OLIVER -GOLDSMITH -AND

POPULAR SONG Hugh Shield,

OLIVER GOLDSMITH AND POPULAR SONG

HUGH SHIEL D S

R~print~d for th~ FOL K .\IU$IC SOCIETY OF IRElAND/CU MANN C HEOt T'[RE tIREANN

THE

Loyal S A I L 0 R;

W ith the

ANSWER.

JohnTlJ ArmJlrong's ha Good Night.

TITlE-P""Eofoncight-pagclklfa"",ng-booir.C'tmt.ininglahnnyArm"'''''l',iaSl r {JOdn;gh' ( ... no,c 14 of Hugb Shield" ·Ol;,'.r Gold,mi'.h and Popular Song') .. prod~«d b~ kind pcrmi .. ion or,b. Hough,,,,, LiI:>n'}', Har ... rd Un"'<T$"~_ I Actu.I." •• pprox.6x3%,n,1

Oliver Goldsmith and Popular Song' Hugh Shi("lds

AMONG the n'Qrc obscure pam ofth. Goldsmith legend is the poet'. cxp.-rimcc of popular music and roe")' , Le.st docun;lcnted i. the flutc-pl.ying, alleged to h.,·. supponed him on comincmaI1r3,"els which ore thcm",l\'cs obscure. Slightly bene,

knownishis.nitud.towha,,,·cno,,·callfolksong,andloitsstyk,sincchercferred.ofolkSQngs, wrote about singing, was himself a singer, and has been mentioned or described as onc Nc,"crtheless,3I""',iclegendflourishcsheretooonthebasis ofhiscurioustcmpcromcntandthc effect it had on people, his evidentl)' ill_spcnt student days and. m""of all p"rhaps, his 'Irishnc!s', That part of the Icgcnd wbieh has him writing wngs for the Oublin hall ad trade nourishes the hope th.t anonymous sheets of his can s,i ll hc disro"ered _ In amicipationof 'horough5Carches,orevenlucky~trikes,1 offcrhnc.su",'cyof,,·hat Goldsmi'h'thepoet, Jrama'istandcri,icsayso'quotesfromhisexperienccofpopularsongof.lIsorts,andwha,he gi,'cs ."'ayronccming 'he cuhural ,'alue he placcd on popul.rsong

Thisupericncelxganinchildhood,butitslrishncss,lxingthatofaculturalminority,muSl bespccifiedhysomcdegrceofneg.,i,·edefinition.l,would,ofcours.e,hcst •• ngeh.d'j'outhof markedlitcrarj' andsociahlepropensitics,growingupinaregionwhere the first language of the maioritywaslrish,rcmainedindifferem t othemusicalandpoeticstrenglhofGaclic_Hadno'hi~

fa,her'ssiS!er'swcddinghcencc!ehraled,four}'corshcforehishirth, in asongin lrishoompos.:d hy,heh'rperCarolan,anddidnotGoldsmi,hla'ermakcCarolanthesuhiec,ofancss.y?' Yethc gi'·esnocvidcnccofacluallykno"'ingeitherCarolanorlr ish.Th.t,helatteroouldheundc,",ood hyBasq ueswas .propositionhecn"isaged"'i'hdisronccningequanimityinoneofhis review ' _' And the former was, let i. he said, some.hing of a cu ltural renegade, his art less foreign, more acoommodating . 10 the later Goldsmith's world of letters and good laSlc ,h.n Gaelic cu lture generally was, Goldsmi'h,in short, nci,herlilerole norar,i"ul'le i nlrish,becamea Europe.n poe,a,noGaclicpoelcouldhavedone, Andheexperienced,on,heOlherhan d , nodiscontinuity in thepractice.ndtr.dilionsofpopularsonginEnglish ashcpaSl-Cdfromchildhood intheNorth IrishMidlands,o)'ou.hinDublinandEdinburghandmaIUri'j' inLondon

This is nOI 10 make link of ,he soc ial in fluence of maioritj' Iri sh environment On him, especiallyinmattcrs,,'hcf("languagcdidno,aClasanoh"ack,Agoodexamplcofwhatsuch influen". might Ix i~ in the fu nera l cuSlomS of wake ga mes and lament (moinMJh). Women howling 'in the mostdi,m.1 manner' were intelligible without need,or indeed much use, of wo.ds; lbe article on the manners and cu~toms of ,be na.ive Iri ~h Which dcscrihcs lhi s praclice is ,'cryplausihlya"ribuled t oGoldsmith.'Thes.meanickrekrs t oc.kedantt~:a North '\\ idland

Irish custom which Goldsmi'h must ha"eoflen secn performed. ' His references 'odancingar~ char.cteristicalll'famurahle,whe,herinapproba,ionofamerr)' pe'santryorinstriCluresagains' a rigid moral code.' And onc oflhe ),oung Oli"er'surliesl re<.:orded witlic;sms in\"oh'cs him in dan';ngahornpipe .' Thisw""ofrourse,adanccquiteproper.opoli,esociety,andhtwasno, neccssarll y imi,atingapopularpractitt,Soil;Swilhlhcflult , \\'hich wccarJ i.s,scehimplay ing to his cousin Jane Contarine's harpsichord, ' His Chinese philosopher calls il a 'difficult' instrument ,' meaningperhaps'appropria'etograciouslife',andweha\'enofirmevidence.hal

Ill.- pla~'~d Imh tunes,or an)' folk tu...,~, on ,I. \'~t th~ 'nnu~nct of lr;!h popul. r lif~ on h,m r~ma;nt an "r .... ;~t;hk, at till.- r,a"", 1I"",.~.n unrrovahk, hypothn;,. It~ dom,nant ol'llllly no douht produc~d !asting [~n<kncin whICh ""cre: acutcl)' in ronniC'! ""ith [Ill.- htcl1ltc culturc to which Ill.- ~a"c his lifc·swork. Pcn.onal(nrount(rand fatt-to-fa~rommunicallonchuactcrtlc his Irhh rcmin,=n=. and tht~ pro,·,dcd h,m with nostalgic =n .... of fi",on rcrog",,,,,d b)' postcrit)· as autohiographical

