Cecil J Sharp [editor] (1908)
Folk-Songs from Dorset Collected by HED Hammond
The book is subtitled "Folk-Songs of England Book 1." It is a classic collection and contains some superb songs. The guitar chords have been added by Margaret Crosland and are based on Cecil Sharp's piano accompaniments. Cecil Sharp's Introduction (which is posted here in html format) first appeared in 1908.
The last 3 titles, Dorsetshire Militia Song, Tarry Trousers and My Bonny Lad, were also collected by HED Hammond and arranged by Cecil Sharp, but they are not included in the 1908 collection. They were published in Novello's School Songs Book 269 (1922) Folk-Songs for Schools where they were grouped as part of Set VIII and given the list numbers 1329, 1330 and 1331.
Please click on the .pdf and MIDI links at the side of each song for your sheet music and audio tune files. The normal house style of Ferret Publications is to align the words of the first 4 verses under the music, with any further verses placed as text after it. However, the software required to do this currently results in .pdf files which are too large for convenient posting on the Internet. In most cases, therfore, all verses have been placed underneath the melody line, but sometimes, where the text is too long (As in "Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford"), or is cumulative (as in"Betty and her Ducks"), some verses are placed under the music, and the complete words are separately posted in a text (.txt) file with a link to the right of the MIDI file.
The melody line relates to the words of the first verse, and minor alterations may be needed to make the music fit the words of subsequent verses. For example, it may be necessary on occasions to replace a minim with two crochets at the same pitch. Such adjustments will be easier to make if the tune in learnt thoroughly before the song is sung. For verse 1 we have recommended, by the use of barred notes and slurs, how syllables that stretch over more than one note might be sung. For all verses we have tried to indicate the same thing by the positioning of the words under the music.
Introduction by Cecil Sharp
The Sheepstealer .pdf MIDI
Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford .pdf MIDI .txt
The Jolly Ploughboy .pdf MIDI
As I Walked out one May Morning .pdf MIDI
The Sprig of Thyme .pdf MIDI
High Germany .pdf MIDI
Betty and Her Ducks .pdf MIDI .txt
Poor Sally Sits A-Weeping .pdf MIDI
Nancy of London .pdf MIDI
It's of a Sailor Bold .pdf MIDI
The Cuckoo .pdf MIDI
The Rambling Comber .pdf MIDI
Fair Susan .pdf MIDI
Fair Margaret and Sweet William .pdf MIDI
The Turtle-Dove .pdf MIDI
Lady Maisry .pdf MIDI
Dorsetshire Militia Song .pdf MIDI
Tarry Trousers .pdf MIDI
My Bonny Lad .pdf MIDI