLASOW (Welcome to the Nations) - 2'32"

19. DOWROW NANTSYAN (The streams of Nantsyan) - 3'39"

20. AN EOS WHEK (The sweet nightingale) - 4'03"

Recorded by Richard Gendall 1975. Edited by Peter Kennedy and first published Folktrax Cassettes 1975.

RICHARD GENDALL, born in St. Blazey, his family from Penzance, first heard Cornish from his mother at the age of two, but it was not until he was studying languages and music at Leeds that he became interested in the Cornish language revival and went to seek help from two of the Bards of the Gorsedd, R.Morton Nance and A.S.D.Smith. He himself has now become the recognised authority on the modern pronunciation of Cornish and gives talks and classes. Half of the songs here are traditional, to which he has put Cornish words, and the others have original words or are part-composed using traditional tunes.