A nostalgic scene which h. pr.~nu no f.wer Ih~n three times _ twilX U foct and onCe as fiction - hringsusinlOoursuhjecthyrdcrrlllglocarl)'hallads, [) iscuni ng'Happint>s'inlhc Ikrhcwriles:'T hc musicofthcfinc" S"'IWr[sdisson.ncctowh.t 1 felt when our old ,lairy-maid Iltng <ne IntO tearS wi lh Johnny Armstrong's Lasl Good :-: ight, or the Cruelt), of !larh .. a Al lcn,' '" An carlicr1etter tohis brothcr-m-Jaw.ighs for Li,sny, tells usthatthcdairj·-maid'. name was 1'.gj!), Golden and for 'finest ,"'ger' .pccifics·Signora Colomha IMon.W;" while a th"drder.n""inth.J1ira,d.K rilll.-. tht5l:twOll1lgochalladsaS'snothing·. " Allthrccrefcren""s im.nd IO"'okc simpk. id)'l1ic life: that of the aUlhor' schildhood, Wc mal' he ~urc. forthedelails nn~ trut and Ihc aswciation of old hallads. ~trongJy 0",1, "'ilh carl)', pre-hlel'llle )'nrs is wT}'

pJau>thk. 80th hallads arc. n [s true . lIrtllsh, both probably of SrolS pro,·en.n"" But Goldsmith', childhood f.m[harny ",nh th.m nttd not surpr;5I:. Ba,bu." AI/m is slIll the rommoncstofearlyballadsinBrit[sh. ln,horA"",ricantl'lldit;on,andha.hftnrcrordcdor.lly ~"el'lll tim.-s ""ithin the past I""o(\(ades in Ihe neighbourhood ofI.isso)· ," ]ohnnyArmsm)",. IhnughurcinmodcTnlimcsc'·eninSrotland,lumsupm.Bclfulchapbookof1766,""as.ungin t\orth Co. Down;n the 1830s/ 40s and [5 Ihought 10 ha,'c introduced to IrdanJ a mclod)' laler uM'dby Tom '\\oorc ,IO

Goldsmith makes these t,,·o b.llads Ihe ohlect of"l much repellllon that th,'y rould well he t~kenforuniquech i ld hoodmcmorie s oftheirk",d.Nordohi,otherrefeTl'nlX,tolhee.rl),gcnre

$uAAest much familiarit)· with It . Hut hitherto unrcrogni,.cd is the ,natch .un~ h)' To,,)' III SM IlI>Of's!<> rnnqu,"aflcrrefusin,l:amalchw'lhh,sroosin:

Thtr~ ""as a yOtIng man rodtng b). And f.in would h.:I,"h;swill.

RtlntJodid/n du _"

lflhcschn .. arcmum,asill«ms.tounderhncTon)··!"-a) .... ·.rdcharaclcr.llII.-yarenol .l trictly apposue.forlhc)'opcnasongin"·htChanapparcntshcpherd ... _actuallya",,hIrg,rl,l«ks and ohtainsmatrtmonialrcdrcssfrom.kn'lIhtwhoh.swrong.dherinth.ron"."uon.lshua,ionof Ihepallo""l/t:'I'htkmgnla",/lht,htph"J·,dolUithur. " Thishalladhas nolhftnrcportcdin ircl.nd,.nd Goldsmilhmayha\'erickcditupin ll r;,.in.whcre.af,crall.a11lhccarl)·hal lads orip:inat cd and "'he rehe wasfor a ti me,,,hc''CTyhcartofba11ad lcrr ilOr yin Edinhurgh. lnthQ, ci lyhc;s,aidtoha"cenICTlaincdhisfe llo"'-,;ludents"'ilhhissongsandslories ," Hissnatchdncs nOI ag= cxacI I), w;lh an)' "ersinn of l he h.11ad known 10 me: ;1 was. very likel)·. learnt orall)'

The r~S1. il ""ems. is lil cralu re .... llu,ion,toCh",:\· rhauaod lothe hero Rohin Irood pick on hanal;li •• ofballadrepcrtorj·. ' · ... ndtoasscrtinthc/hi'i,hmal!adntthal ',he Scmchrn.11ad [g.nre]"'I'rohahlyhad_ .. ilsoTlginin llal)",whikrcpcalinglhcanrihutionoflhcB,oomoJ CMz:dt~h~l.o'its.ir,'oMar)· QlOC'CnofSrol s·allc~edln'·erRiuin,,,-as lom"ilelherejoindrr puhhshcdinal.tcrnumher." Dtspuchis fric.'ndship ,,·nh l'ercy.d .... pilelIII.-HeltqltC,appcaring m his mid-carC<'r, Gold~milh'~ close ocquamt.ne<> " ';Ih folk h.alLads ,""refore prot>ahl)' went "" furthcrlhanlhcspeci"",nsfromcarlYI'ul1 "·hich ..... h .. ·.notcd. What u'"' h. m.d~ofthcm "'. s h~ll t.ke la1~ropportunil)·toronsid~r.

Thfgfnr~hfrf cal l~d ,·ariously'old'. '~arly'or'folk'halladst;nlacksa"'tisfactoryla!>el,and onlyinGoldsmith'~dayw3shc-ginningtoha\'canameatallas'ballad·cametomean.intcrmsof

literarycomem.kssthanasimplcsongandspecificallyanobjecti,·enarrati,·elyric.Qntheotber hand. the multif3riousexuh<:ranceofc;~htccntb·c~ntur}" 'ballad'l'rintin~ and 'ballad' \in~ing was far more concerned with the older mcanin~ of th~ term and ,kalt in songs comm~rcial1y \"iahkonthcwidestscalc,whatC\·ertbeircharacterororigin. 'New'songs!>eingprcfcrr~d,old on., were ginnout as new, and .bere was a ready market for fr~sh.nl"l("ndahk ,-"se requiring onl),IO!>eSt),listicallycon,-cmionalorhan.ltogetimorrim.Howfartheprinted'repcrtorj""of popularsong,init~rcm.rkabledi,·ersity,wascarriedint oorall'ract ice. by what puhlicorwha. different pubhcs, the!-(" are dclicale quesl ions to anSWcr. \XIc find noanS wcrSin Goldsmith's rcferencestopopularson .... onlyanimpressi,·eillustrationofdi"ersityintherangeofitemsnot,'d. and in our minds th~ question whetherdi,'usity refl...-.;ts a commonl'laceof u'a~e ort he curios; ,} ofanaCl i"e.omni'·orousm;nd

