FTX- 146 - SONGS OF OUR TIME & PLACE - Sydney Carter & Donald Swann

An evening concert of songs, poems and tunes composed and performed by Sydney Carter and Donald Swann in 1961. For Sydney this was before "Lord of the Dance" fame and before he found himself being described as a hymn-writer. Donald had just lost his performing partner, Michael Flanders, and the two of them agreed to work together for a number of informal evenings in the London area. Each item is prefaced by an explanation and background to their compositions.

1. THERE'S A BIRD ON MY HEAD (SC & DS with piano) - 3'22"

2. DOWN BELOW (SC unaccompanied) - 3'31"

3. THE BRITISH MUSEUM WALTZ (DS with piano) - 1'51"

4. PUTTING OUT THE DUSTBINS IN THE GRAYS INN ROAD (SC unaccomp with piano links) - 3'39"

5. MARCH: COMING DOWN FROM ALDERMASTON (SC with piano)- 4'21"

6. THE DEVIL (SC & DS with piano) (preceded by further talk about #5) - 4'09"

7. CRUCIFIXION BALLAD: FRIDAY MORNING (DS with piano)- 2'45"

8. THREE SONGS WITHOUT WORDS (DS piano solo) - (a) Turn away those cruel eyes or Cruel swallow now - (b) Waltz from a French film - (c) Untitled - 4'57"

9. POEM TO MY HEART (SC recitation) - 1'29"

10. WILL SOMEBODY TELL ME HOW? Or THE RAT RACE (SC & DS with piano)- 2'34"

11. A MIXED UP OLD MAN (SC unacc with DS chorus & piano)- 2'21"

12. THE GIRL AT THE BRITISH COUNCIL or WHY YOU COME NO MORE? (SC with DS piano)- 3'57"

13. WICKED LADY CHATTERLEY (SC & DS) - 2'40"

14. GIRL IN A BIG HOTEL (DS with piano)- 1'51"

15. SOCIALISM IN OUR TIME (SC with DS piano) - 1'47"

16. I MET MY LOVE THE OTHER DAY (SC with DS piano)- 1'11"

17. THE CROW ON THE CRADLE (SC and DS with piano) - 1'55"

18. AN INTERPLANETARY CAROL: (SC & DS with piano) - 3'02"

Recorded and edited by Peter Kennedy, London 6th June 1961.

Sydney Carter was born in Camden Town, London, 6th May 1915. Educated at Montern Street LCC School, Islington, Christ's Hospital and Baliol Colllege, Oxford. A sometime schoolmaster during the second World War he served in the Friends Ambulance Unit in Greece and the Middle East . After the war he worked for the National Book League and then as editor of "English Dance and Song", for the annual festival of the English Folk Dance and Song Societyat the Royal Albert Hall, in a few minutes, wrote some words to the hymn, "Simple Gifts" as a sung-dance for massed voices and dancers. It was the song he is now best known, "The Lord of the Dance".

Donald Swann was born in Llanelli, South Wales, 30 Sept 1923 into
a family of refugees from the Russian revolutionand died 23rd March 1994. His studies at Christ Church Oxford were interrupted by the War and, like Sydney, he was a conscientious objector and served with the Friends Aambulance Unit. After the war he was best known for his musical partnership with Michael Flanders 1956-1967. A full biography can be found on the Website.