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Magpie
Elvenhome
Jan 5 2013, 5:34pm
Post #1 of 25
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Joy, Health, Love, and Peace... Be all here in this place
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so starts the song, "The Wren," alternately known as "The King," which ends with:
Old Christmas is past, Twelfth Night is the last, And we bid you adieu, great joy to the new.
Twelfth Night is either Jan 5 or 6, depending on how you see things. Wikipedia says, There is some confusion these days, however, as to which night is Twelfth Night: modern practice is often to regard the night of Epiphany itself (sixth of January) to be Twelfth Night. The older tradition of Twelfth Night being the 5 January stems from the medieval practice of the day beginning at sunset, rather than at midnight as it does now. Thus Twelfth Night falls on 5 January, ahead of Twelfth Day on the 6th.
But surely the traditions surrounding the wren at Christmas time are ancient. :-)
And, no matter whether you celebrate Twelfth Night on the evening of the 5 and The Twelfth Day of Christmas on the 6. Or The Twelfth Day of Christmas on the 6 and Twelfth Night on the evening of that day... it's the 5th in some our houses and the 6th in others.
I always feel it takes me about till Jan 5 to catch my breath from the holidays and start thinking about welcoming a 'new year'. So:
Joy, Health, Love, and Peace, be all here in this place. Old Christmas is past, Twelfth Night is the last, And we bid you adieu, great joy to the new.
I really love singing this with others. It has some lovely harmonies.
hear it by Steeleye Span here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_4lhU6q46Y
LOTR soundtrack website ~ magpie avatar gallery
TORn History Mathom-house ~ Torn Image Posting Guide
(This post was edited by Magpie on Jan 5 2013, 5:35pm)
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Arandiel
Hithlum
Jan 5 2013, 5:53pm
Post #2 of 25
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Now that I have the Loreena McKennitt version in my ear,
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Thank you, Magpie! For the great song and the wonderful post.
Great joy to you!
Walk to Rivendell: There and Back Again Challenge - getting thirteen rowdy Dwarves, one grumpy Wizard, and a beleaguered Hobbit from Bag End to the Lonely Mountain by December 2012; and the same Hobbit and Wizard back to Bag End by December 2013
Join us, Thursdays on Main!
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Lily Fairbairn
Gondolin
Jan 5 2013, 6:05pm
Post #3 of 25
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What a lovely sentiment, and a lovely song. I don't think much about Steeleye Span these days, but back when I had their records (you know, actual vinyl records) I listened until I had them memorized.
Cheers! 
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Starling
Gondolin
Jan 5 2013, 9:00pm
Post #6 of 25
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told me she felt very silly when someone corrected her after she referred to them as 'Steel Ice Band'. She had been mishearing the name for years.
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silneldor
Gondolin
Jan 6 2013, 3:56am
Post #9 of 25
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you have a delightful way to sum things up:).
I am wishful, very much so, the same for you.
I enjoyed the music as well, but i do not recall this group from my younger days though.
The wren song reminded me of a little happening just past. Mrs. sil and i were walking up the path through the very quiet wood in the cold and the only greeting we had of that event was a wren running/hopping up and down a red maple about 20-30ft away chirping it's little high pitched note tapping the bark about the tree for a frozen or dormant morsel. The little drama was a true delight.
The sun is indeed still low at noon, but it is out making everything sparkle. A little higher each day will bring us May:).
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jan 6 2013, 1:14pm
Post #10 of 25
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What a magical moment that must have been!
There is something peaceful about walking through wintering woods in the snow...a quietness that is found no other time of year, allowing for perfect clarity in listening to the chirping! 
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jan 6 2013, 1:29pm
Post #11 of 25
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Thank you, Magpie!
The holiday season is ended - although it always makes me a bit sad, to put the lights and decorations away, still now it's evident that the New Year is well underway, with the sun rising earlier and setting later.
And the Wren song has brought Loreena McKennitt's Mummer's Dance to mind - but that's getting a bit too advanced in the year! 
