Susannes
Folksong-Notizen
[1977:] This song, a version of the better known Lady Maisry [Child 65], was first published by William Motherwell in his 'Minstrelsy Ancient and Modern' (1827) and he is the only collector to report it. Some think it may have been Motherwell's composition, though his manuscript collection contains three slightly differing versions - two of them credited to Mrs. Thomson of Kilbarchan and Mrs. McLean of Glasgow. (Don Martin, notes The Clutha, 'The Bonnie Mill Dams') [1979:] There are those who suspect Motherwell ("Minstrelsy Ancient and Modern", 1825) of having composed this ballad since he is the only collector to report it. His manuscript does, however, contain three slightly differing versions. I was drawn to the sweeping melody and the starkness of the last stanza in particular. I am aware as I sing it that my audiences are completely confident that the parental inflexibility will in fact soften ... until the final harsh and poignant line. (Notes Jean Redpath, 'Father Adam') [1979:] The choice of a partner, especially for women of wealthy families, was a serious business of property and politics - little or nothing to do with their feelings. The ballad [Lady Diamond] shows us just how serious the penalties were for those who stepped out of line. [...] There's also the Scots ballad Lady Maisry (Child no. 65) where the woman herself, usually too valuable a commodity to be wasted, is burnt alive by her brother for being pregnant by an English lord. (Henderson / Armstrong 55) [1986:] Misalliance is a common ballad theme. Generally, it is a matter of social disparity, more rarely a difference in the age of a couple. In this Scots ballad, it is nationality which is at issue and one could search through the entire Child canon without finding anything to equal its fierce anti-English sentiments. The fearful death of the heroine at the hand of her brother is by no means far-fetched: death by fire was, it seems, the regular penalty for incontinence in an unmarried woman. There may have been no actual law to that effect but every country in Europe has a stock of songs and tales dealing with this form of punishment. (Notes Peggy Seeger, 'Blood and Roses', vol. 4)
[1988:] It may seem a little extreme for a lady to be burned at the stake for loving an Englishman but maybe there was more to it than that. In Lady Maisry we find the girl is pregnant and is called a "vile whore" so perhaps there are also elements of a witch-hunt in the whole affair. Cilla learned the song from [...] Gordeanna McCulloch. (Notes 'A Celebration of Scottish Music')
- more: http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=17101
|