Celebratory Music from the Middle Ages to the Restoration.

Mock Hobby Horse are a trio who specialise in playing music, songs and dance tunes popular in England from the medieval times to the 17th Century.
Our repertoire includes medieval pilgrim and troubadour music, music and song from the court composers of Queen Elizabeth 1 and James 1, country dance tunes from Playford and theatre music and song from Restoration England.
Where possible the music has been arranged authentically and is performed in a visually appealing mnner. We play the music on instruments more usually associated with traditional folk music of today:
concertina, whistle, recorder, smallpipes, guitar, mandolin and drum. Our aim is to keep this wealth of music alive by involving our audiences in the joy, passion and timeless elegance of this heritage.

This CD is made from two tapes released by Mock Hobby Horse.
One tape was called Maypole & Mistletoe and the second was simply titled Mock Hobby Horse.

Each of the songs below has been reduced to a small portion (aprox. 20%) of the original recording because the music is covered by a royalty.

The CD Liner Notes

CD liner notes in Postscript

Mock Hobby Horse - Maypole & Mistletoe

This CD is a compilation of the Mock Hobby Horse cassette releases Maypole & Mistletoe and Mock Hobby Horse.

from Maypole & Mistletoe
1 Indian Queen / Jamaica 2:54
2 Staines Morris 4:20
3 Wilson's Wild or Wolsey's Wild 3:10
4 Man is for Woman Made 1:46
5 Come Again 2:10
6 Fairest Isle 1:46
7 Give me my Yellow Hose again 2:46
8 The Quarter Brawles 2:16
9 Anello 1:49
10 The Holly and the Ivy 2:55
11 Horses' Brawle / Bransle de Bourgoine 2:43
12 The Boar's Head Carol 1:29
13 Volta : Lady Morley / Volta 2:26
14 Lully, Lulla, thow Little Tyne Child 2:19
15 On the Cold Ground 2:02
16 Paul's Wharf 1:52
17 Personent Hodie 2:01
18 I Saw Three Ships / The Sussex Carol / In Dulci Jubilo 3:38

fromMock Hobby Horse
19 All in a Garden Green / Kemp's Jig 2:22
20 Sellenger's Round 1:30
21 Lord Willoughby 2:26
22 Martin Said to His Man 3:07
23 Carman's Whistle 1:51
24 As I Went to Walsingham 1:59
25 Milesian / Rufty Tufty 2:26

25 tracks, 60:49 total time

(c)(p) 1998 Mock Hobby Horse

Maypole & Mistletoe Songs
Meg Compton: voice and percussion
Howard Frey: mandolin, guitar and vocals
Julia Thomas: whistle, recorder, concertina, Leicestershire small pipes and vocals

Mock Hobby Horse Songs
Howard Frey: Guitar, manolin,vocals
Julia Thomas: Treble recorder, whistles, concertina

Artwork Howard
Recorded by Bob Martin (01364) 72359
For any further information contact: (01803) 864674

Song Information for Maypole & Mistletoe
1. Indian Queen / Jamaica. Two tunes from John Playford's English Dancing Master 1695 & 1670 editions. The words "Youth's the season made for joys "are from John Gray's Beggars Opera 1728.
2. Staines Morris. This old tune from the Staines Morris Men has had many words set to it, including these celebrating May Day. In May. A song celebrating May and the music of love by Colin Muset, a 13th century french troubadour. Mock Hobby Horse. Playford 1698 ed. The tune from which we take our name.
3. Wilson's Wild, or Wolsey's Wild (after Cardinal Wolsey.) Our arrangement of this tune refers to the keyboard setting by William Byrd (1543 - 1623) and the words date from the time of Henry VIII.
4. Man is for Woman Made. Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695)
5. Come Again. John Dowland (1563 - 1626) from his First Book of Songes and Apres.
6. Fairest Isle. Henry Purcell from the stage work King Arthur (1691)
7. Give me my Yellow hose again. (Roxburghe Collection.) Yellow hose were a sign of bachelorhood and Islington was in those days famed for its prostitutes.
8. The Quarter Brawles. Was first notated in 1551 by Tilman Susato, sackbut player of the Antwerp City Band, and by 1565 was a popular dance tune in England.
9. Anello. A renaissance court dance originating from Italy.
10. The Holly and the Ivy. Holly and Ivy were powerful pagan symbols, and the writer of this medieval carol used the "good" symbolism of the holly to link it to the Virgin Mary. The refrain is a later addition. The tune is English traditional.
11. Horses' Brawle / Bransle de Bourgoine. Two mid 16th century french dance tunes from Thoinot Arbeau and Adrian le Roy.
12. The Boar's head Carol. Boar's head feasts were popular in Tudor times at Yuletide, probably originating from the Norse custom of sacrificing a boar to Freyia, the goddess of fertility.
13. Volta : Lady Morley / Volta. The volta was a uniquely intimate and vigorous renaissance dance much enjoyed by Elizabeth 1. These two voltas were from Byrd's settings for keyboard.
14. Lully, Lulla, thow Littel Tyne Child. This is sung at the emotional climax of the Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors, part of the Coventry Cycle of Mystery Plays which date from the 14th century. This song was added to the manuscript in 1591.
15. On the Cold Ground. A wintry tune from Playford's 1665 ed.
16. Paul's Wharf. The title refers to the wharf by St. Paul's Cathedral. Our arrangement is based on the variations by Giles Farnaby (c.1563-1640).
17. Personent Hodie. A medieval carol first collected in Pies Cantiones (1582).
18. I Saw Three Ships / the Sussex Carol / In Dulci Jubilo. Three well known Christmas carols performed as a farandole.

Arrangements by Mock Hobby Horse.

Song Information for Mock Hobby Horse
19. All in a Garden Green / Kemp's Jig. Two 16th Century dance tunes, the latter named after Shakespear's comic actor, Will Kemp.
20. Sellenger's Round. A very popular Elizabethan country dance.
21. Lord Willoughby. Written in his honour after he had distinguished himself in battle against the Spanish.
22. Martin Said to His Man. One of the 'Mirth Songs' in Henry VIII's collection.
23. Carman's Whistle. The 16th Century Carmen were famous for whistling tunes to cheer up their hard working horses.
24. As I Went to Walsingham. Walsingham was a place of pilgrimage.
25. Milesian / Rufty Tufty. Two 17th Century dance tunes.

#20, 21, 23 arrangement from Wm Byrd's keyboard variations.
#19, 24, 25 arranged by Julia. #22 arranged by Howard.

Images from their CD liner

The Anello is fine, it follows standard format.
The Horses Brawl they repeat each section, which they shouldn't for the dance. So instead of 8 doubles, then men paw + spin, women paw + spin, you'ld have to do 16 doubles, and then 4 sets of paw + spin - not worth it when there are plenty of usuable versions. Don't know Bourgoine, so can't say anything about it.
The La Volta should do for a galliard - it's not the drum rhythm I'd use, but ok once you're used to it. I'm not sure if a La Volta could be done to it - I would expect it to be slower, but I can't do them, so am no judge.
The Quarter Brawls are interesting - started with a double brawl, then I think a single, and then I got lost - but I suspect it would only be good for people that like practising to weird brawl patterns.

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