It would hc-reasonahle to think that Goldsmith already had access tohallad sheets or song chaphooksasachild in Lissoy' texts among "'h ich ['eggyGolMn might hawfoundwrsesofhcr JohrmyArmsm>nt_ The Belfast song-hookofthishallad dates. it ;slru.'. onlyfrom the 1760s; nor is;tunusualinthisfor lrishpopulareditionsofsongsintraditionaISl}'lescarcelysur"i"e from !>eforethattime.Thisi,nottheplacetoexamine.hequestio"wheli\Crsuch\C~'ssimply,,'("re

ne,'er published or whClher they ha\"( di~appcar~d through car~kss t r~atm,'nt of "rhemrra. At anyratethe."nglo-lrishhro.dsidcb.lladoftheearlyccntury,whichw",oh"iou<lynouri<hingin Dublin at leaSt fmm the timeof$wift. sur,'i,·~s tod.)' asa hody of topical ~nd ("(Intcm/'O""y wr"'. someofit !>est called sub-literary. much of it "url~squc or parodistic. Among t he topicol pi", .. is a !fun of condokna to a Mr Goldsmith (a relati"e;» on his lack of SUCCeSS at the fellow'hip examination in Trinitl'College, 20

Thep<>("t ·sownresidcnceinDuhl;n ... ocsfroml715toI7490r I750,.ndtothisperioJlx'lnngs theofl-rcpeatcdlegcndofhisballad-makingandsubsequentstroll,.hmughthccity to l\\'arhi s songs performed. It der;,-es thmugh the oral tradilionofa rather a nd SOn John and Thnma' Ikouy. ciergl'men both . the fath,'r a (-hildhood friend and a fellow-student of Oliver Cir(umstance~ r~memher~d are corroborati"e - t hat he got fi,'c shill ings each forcompo';tion< printedat'ashopknownasthesignoftheRein_deer,inMOlllltrathStrcct""-forasu(·C\·"ionof print~rs is !>elic"ed \0 haw work~d at this address. om' of tb.-m said to ha,'e printed small son ... -hooks ," Fromourpr~'·iousparagraph. moreo,'er, it can hc readily acceplCd th~t 'popular occurrencescommonlysuppli~d.hesuhjccls'ufhishallads(ih. ).During those}'carsballads "Trc

printed in Duhlin on llerkeky's la. walCr, on th~atre riots, on the banningof a hallad opera for it' pol iticalal1usions.and,ch icf1y,onallmanncrofcityandAnglo-J rish political affairs,. sl'<'cial focus of "irulent polemics heing the elC<:Tion campaign of thc mrhuknt Or Charles Lucas." Among such topics of the Duhl in ball.d press of his time, tar waterolone earned comment from Goldsmith which I ha,'e noticed." and it may "'ell rc",.in impossihk .oas<:crt.in ,,'hethn any extantsheetsareh;s.consideringthCdifficultyofamihutin ... moreseriousandpresumablymorc re"ealing publications toa prolific.uthor unconcerned with exhaust;"e bibliogral'hj'_ His refcrencestothe'l'addarcenmare'reollydonoth ingtosuggeStthathchadwriucnahaliadonthis Iri shracehorse - thoughoneapparentlj'nistcdand,withoU!sur"i,'ing,haslx-enallrihute<!to him, " These rduC!lccs, together with the Chinese philos-ophcr's iml"CssioosofNcwmarkCl." arecuriousl}'unfavourahletohorse-racingincencral, Final ly,al;1lkonth~positi"e~id~,.song

entitled'Themarchofintellcct"ha\hcenquiteplau~ihlyattributedtoGold,mithonstylistic.nd

thematicgrounds;huttheal1rihutionisnotconfirmedb)"anycircumstantialcv;dence,thcson ... ap~arson lr in an earl" nineteenth-centur}' song·hoo~, and it Cannot he admi1t~<I for The lim~ !>eingo. more than adouhtfu l work, l!

Goldsmith'~ Duhlin was, "'rtainly, fullof songs, hut if they included anyofhis, it is likely Iha, Ihescweresoonforgonenforwanlofapuhlic.Forgoltenhythepolite,whosc \nilten ru les they mightha\'cohscrved,intheirimpatiencefornoveit}'inhallads. Forgolten too hy the vu lgar, wholCunwrillenrulestheywouldprobablyha\'ehroken, Songs nothyhimwhichdidtakesome not ice ofthelC rules, which could ha\'ebeen sung in Duhlin (sincet hey survive inurly Irish ed ilions) and heard by Goldsmith there (since he mentions them in various contexts) are the soberdia\ogueof Dealha~J'k./ady, the jaunty Anglo_IrishAllyCtoak~" and possibly tbeold ballad ofCht'Vy cha .. , ,. Extant also in an I rishedilion of 1763 isS~lly Saisb",y, which the poet is said tohan sung 'in company with a great numberofladies', a nOlewOTlhyeircum~tan'" for it ron",rns the sordid life and eucution of a pros\itute, According to the anecdole, a woman singing 'his favourite airof"Sally Salisbury'" below the window drew down hiscriticismon her slyleand tbis in tUrn acommon WT! of rejoinder from the lady of the house, 'Pray, DocIOr" could youdoil bellU?' Goldsmith began 'instan'ly'and rendered it 'wi th some ea r and nO inconsiderabledegruofpathos',Thclad iesgotwha,'heyhadaskedfor,butbeingeighteenth­centuryladic,probably.awmorepathosthanharm inthesong;al anyratethestoryneednotbe discountcdonground,of impropricty ,><

Ex"'pt for A lIyCtoake,lhese broadside wngs wereofBritish origin and illu~,ralC thatcultural continuity already referred to which linked Anglo-Irish Ireland with mainland Britain Goldsmith's DublinconnC<:tionneednotthcreforebcundulyemphasised , ltismoreinteresting tonoticcamongthewngshereferltoscvcralcon,emporar}'orreccntoncsinpopulartraditional style,andtorc,ognizcinthebroadsidemediumofhisdayafamiharingred;entofcuhur~hdd

partly in common by the different social clalses rather than a di,linCI phenomenon which could be ,'iewed uternally from the upper or scholarly reaches ofsocie'y alexotic 0 • distasteful aoxording to temperament , Thil ,,'al to be a Romantic"iew, But in thteighteentbcentury old ballads "'ere ploughed back and recycled in new st)'le,popular song wa s in great demand for opera, and plays - a fashion to which Goldsmilh the dramatist conformed in Sk. SlOOpS 10

(onQ",,-andthewngssungatthcc\ub'ofcho;cespirits',ashedescribesthem,"couldrange fromHandel'slCllingofapoembyDrydentolheliccm;ousc.ploilsofacarterwhotakesaboard a tight young dam,.,l. The story of the prostitutc's wngand the ladiesi snolcXlravagantset againstth isbackgroundiit mightindudhed..,medmore lruStworthythanthelegcndofhisown ballad_makingwhenwcconliderlha, thisisrecordedbyaninetcentb-<:enturybiographerand has Wme of that literary objC<:tivit)' towards popular cullure which would be almost an anachronism in Goldsmilh's lifelime

Almost an anachronism, bUI nOt quile, The decade, lead ing up to Percy', H,/iqu" ,howed growing literary awareneSS of popular poetry in itsoldcr,lTaditional form~, elpeciallytheold

hallad.Goldsmithlhecritic,whenhewroteinanototoColinanJLu,y that 'ThroughallTickell', worksthcreisast rai nofballad-thinki ng' ," douhtlessmcantthatthispoemwalagoodpaSlicheof the early gen re, Such literary imitation~ were in ,'ogue, and Goldsmith himsclfpaTlicipaled in the movement with his EdtJ:in and A ngt/,,,Q (onl}' later entilled 'l'he Hermit')," The rcoding of this ballad in the Vica,pro\'okcd 'Ienderness' in Sophia, and indeed it reads rather like a ICntimental reply to Pcggy Golden's Barbara Allt n, the conclusion of which wa" probably;n Goldsmith's mind when he introdu~d the the me ofdoublc death -cn\'isagcd only - into the remoI"SCful Angelina', thoughts. This feature is absent from the old poem in Pcrc}"sHt/iq"u whichseemstoha\'epartlyservedGoldlmitha,amodel."Tothemetrcoflhclal1 er,morcover, he prefers traditional ballad quatrains, which he handles with Wme a,,'aren.SS of tbe for mal condi tioningofsyntoxcharacteristicofthesunggenre.Sunza36illu,tratesth.scfeaturesandis gi\'Cnhercinthet.~tofthcVicQ,- wherc itshowslelsel.ganceandmorepopular stylcth.nin

th~ ind~p"nd~nt t~xtS _ followed by the corr~'pondin8 StanZas of Percy'~ po<:m and of a traditional "ersion of HQrbarQAII~~ r~corded h}' me in 1965 in th~ North Irish Midlands

Edrei~QnJAngrlinQ

(Friedman IV 51 ) 'And Ihcr~ forlorn d~spairin8 hid,

1 '1l1aymedown anddi~

"Twas so for me that Edwindid, And so for him will I.'

'Thu\c,"eryda}' ! fast and pray, Andewrwilld""tillldy~;

And 8~tt m~ 10 somc SCCl"C'it place, For $0< did ht<',and $0< will I . .

=k! " " '''''';;'' "Ill Ab r P l: I ! R+H3 11 'Oh- d1801}'- gra"",a- Long Long- 8rave,

r t "Jit l ( f) Di8 it

.... but- -- yes

AtldI'lL di"forhi,.- to· .. ·or·rO"-. 12 Th .. y-

Hmbara Allm 'Oh dig my gra,'e, a long long gra,'c, (singer: Margar.t O'R.illy, Dig il d«p and narrow; Lough Gowna, Co. Ca,"an. ) He died for m. but yestcrday

And l'lIdi~forlliml0morrow'

ButGoldsmith'$Sl:nsitivitytotraditionalfolk-songstyl~"'entonlysofar;hewasnoproponent

of such a model. A few other poems of his in ballad metre ha,'e bttn noted as having a French popular sourc~, but it is on~ he encountered in a literary context, and allofthem -M ary Blaiu, theMadJog,D~GfIr"f'lrtrlgh,h(1n, "',aredcli~ratelytri"ialinS!}'le. " Eleganceofexpression according to the literary rh~toric is usually apparent and at time$ ohtrusi"e in his poems proposing orsimulatinga sung rendition. Edte;~andA ngt/ina is, when all is said and done, replete withit,Goldsmith ,ofcoUfSl:,showsawarenessofthisbYPul!ingthepoemintoafictionalscenein which it wu .. ud, not sung. And thorough fidelity to a predominantly oral model is anyway neitherpossiblenorintheleastdesirahleinapurelywrittentradition,Butweha"etonoticcthat, unlikesomeofhiscontemporaries,heachie,'ednolitcrarypastichesorth~oldhalladgenrewhich

entered and aclUally flourished in oral folk tradition, " Hedidnotfind,anymorethananywriter,asimplerelationbetweenpracticenflileralureand

cxperienceofpopularsong.Writingand singingherecognizedasdislinct, th~form.rmanife stl}'

superior in its capacity to talkal>out the lallCT. A tend~ncytopursueextremesorcrit;c;zehy opposites occasioned contradiClions at times in his literary talk. Con"er!ationin Ireland, he ,,'rotetohisbrOlhcr-in-la,,·,is'madeupofasmuttyto.astorabaudysong',whi1einthcsamcktter hesighsfor'Lisho)'fireside'and['cggyGolden'shallads," ande1S1:whcrrandoften~'·ok.sthe

pleasurable domestic sctt ing of con" er sat ion, song and story, Patro nizingand urbane is his disdain of such persons as the 'COuntr}'man", at Bartholomew-fair'," hut to his hrother Henry hecould .. 'ritc;ustascritieallyofhisLondonacquaintanccso·[hl\·epaSSl:d my days among a parcelofcooldesigning~ings,andha"econtraCledalltheirsuspicious manner in myown ~ha,'iour: ['erey, who knew not Lissoy, comments innedulouslyon the Sl:cond part of this remark;" hut Goldsmith kne'" himSl:lf. di"ideJ ~ing

Singingprovidcdsomesortoflinkbetweenhisurbaneandhisnai,'eSl:If,Tothercportofhis performanceof Sal(vSahbury we Can add others, ,\ Irs Thrait relates how h~ tri ed toan~viat. the anguish of the first night oftheGood-nanmdman by singing 'his fav ourite song al>out an old womantOSSl:dinablankttSl:vent..,ntimesashighasthemoon'," Thi lchiIdren'slOng-notthe onlyitemof ;u ,'enileliteraturetoha,'ebttnactuallyattrihutedtohim -appear~inthrcol1<'Ction

MOIh~r G(xm', m~""iy which Goldsmith himSl:lf probably first edited , for Newbery's series for the you ng, in 1765; the air associated with it shows moderate simi larity to one well known in Anglo-Irish Ireland, LilliburlerlJ, " The moSt interestillg comments on Goldsmilh's singing dcriw from Sir Joshua Rel'nolds:

His favourite songs wereJoh~ny Armslrong, Barbara AII~n, alld lHath and .hi lady. In singinglhelasthcendea\'ourcdtohumouTlhedialoguehylookingveryfierceand speaking in a "ery rough "oice for D~ath, which he suddenly changed "'hen he came to th~ lady's part,puttingonwhathefancicdlo~alady-likcs,,-..,tncssofcountenancewith a thin, $hril l,'oice.Hisskill insingingthoSl:ballads wasnowayssuperiortotheprofessorsofthis an which are heard .. 'cry day ill the streets, bUI whilst he was thus employed he was a conspieuou,figureatlcastandwasreii .. 'edfromthathorror,,'hichheentertainedof~ing o"erlookedbythecompany."

His .'ocal styl~ then waS more popular than classically cultivated. The Clitical epithets h~ applied tOlOmec1assicalsingillginhi$cs$3yonthrOperainEngland-'unnaturalstartingl"'ullmusical closingS','shakeslenglhencdouttoapainfulcominuallce','extravagantandunmusicalflightsof "oice'" - can gi"e us, by contrari." some idea of what he liked in singing, his own included: a melodyplailllyexpresscdandnoto"erburdenedwithornam~ntalshakes,trills,vibratoetc, [11

thismuchheres.embledthefQlksingersQfhischildh<KKl,bulnQlinthe mimicking QfvQices whichRcynQldsrcp<>T1cdand,perhapsrightly,associalcdwithsn~lsinging.Anolhcrinflucncc

shouldnOI!J.,QVerl<>oked,romanyoftherongsGQldsmithmenliQnsl.,ere p<>pularized on the Stagethalhisexpericnccofp<>pularrongmuslha,·e!J.,eninsomedcgreelhealrica!. Hisown success as a dramalisl nQ dQuhl enhanced the theatrical influence IQ wardslhcendQfhislife. Dramatic cffects may!J., gucss.ed al again in Ihe favourable aflu-dinnn reaction, on 13 April 1773, IQ his succrssive ",ndilions oftWQ rongs from Sh~ 'lOOP' 10 conqUiT: TQny's Th". pigeon, and the wng intended for KateAII me.' ",,11.., ,lIall 1 ",arTY me," )

From Goldsmilh'swrilingslhcnand the obs.ervations of S<>mc Qf his rontcmp<>rarics ";e h' T\'cstamiscdlanyofteouousfaCls'thatherouldsingahandfulofdi'·crs.ewngsofp<>pularand mainlytraditiona!charactu;thathekneworhadheardncarlj'ascoreofothcrs both ,'cnerahle andvulgarlymodern,s<>lcmnandtrivial;andthatheldtareputatiQnforintercstinsuchthings and for having, perhaps, imitated them. When wc ronsider thc opp<>rtunitics afforded him in three kingdoms and their capitals to enjoy the vitalityofp<>pular s<>ng in an cxuheram age, togethcrwithhisnaturalconvi,·iality,itisohviousthatlhes.esc,"Ij·dataarefarfromrepres.enting thcfulncssofhisexpericnccofp<>puluwng,wh;ch,wemayconc1ude,;t was nO pan of his Iitcraryamhitiontoreprcs.ent.Folk-s<>nginflucn","onhispoc!ryislimitedandsho~noespeeial

s.ensit i,'ity 10 winds of change. MorcsubSlanlialwasbisuscoffolkwng tocxemplifyor em!J.,lIish: nOt an innovati,·eus.ebuti! couldheahighlysucccssfulon ewhenhemovcdimothe oral medium of drama, and SO il was in Slit "IJOP' /"conquer. Even in Ih is play, how'evcr, no dclibcralcorganisingprinciplciscvidcntinthcvaricdlexlsandfragmcmsweha"enoliced" Theauthorwhocould hand le plot motifsassimpleas those ofanycome-all-ye - pr;,'atc house mistakenforaninn,seduceroffersmatrimonyfalsclybclie,'inghehaskilledhisvictim',father" -without having,inthcsecases,s<>faras I know,anyromc-al1-ycfora wurce,,'ascicarly,,'cl1 disp<>s.edbytemperamcnttop<>pulargenres

Sotherercmainslhckgcnd,nodouhtasfullQfpocliclTUthaslhcli"CSQflhcTroubadQurSQr theorallynansmil1cdfaClsabou!Goldsmith'snearcontemp<>rary,!hc Gadiclrishpoc:tEoghan Rua6SliilleabhO.in.N0I3whollydissimilarpairtheselrishvagabondsfromdiffcrent!Tadiliolls Goldsmirh·stradil;onwaslhebcncrs.erl·cdlO';thpr;ntedaids,andsoinhiscascwc!ookinhopes to find wha! in Eoghan Rua's is scarcdy feit as IO'3nting: hard fansaboUldusi'·cunerallccs.

NOTES

Son>< of ,I>< OO<u"",n'at;o,- of I~" . ,,;':1< ;.

:;:.d<:t~~~~~~ii:~:'i:;:::'::~~: u"ng 'n'''tumool<>mo<i<'I!lr;nth''«nturyhy Si,F. .. ",,,CIo,kO'Sulhv. np.pwintI><Folk Mu.k....,tionof,1I< Doptof r,;,h Folklo,<, Uni,'mityColltg<.Dubtin.Go>or,m;, h;.q<>01'U, "I><f< po>.ihl<. from A. f,i<drnan<d. CoJl" "J """., ojOliNrGoJJ""".Svol •• OJcfordl966 D. O·SulliI'MC""",an. rlwlij,. ,i"",tmJ ... ,icoj anl,;,h~londofIt9l>5,I20,I86.1,Jl21~; uJ.B""'"",oJlm_ojln,hj",.,"",i,.oJ-"I.

J ~;~~r~;~iF~,:on~~~;1000 ·l,i.h

~~ :::;:-S~~'~?;~~O<hFoI*'""",tmJd."m .fl"laoJDubhn t97t. pp,4J-'I,A. M""" in

{;;';:;olcjllwOIJAlhI"",SotitlY liii (1912_J)

S"'''p.f,;'dmlU'llt91_J.t]l,]19,4.1O,rIl141, IV S3; K,C, B&Id<"'O<I<d. CoI{""J{,,,tnoj OI"""GclJ".",hCombrids<192S,pp,t()..11,16S_ 6. 166; F,W. Hill<> <d . p".,,,,,,, bySrrJodrtw R"""'J, N",,,Y.,..k 1'I52,p. 48,GolTi<;k in A I.j'''onS<lt'OI~ .... GoIJ' .. ;' • . lIi,lif,.·d_.,

=,~9~:Mr:~. TN'if,,,j()lit .... Q,h";n<Hod"", in Bald<"tonpp. t6~·6. Oold<fllonp. 46,S« ol",Fri<dmltlll36So6,tV lj9;P~o'17J,116,]18,l27 .• 2S~;P<T<yM<moi,

~O ~~?::k,,,jOIiW'GoIJ',""'Londoo

It B. ld<"",np.19

12 Frkdm,n IV 11. For I n . lIu."", '0 johnny ~~~''''''~''.nEn.<li.hh<ro: 1420.S''''"lson.41

IJ. S«,h<no",ionl><lo' ... ,,,,,und.r<h,,'<oflh<Folk Mu,icS<C1"",. Uni"'''''yCoIIcv.Dubl,n. "'" 14. 19.20.44.260.271 . 294 . 394 F.j.Chikl<d.TM ~·"l/i,.~.JSc."i'~""f'ioIQ'''''lIaJ,Boo',," ISS2_ 98. 11 276-9, B.lt. Bron""nro. TM m""" ofrM C~;IdNII#, Prin«<on 19SOJ.-72, II 321·91 . IV 476-7 (2I S ," "ion')'

14 Cil ih,llIl;}62-72;B,,,"sonIIII40.3;H. Shl<kl.& T . .\Iun""II~;nL""onJIQ"P"K' III ,v.v ( I98I ) 98.n .l l,II , Shi<ld. ;nFoW'f. X ( 1972) n Co,,,I"t" ' ''f H..glosJoaMII_mo.d,,,p--_,".J "'""J!ld,hollaJ, ,. lIaO"'OG,dCoJl'p hlm>ry Com_ b,idS·. M" •. . I90S.no908 h""produ<t_of l .. p,.,fron,i'p"""of,his, .. ""ofL..., K_J

:~: ~~~~~7_1ir ~::,:~ ~;;~: i~~-8

: ~: ESi~~!3~ 19

20 T,in;,y Colltjl;<. Duhl;n, "' ... ~;.4 7. ,,,., '56 21. Prior I 75: for ,I>< 11<.,,)'>. I 62. 7~. 21 ~ 22 Cilri"0f'I><'Gouid,"l' (11.lb-46) .... II.R.I'lom',..

G,H. Bu.hn<l1. F.,It;. D" Du,,,,",,? of ,;,. _ "II"' , .. ,.Ii..glo~J.S=/o"daMI"IQ..J f'f'''' 111610177JLondon 1932, p, l86.Goold,n~ m' yh,,·<b«n.uco., sor,oC.llkb . ndn. ,viJ<",ly .uc<""kdbySimonGookli",,(1746-'2).lIu, . G<o.-g<Gold;n~"'Gol<kn'lsoworkd 1I ,\loon".,hS, from,h<17:/Os'oI74S",1749 (hi' 1i",nclud .. p,.,..<to.pboob). l lm~ .. "ful'n .\\i " .\I .'}'Pol lordf", ... i.u""""" , h<,.p,,,nh

23, Trini'yCol k~<, Dubl,n. A720,,,,, 6 ("''''11«), D. F. Fo,onbttlisJo ,~".1701_llj(). II<fJIa/"I'" cf"PO'Q,,1yp,,·."Jpomc,C. mb,id~'197S,D420 (rioI.), Ror.l In ,hA<-oJc-my, DuMin,23p 23. no 1(l (b.oll.dop<, • • !«n,2S);FOlIonCI33.S '56,C

~:!~~~~~'~-40. Id, 1l'}6,B. Id<t"onp. 19, D;Ku • .ro " kn~'hhr

~U!~:,'~~;~l)~<~:::di~n~~p'~~ op<"ju"m<n"onro _ ..., H,nry BrooU Tit< tc..g, i.'Ja<.,It<GYOnlQ>.<lI .... ' DubhnI749.noI8 _.nd,urvi, ... in., .. "ionnolrofromlpip<f in 1 M6;n th< S O". lri.-, Midl.nd •• p, W. Jo)'C<OIJ f,i,hfol~"'.'lCo...J""'l, Duhlin&London 1\IOII,p J(l3 .• nMAoI V; ( I98I ) 2'. M.F,Co.N"",,,,,,ht hi""'Yof IMl,i,h""" Du~l;nI8\l7,pp. l(l6-U. qu"'."~"Olin .... id'~~<fi,'<fromlh<h.llocl. lnd 'h<,."'""so"'<llwilhli,.,,,,of' noII><,!Io<s<""';,,,

::'~:~.:~':'S~~i~h~''':~~~'Z,:~ :i:"!~'~~ ::;:;~",;,~ ~~,.!i::~o. :u;::df:;~=i ~~ ,imilor'oi'in"ykandtr<"m<nt., .. ,.n " ","r< S~ncixllli."iIl wi<klrkoo,,'n ino .. ltrocli,ion; K< !t . Shidd.Sho"""'*,Q",~Mlh"'I,. FoI~ti"li..gi" N",-,hDmyB<lf", 1981.p, 19I.Co"'qUOlotioo ;::i~~i"l)""d«;, .. f,,,",.son~ "";rr<" byGoW ·

16. F,oromOflUJSO-2. 27. c.O LochloinnM(Ir,I"'~"'Ulbdlla<bDtrhl;n

I'I6S,PI'. 1O':i,1 11' ''''''' (l'C"pr.from,h<I..,l!Ti ... , 2Aprill'l6O)onpp.211 - 13. 0Lochl.inn ~iv<"h< imp,im 'Dublin 18(l2' 00' ... m. '" oWl)' i, v~udr'o. "·hol<'"Olum<ofl<Hl,<.books .... h~h ' l'I"«n'lrbd""g«l'"h;mhut ... h~h l did''''' f,ndinhi.lib .. ryinUni,·."i,yCoIIcv, Duhlin ('P«ioloolkrt""" ). S ,,,to.>< l fou nd 'ropyof,I>< ""'~ d"",'I><,..,

2l! D""h""J'ht l<>dy, N".",.I I. iI,.-Ory of l r<l,nd JJW63.""14. Duhl in song·boor.;cf. llo,,ocd C.,"/<>p« n.1 4 1t.;l\'<)."".26-ll:...,n.41.IIIIy C"",/tn-. N" ionll I.ihrocy A&!. Mu' . IlbW. Dublin(,. 1 190). mu.~ ,_,.2pp.,&e,:"",11I'

Cto.pp<lI 1'''I'''la, ... " , of ' luoU",,, ... London 118SS.91,11 7I3· 14: W.H. Gn"on Flood HiIC"'Y oll",hm.,,.. DuhlinI91 3, ,hi,dro.,pp, 2S2-4. CIm .. clw". ~,,,;"nlllibr-.!)' Ir, 6S".lXffY 1801\. IOng-book ,&e.,1« n.l8

2\l W. COOk<onh..,.....,~_,i"'XXIV (0c1 . 1793)

261. !t,,'".-dC~'Qlop', (".14 11>o'4°o 1974 • • \ IIIjl«.B<lfl ".176l.'Lo,'<on . b.onl·. p,7,'S,lly S.I.bury"C .... . Tun<S.ilin~T,>d<-·.Sin«.n .;' "indko"dh«<"h<·S.lIyS.li.hu'r ' of ,h< . n«clotr <on hard lyh1l'< b«n,;mplr I ,,'<11 _ known,un<,iti<,owhichGold.m;,hmigh,h,,'< .ung diff .. <nt wOfd •. Th, Bd,i>h lib,,,y f'<>! ... .,. •• • roong . numl><rofpuhlico'ioo.onth< occ";on of'h<lti, linl723of 'S,,, hPfiddon, ""lIin~h< .... lfS. l]rS.l;.h",y'.SQllySa1isblory·, It~''''O,...R'IDuhli''lnJ,h.--l'id<.822)'I.no

30. F,;'dm. n III 8·9. Ei~hl song • • t< ..... ",i,,"<d 1 ·MadTom·. Fci<dm.nnor"'p'nic'ulorr<<r

pr;n1<dinth<17300,hut·Tomofll<dl.m·""'~,

w<<< nurn«ou" T. Pr,cy Rrli'l"" 01 0""''"1 t:"ll"."",,,y :--'·,,,· York 1%6(1886) 11 344_7.cf. m · S7, W,II. loi:on,jtyd/o, ·,/'<!<*cfbdlla<J,a.d

~:::-;::,I~(;It.nl~u~~·~:::o:,~ti~~ Tr ... V.d<SOlorinl" &A. E. RQd .. ·.yrh<"'m""'" m . ... H"mond ... -or,h 1'165 (19'i7) pp. 417_18 (nin<t«nth«ntury): . ir. F, Kid>OftOldE..gI". <"".' ry do"wLondonI890, p ,8. TII<op<ningof 'hi.son~(""t~;v<n)",,,,,,pond"'<rbollr'ot"" lin .. of l,.,.nt;t lc-<l_~ ..... nt;"n,dl"" inth< .......... y .. . Ung01 . d ;(f".n!eluh(F,oromon 11113.cf.I8l» : ·l!. I .. ' ... ·w.lk;ngupon'h, hiSh"j'. 1 m., I j'OU"~ d.m,.1 ho,h bu."m .nd g. y· (GH HolJ.Jhbm:· • ..cI"";n~my .. '_n<>n<d. y

"Sh"ooxom&c'). Il'<maylU.p«t Gokll mi,h of«p<";nghim><lf, ) 'TIuSol'/y S",,,,,. in Lrd;ln """'UI<,ofA1<xond«'. F ... ,'. Br Df}'<kn.mu.icbr"on<kl:cf. Fri<dmanV322. 4 ', W<I<hdioqu<. "'i,h,h<hu"",,,,"ofT"'P'''''''' To!fy', Simil"picca.r<m<n'iorKdbyC.M SimpoonThtl/""·,~"'""d,id,lIa1laJo...J;II".';' :--"<'" B"," , ... Odt 1%6, pp. 4S3-4 , J 'OId jodt_,?"ellonl<_f.~It. 6',h<D.,,'U,,· . By J ... P, .. ,.Id. ~"ionllll. i h,.<)'AJ<I,M"',I032J, n.p.J .• mu.~._,.lpp.S"" .lsoFri«l"""1 1 1 9n. 7 'SOIornon',S"",'?TI>< Ki", Solo"","

"lIod,oo<iord~ySiml""",pp. 4 1()"'11.b<ing'oo

<"ly,'hi.i.p ...... hly..,.lIu • .",'o<i'h<,'h< _'o,;"SoI_~y ll""<l<1(1749)orlh< •• "<n." SoI_hyBo)'« ( 1743).d,F,iedm.n. Ioc,";,

8 ·Dta,~ Q.d rlJ< Lady'. S« nn, ZS. 41 GoIJ,mi,h m.y. of """1'1<. ,.".d irony in

f~;:4~~~~jh~:-n' 'Tb< ~<n'l< h< .. d.m ... •• l'''cy 11 '%·91. cf, I 246n" p""Y ~I<moir 174·S.

