I worked out this version of Matty Groves over the past few days, and this was its first public performance. I used it here to kick off the evening at the weekly Open Stage that I host at the Yellow Door Coffeehouse. I asked Thanya Iyer and Alex Kasirer-Smibert (the evenings featured performers) to sit in on violin and bass, with no run through or rehearsal, even though they had never heard it before. Though its a little rough around the edges in spots, I think its kind of interesting. For a song thats well over 500 years old, there seem to be an infinite number of nooks and corners to explore. I worked out this version by first transcribing the lyrics used by Hedy West on her 1966 album, Pretty Saro, and then I worked out a banjo version somewhat different from hers. As I sang it over and over again, trying out different things, I found that both the lyrics and the melody morphed into something else. I altered a lot of lines to suit myself, and ended up with a melody that more closely resembles the one usually used for the ballad The Two Sisters than the one Hedy West used for Little Matty Groves.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 00:09:23 +0000
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