Malinky - King Orfeo

An interpretation of a Scottish song from Shetland, from the northernmost Unst. Pictured is Orpheus and Euridice from the Greek mythology who the song is about. Some history of it from the CD’s liner notes: The folk version of the tale of Greek lovers Orpheus and Euridice, this ballad was only found in recent memory on the Shetland island of Unst, the most northerly isle; Child collected this from a printed version which appeared in the local press in 1880. The tune we use here was collected by the late Patrick Shuldham-Shaw (folklorist and co-editor of the Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection) from the singing of John Stickle of Unst in 1952, an amazing discovery after some 70 years, since the tune was considered lost. It is said that Stickle’s grandfather was at one time the best fiddler in all of Shetland and composed a number of the popular Shetland tunes played today. Apparently Stickle himself thought the song to be something of a nonsense lyric and was totally unaware of its rarity. The ballad tune scholar, Bertrand Bronson, wrote: “That a tune should in the midst of the twentieth century be recovered for this whisper from the Middle Ages was as little to be expected as that we should hear a horn from elfin-land blowing.” The Norn (Shetland dialect) refrain is fairly close to a mish-mash of modern Scandinavian “skogen arla grøn / hvor hjorten han går årlog” — “early greens the wood, where the stag (hart) goes yearly”. We sing a more Scotticised version than the original Norn, from the singing of Alison McMorland. (Notes with reference to the Alan Lomax collection Classic Ballads of Britain and Ireland Vol 1 on Rounder Records.) Lyrics: DER lived a king inta da aste, Scowan ürla grün Der lived a lady in da wast. Whar giorten han grün oarlac. Dis king he has a huntin gaen, He’s left his Lady Isabel alane. ‘Oh I wis ye’d never gaen away, For at your hame is döl an wae. ‘For da king o Ferrie we his daert, Has pierced your lady to da hert.’ And aifter dem da king has gaen, But when he cam it was a grey stane. Dan ne took oot his pipes ta play, Bit sair his hert wi döl an wae. And first he played da notes o noy, An dan he played da notes o jov. An dan he played da göd gabber reel, Dat meicht ha made a sick hert hale. ‘Noo come ye in inta wir ha’, An come ye in among wis a’.’ Now he’s gaen in inta der ha’, An he’s gaen in among dem a’. Dan he took out his pipes to play, Bit sair his hert wi döl an wae. An first he played da notes o noy, An dan he played da notes o joy. An dan he played da göd gabber reel, Dat meicht ha made a sick hert hale. ‘Noo tell to us what ye will hae: What sall we gie you for your play?’— ‘What I will hae I will you tell, An dat’s me Lady Isabel.’— ‘Yees tak your lady, an yees gaeng hame, An yees be king ower a’ your ain.’ He’s taen his lady, an he’s gaen hame, An noo he’s king ower a’ his ain. GLOSS: aste] east. Scowan &c.] Early green’s the wood. Whar giorten &c.] Where the hart goes yearly. noy] grief. da göd gabber reel] the rollicking dance-tune. wir] our. wis] us.