Pub session

History

Singing and drinking have probably happened together from ancient times, but evidence is fragmentary until the sixteenth century. In Shakespeare's Henry IV Hal and Falstaff discuss drinking and playing the tongs and the bones, and their favourite band "Sneak's Noise". There are good depictions of pub singing by Teniers (1610 - 1690) and Brouwer (1605/6 - 1638) but the best ones are by Jan Steen (1625/5 - 1656). By the eighteenth century we can distinguish the songs of illiterate peasants (traditional songs collected by Thomas Percy (1721 - 1811) from sophisticated literary political lampoons ("Cavalier Songs and Ballads of England from 1642 - 1684" edited by Charles Mackay).

From 1800 to 1950

The 1830 Beer Act abolished the levy on Beer and quickly doubled the number of pubs in England. The number peaked in the 1870s and declined after 1900. One of the most popular drinking songs, Little Brown Jug, dates from the 1860s. By 1908 Percy Grainger began recording folk singers but not in their natural habitat - the pub. In 1938 A.L. Lloyd found singers in the Eel's Foot pub in Eastbridge, Suffolk. He persuaded his employers, the BBC to record them there in 1938 and 1939. In 1947 the BBC made more recordings there and broadcast them as "Anglia Sings" on 19th Nov 1947. Almost all of the participants were in their 50's and 60's. Six years later the first folk club opened in Newcastle, and the average age was in the 20s.

Student songs

The middle of the nineteenth century saw a growth in student numbers and commercial song-books were published across Europe. The most famous was the "Scottish Students' Song Book" by John Stuart Blackie (1809 - 1895). The mixture of traditional songs with erotic humour continues to this day. From my experience this is mainly done by agricultural students and rugby players. None of these people go to folk clubs.

The instruments

Until the 1970s it was rare for more than one instrument to be part of a pub session. The fiddle has predominated since the seventeenth century. The melodeon became popular in the 1890s. By the 1950's the accordion took over, particularly in Scotland. By the 1960's the guitar was the most frequently seen instrument in a pub. Since then so many people can afford instruments that ensemble playing is the norm. Celtic tunes are the most popular, even in England. Some people go to folk festivals simply in order to play along with others in the beer tent. Since the 1990's the best professional Irish-American bands are comparable to the best of the purely Irish bands. The Canadians are not far behind.

Etiquette

The rules are simple. Pub sessions are not places for learning an instrument. Don't take part unless you have attained competence. Introduce yourself to the other musicians before joining in. Listen to how the event is developing and keep to the sort of repertoire being played. Ewan MacColl had a rule that only Americans should sing American songs in his club, and so on for the Scots and Irish. Adopting a fake American accent is probably the most embarrassing mistake for a singer. For the instrumentalist there is no such restriction. There will be a leader or oldest member who will decide who is allowed to play next. If he is not one of the best performers, he will at least have a ready wit or be well disciplined. You might have to bribe him with pints of beer to ensure that you get a spot. Don't criticise people who know only one song. They are here to have fun, just like you.

Choosing an instrument

Generally there can be an unlimited number of fiddles or flutes. In Scottish or Irish sessions, there should not more than one accordion or concertina. By contrast, in English instrumental sessions there can an unlimited number of melodeons or accordions. Bagpipes are solo instruments. This is partly because they are frequently tuned in a different pitch from concept pitch, partly because drones will drift out of tune, and partly because they drown out other instruments. Mandolins, citterns and bouzoukis are welcome in moderation. Even if he is not the best player, the accordion or concertina player will be asked to play a C, G or A in order for the fiddlers and flute-players to tune themselves against.

Legal considerations

The Licensing Bill is due to come into force in 2005. It could be interpreted as meaning that any performer in the England would have to have prior notification given to police, fire brigade and environmental health. In 2004 Estelle Morris announced that a task force would be set up to safeguard live music in England and Wales. The chairman is Fergal Sharkey, previously with the Undertones. In France, Germany and other European countries, the law states roughly that a licence to sell alcohol at a premises confers a right to organise musical events there. Many people would support such a move but the Musicians Union fear that it would open up entertainment to too many (non-union) musicians. Licensing Laws are different in Scotland.

See also Folk clubs Irish traditional music session

The "Musical Traditions" website recommends several sessions around the world.

www.mustard.org.uk/sessions.htm

Songs sung in The Eel's Foot, 1939 - 47

"False Hearted Knight", "The Dark-Eyed Sailor", "The Princess Royal", "The Foggy Dew", "Underneath Her Apron", "Pleasant and Delightful", "The Blackbird"
Perhaps surprisingly, one of the songs was "Poor Man's Heaven" an American IWW song (International Workers of the World), dating from about 1920.

The oldest singer there was William "Velvet" Brightwell (1865 - 1960).