Happy Holidays! Coventry Carol is a lullaby to a "little tiny child"...but surprisingly, that child is not Jesus. Learn more about this Christmas carol that was almost lost to time, including the history of modern Western Theatre and the origins of the picardy third, in this final episode of the second season of Folk Files.

Host: Olivia Harding

Support Folk Files: https://www.patreon.com/c/FolkFilesPodcast

Special thanks to Aaron J. Morton

Musical excerpts:

ARTIST: The Sixteen

WORK: The Coventry Carol

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/_jIYyPOoEc8?si=mgPi4WH4G9LUnMT7

ARTIST: Sting (from A Winter's Night Live from Durham Cathedral)

WORK: Coventry Carol

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/hahwYqQd_gA?si=wJR4Qz-ZmUW9IaD2

ARTIST: Nora Fischer and Marnix Dorrestein

WORK: Oblivion Soave from Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/JTHQqJDV4os?si=820upsG60MJJyC5M

ARTIST: Jeanette Blakeley

WORK: "Lullaby" from Menotti's The Consul

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/nImWN8o1f-E?si=Coj_UsTcod6m1Bbr

ARTIST: Barry and Beth Hall

WORK: Coventry Carol

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/JCFg4S3kSV4?si=CleozvHduvVsAAxB

ARTIST: Chicago

WORK: Wishing You Were Here

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/Zv0OwvsP0ek?si=cVc25wbawFlT7pkw

ARTIST: The Zombies

WORK: Time of the Season

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8ecsAI3FhY

ARTIST: Alison Moyet

WORK: The Coventry Carol

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/kcrYqDqCN_Y?si=DoKE80e3peRMtvSo

ARTIST: The Choir of Magdalen College Oxford

WORK: Song of the Nuns of Chester

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0UtKzXb9Js

ARTIST: The Cambridge Singers

WORK: Coventry Carol (composed by Kenneth Leighton)

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/uAA0lZ1YG90?si=VQYE2a0KSeFhZGks

ARTIST: Sufjan Stevens

WORK: Coventry Carol

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/o6492UYw_hs?si=U0k6ZlmkfoIcULct

In this bonus episode of Folk Files, I interview Ruth Perry, the author of The Ballad World of Anna Gordon, Mrs. Brown of Falkland. Anna Gordon is one of the most famous source singers in the history of folk music from the British Isles, and Ruth Perry's book dives into her life as a woman and ballad singer in 18th century Scotland.

The book is available at https://global.oup.com/academic/

It's pricy, and understandably so, since it contains a wealth of new information and scholarship, but you can use the discount code AAFLYG6 to save 30%.

You can listen to the accompanying ballads for free at https://global.oup.com/booksites/content/9780198939092/

In this episode, I use clips from the following songs: Lady Elspat, King Henry, Lamkin, and Thomas Rymer & Queen of Elfland

You can purchase a CD with all twelve of the ballads at birnamcdshop.com or on Amazon (See more information here: https://www.birnamcd.com/birnam-pr/anna-gordon/ )

This interview has been edited for time.

Special Thanks to Ruth Perry and Aaron J. Morton

For a long time, "The Death of Queen Jane" has been considered a folk song that takes artistic liberties with the historic event of the birth of Edward VI to Jane Seymour in 1537. But is it possible that the song hints at a more complicated story, filled with propaganda and intrigue? Explore the intersection of Tudor history and folk ballads in this episode of Folk Files.

Host: Olivia Harding

Support Folk Files: https://www.patreon.com/c/FolkFilesPodcast

Musical excerpts:

ARTIST: Oscar Isaac

WORK: The Death of Queen Jane

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfeKFKG3JWM

ARTIST: Cyril Tawney

WORK: The Death of Queen Jane

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESUdOHChNKw

ARTIST: Joan Baez

WORK: The Death of Queen Jane

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6ZNp9le6x8

ARTIST: Bedlam Early Music

WORK: The Death of Queen Jane

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYGWmV2XAnU

ARTIST: Peggy Seeger

WORK: The Death of Queen Jane

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/7z0KILKEZhk?si=qmkqUwFtPVlKyaGH

ARTIST: Duncan Williamson

WORK: The Death of Queen Jane

SOURCE: https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AB34LE2XNHS5FC8O

ARTIST: John Jacob Niles

WORK: The Death of Queen Jane

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnUaWKysPQM

ARTIST: Isla Cameron

WORK: The Death of Queen Jane

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/mMmHkgq1_T0?si=MAzM8qm8_0wHxoAc

ARTIST: Karine Polwart

WORK: The Death of Queen Jane

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT2uqT3am1M

ARTIST: Bothy Band

WORK: The Death of Queen Jane

SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYHkpjkZvJA