We often think that
the British folk music tradition died
out around the time of the First World
War. Often we add a hearty ‘thank goodness’
that Vaughan Williams and Cecil Sharp
collected songs when they did. In counties
like Lincolnshire and Norfolk, with
the male population being decimated,
the aural song tradition was never the
same again. It largely died with the
generation heard by RVW and Sharp.
To a certain extent
my opening statement still holds much
truth. Indeed this CD partially serves
as supporting evidence. We are now having
to re-invent and ‘soup up’ folk music
otherwise only suitable for Radio 2
‘after dark’, or for the long hair and
sandals brigade. The arrangements here
will in fact appeal to anyone who enjoys
lively music with good and catchy tunes,
a distinctive tang and an entirely professional
approach to music-making. This CD fits
the bill perfectly.
The twenty tunes are
from England, Scotland and Ireland but
the disc starts, perhaps somewhat curiously,
with a memorable melody from Brittany.
This serves to remind us of the cultural
exchanges between the Celtic peoples.
The English tunes come
mostly from the collection of 1651 published
in London as ‘John Playford’s Dancing
Master’; see also a disc by Lautten
Compagney on Berlin Classics 0017842BC.
Although this collection does not comprise
exclusively English tunes. Shakespeare’s
Globe composer Robert Johnson puts in
an appearance. He is represented here
with a beautiful song which is here
entitled ‘As I walked forth’. Just as
an aside I must add that its amazing
how many folk tunes begin similarly
‘As I rose up one May morning’ for example
as in ‘Seventeen Come Sunday’; perhaps
you know Peter Warlock’s arrangement
for chorus and brass. Then there’s ‘As
I was walking down in Stokes Bay’, one
of two laments for dead lovers which
were popular with Irish folk performers.
Other Irish melodies here include those
by Turlough O’Carolan, harpist and composer.
He only wrote the tunes so the harmonies
have to be tastefully realized which
is exactly what happens on this recording.
The Scottish influence
is strong with ‘Ye Jacobites by Name’
a rare anti-Jacobite piece. Then there’s
the famous ‘The Water is wide’, known
in England as ‘Waly-Waly’. It was originally
published by William McGibbon in Edinburgh
in 1762. Do you know Britten’s arrangement?
The music, as I have
indicated, appears here in arrangements
by Nikolaus Newerkla who contributes
a little to the useful and informative
booklet notes. He writes - in a quirkily
translated way - that "It was essential
to capture the mood of these age-old,
single-line melodies using the various
possibilities of instrumentation for
the particular constellation of historical
instruments in the ensemble". Mostly
he does an excellent job. Only occasionally
is he ‘over the top’ as in the famous
song which constitutes the disc’s finale,
"The Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies".
In the end though it’s all done in good
faith and with terrific fun and energy
without slipping into anything distasteful
or vulgar, as can easily happen.
Some of the songs have
fascinating antecedents. Take track
2, the early 17th Century
Scottish ayre known as ‘John Barleycorn’.
Barleycorn is a personalized piece of
barley grain still used even now by
brewers, bread-makers and others. To
end up on our table or in our whiskey
glass he is brutalized and eventually
resurrected for another year. I can’t
help but feel as well that the ‘Green
Man’ lies there somewhere.
I wonder also what
lies behind the instrumental ’Black
and Grey’. Do I hear a reference to
the popular 16th Century
tune ‘The Carmen’s Whistle’? In fact
there are many tunes from that period
recorded here. I’ve already mentioned
Robert Johnson but ‘Cold Auld Ground’
and the modality of ‘Scarborough Fair’
- yes the real ‘Scarborough Fair’, beautifully
arranged - date back further than can
be traced.
The performances are
highly infectious and affecting. One’s
initial senses are drawn towards singer
Elisabeth Kaplan. Her voice would no
doubt be suitable for many pop groups
- I was thinking of ‘The Corrs’ especially.
Steeleye Span fans - perhaps some of
you remember them - will recognize the
style. Her voice is flexible, colourful
and has a tinge of the untrained about
it. Yet of course she is wonderfully
in control of all aspects of her instrument
and she does what she likes with tuning
and diction depending on the song and
context.
The instrumentalists
are not to be overlooked either. They
not only have dances and reels to themselves,
where they can and do let their hair
down, but they often have linking passages
between song verses to break up the
natural repetitious nature of the material.
Was it Constant Lambert who said "What
else can you do with a folk song other
than repeat it - louder". What
a pity then that he did not hear this
generously filled disc, as these players
find umpteen imaginative ways of varying
accompaniment and harmony. There is
some terrific playing throughout. I
especially enjoy the recorders’ caroling
in duet during some of the Playford
dances.
To sum up: what these
performers have done is to take ancient
melodies so often played po-faced and
sung by uninterested school children
and give them a new life of energy and
passion. In doing so use is made of
past techniques and using old instruments
so that the songs and melodies live
again with vitality.
This is one of those
discs which I shall play regularly and
indeed look forward to hearing again
and playing to others.
Gary Higginson
Quadriga Consort: Elisabeth Kaplan (singer); Angelika
Huemer (recorder, bass viol); Karin Silldorff
(recorder); Elisabeth Kurz (treble viol); Dominika
Teufel (alto viol); Peter Trefflinger (baroque
violin); Laurenz Schiffermuller (percussion) 