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Elvenhome
Jan 6 2013, 2:43pm
Post #12 of 25
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I, of course, am most familiar with the Roberts and Barrand version of this.
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(That's the Nowell Sing We Clear version you linked to.) I really love wren songs, and this is among the most lovely. Thanks for bringing it to mind. It's playing beautifully in my head now.
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"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
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"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
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(This post was edited by Aunt Dora Baggins on Jan 6 2013, 2:48pm)
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Elvenhome
Jan 6 2013, 2:53pm
Post #13 of 25
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I don't think it's really a different tune than the Steeley Span version.
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Tony Barrand often throws in some rather loud harmonies that overshadow the actual tune. There are several songs that I learned from Nowell Sing We Clear that I find out years later I've been singing "wrong", having focused on the harmony and not the melody. It happened with the Boar's Head carol and Reynardine and The Maid on the Shore, among others. When I find them elsewhere, I think "That's not the way I learned it" but when I sing the melody with what I thought I knew, they fit together.
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"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Elvenhome
Jan 6 2013, 2:59pm
Post #14 of 25
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Here's another of my favorite wren songs, also from Nowell Sing We Clear
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The Wren Boys' Song (lyrics)
Here's a sample of the recording. We really like to belt this one out at our house.
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"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Elvenhome
Jan 6 2013, 3:13pm
Post #16 of 25
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I love the Cutty Wren too. I play it on my harp :-) //
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Elvenhome
Jan 6 2013, 3:14pm
Post #17 of 25
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The first wren song I ever learned was about a rat.
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When I was a kid we had a Burl Ives record with this song on it: Billy Barlow. It wasn't until thirty years later that I first heard about wren songs and realized that Billy Barlow was an American version of the Cutty Wren. Except that Billy and his friends Risky Rob, Robin, Bob, Dan'l and Joe are hunting a rat! Apparently it was misheard as it went across the Atlantic.
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"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(This post was edited by Aunt Dora Baggins on Jan 6 2013, 3:16pm)
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Annael
Elvenhome
Jan 6 2013, 4:19pm
Post #18 of 25
(637 views)
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here's my song for all of you. I'll be singing it at church soon, with Bill-of-the-Awesome-Bass-Voice.
The way we imagine our lives is the way we are going to go on living our lives.
- James Hillman, Healing Fiction
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Alassëa Eruvande
Doriath
Jan 6 2013, 5:59pm
Post #21 of 25
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Oooo, we had a wren get inside the house on Jan 5th!
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We were all over at Mr. Eruvande's brother's house watching the Cotton Bowl game. My b.i.l. opened the front door and a wren flew in from the porch. Much hilarity ensued for the next 15-20 minutes as we tried to help the little guy find his way out again. High ceilings are not helpful in this situation. So I guess you could say we had our own "wren hunt".
Happy New Year!
I am SMAUG! I kill when I wish! I am strong, strong, STRONG!
My armor is like tenfold shields! My teeth like swords! My claws, spears!
The shock of my tail, a thunderbolt! My wings, a hurricane! And my breath, death!
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Elvenhome
Jan 7 2013, 4:28am
Post #22 of 25
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I recorded my version of Cutty Wren to share with you.
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me playing the Cutty Wren
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"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Patty
Elvenhome
Jan 7 2013, 4:41am
Post #23 of 25
(588 views)
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Permanent address: Into the West
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Elvenhome
Jan 7 2013, 4:57am
Post #25 of 25
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Apparently it's traditional to bang staves on the ground while singing it.
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Sounds very dwarvish. But the harp mellows out everything.
By the way, did you hear the silly harp version I did of the Rankin Bass Hobbit songs? NE Brigand made a satirical suggestion that I should play 'Fifteen Birds in Five Fir Trees' and I threw it together along with a few other tunes. My daughter commented that those goblin songs didn't sound nearly as menacing when played on a harp. Me playing silly stuff on the harp
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"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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