}4. Friedm.n !V J66.-7. 37~~ cf. ·Tb< ~i f", J6S~

JS. Ch'r_t:di''''''',of/:·<!o<'"o..JA'If'"lma,.och., in Ilon· .. dCO'QI", .. (n.14 . b,,,,<),,,,,lon,801, IOI4.,u«l!,,'<dif)'in~r<odinsrolh<'th.n,ingin8

A""of,h<Modd"llPr<s<,,'<d"''''''8'Song, ' "'' ... h''',"<n ... ng· .Iooo«m. U""" .. btd 1»'0 .. 1 u"",;J"edI819.ndgi ••• ,,·ilh, •• j,in l!lt <011",,""" "';Ih lhi"itlo,ed . G.1o Hunllngdon. ~<",'·orkl970 ( 1964).pp.29'i~

~. ~~~:trS628-30· J.8 H.I<l<'"o.p,~,P'I<J'.\I<""';'IS4 )9 U<>lb<,LPiozzi (Mnn .. l<)AONdtH,,"/rM

/a"Sa .... I' ... "'" Lonrlon 1914 (!786)p. 141 (publ, ... ,'hW. Sh . ... M,. •• , .. ,./ . . Sa ... ,.1 John_).

40. S« "'.F . Prirl.,u,.d. M.,IJ<,O<><>,,·, ""Iody Lonrlon l904.PI'.vi.vii •••• ii,J..lrP.Opi<Oy/..-.I JI<II"""'Ycf""""y,hJ_,O.fordl'lS l, pp,34-1i; SimpOoo p, 4SS; B. B"'01hno<h C<oI,,'''''''"a h/;,,,,,,,,, U, Duhlin 1976.pp. 9.1Q (no I]). 16]

41 1I ,IIo'p.SO.f.ltdrhanJ,M/a.iy«<uninlb<VI<Q,. F,i<dm.nlV88'5«nn,28.30.b<n .. ,SimpOooPl" 169·70.A,Gil<h,'''in'""'"'''''cf,IJ<E,,,/i,hFcliI f).,""andS""KSoci<'.' IV (1941)31-48. Fo,

~~:~'I~<r." of hi, ,ingin~'''''''"y A"",,,""I

42. F,iedm.n I S01.

43. /J,!VJ.89.J\lO,nmp.P'f"'")i"" I ""u,,in,1>< "",,_.Ufibut<J 1oGold,milhhyO,-ochl.;n. («< ".27}. im-"'h;'hlb<.;,inJocol<dh'Th,,,,,,h.1I ll><.mploym<n"oflif<· (B,"a"J"I"'0.~ AII",,· ."n~ 10 'Tb< hu""",,, of B.I.mlll'oiry· "'hich Bo.~·.lIrr<",,,·<df"'mGold'mi.h".i ng;ng~

W. K.Wim"'''jr. 5- F.I\.Po"''edd,Bowtll/",,IJ< <k/",u,1769-14Loodon 1960. pp . 11lO.21Sand fo<ingrag.~··d "·h;'hhi."",~O\·<toG<org< Thom""":""'lb<II!!"·,CcI/mj",,,,!rM""'lt •• ! B.,",&cLondonn.d"V.004ol (<,'>;I<n.ly

f;t~~~~ f:~,:=~-::/,~":~t [I, 1616. no « AllyC"",*".H.""",,,o/flolo""'la,?,. J("'lh,and

'MIMpMrd·,J<o..,h,,,,TIuNp;pc.. ... """.bl,,.. Wu,,,.vl<ry.«ndofoctl).,h,,,,,«>mmonploc< ,d,.;. lin<. f .... m.n "oid<o"rO«! ,"il;,It~ ",,,, . ... i,h. ,· .... 1 p", I,,1 in ""O,on,. ballod'No ,ufr<nd<r'inlfta'lf"Jla..J",dGmg",,' lc.I'I401 1'I'.3-4,Diologut:d'pilogu""C.,il/ott(/). Aro.")' _ .... loJ;,oryJ"'/uy (I),Ba//m.-o..y."S<di"'1>< .. lloJ op<ro m<nl"""d in n.2~ . bol·<j B,j,hh l.ib,.,)' 'BaU"""""", 0",,, Du"hlt 1<.18001. "'''It._,N01'''',1 1.'h'''1Add.'\\u •. 12471 ·8.illon.,\lon.O .... ·.undOl<d MS;/oy«p.l1.d. 11>< iui«of'l>< barloy' in CI.-y 1>n>I ....... , .. d r_",y Mak'",""\f'_ N .... Yo,k 1964. p. S2.

An <".)'. p<, h'poh), Gold.mi,h. on mu.k among lh<<o",mooI'<"PIo • .I-I ... ,.,-y""'J'lz;", Foh,1114.p. S4,m<1I,;"nd"""./""*, 1 1~9,, ... in.pl.)'~)·G"'k •. mu.kbyBo)'''''.5«Ch.pp<11 !l11~.17.S iml"""rr.m·)OI;Ha/,,"uQ"""'" 11S1.'nSmoll<11 ·,II'p",a/."-,MT",,,,/oIJ f:",la..J.rllt,,,,,,,Iw/cfcldE~a"J.1111 "'c .•

;~'~~':~~;;~:'~~~:;;:;~i=~~!: m<n,ion<dag"n 'nGolrhmilh·,'Of,h.op< .. in Englond'

4S SIIt"""I"'"«ooqIO".Hi"ory./ M,..-S","'''''

ISBN 0-904720-17-9