Thursday, August 22, 2019

MYSTERY SONGS SOUGHT BY BUSH MUSIC CLUB




Sandra Nixon is tracking down some historical songsheets in the  BMC archives and has encountered a few puzzles for all the folksong sleuths out there. Sandra writes:

Bush Music Club Archives contains many treasures, including a collection of early songsheets, some issued by BMC, other collected & typed up by a very early member, Fran Shaw who sang these newly collected songs, lectured about them & taught them. Some sheets are dated (1956-1961), but most are undated.

All songsheets have been scanned & are posted in 5 blog articles. Foolscap pages will be scanned again by a member with an A3 scanner!

I've been trying to locate the book where Fran found the following songs mentioned in Part 3. I've looked through Ron Edwards's books & John Meredith's Folksongs of Australia, & asked around but no-one recognises these songs, or knows this early book of more than 281 pages.

Can anyone identify them, the author/s or the book?

Another Gundagai, page 7
Concertina Jack, page 76
The Immortal Dog, page 239
The Reformers, 
(about speakers in Sydney Domain, Billy Hughes is mentioned)  page 245
The Woolshed Ball, page 249
The Wedding at Willaroo, page 281

From the Archives - mixed Blessings of an Archivist - Mulga Wire, no.112, Singabout insert
http://bushmusicclub.blogspot.com/2018/11/from-archives-mixed-blessings-of.html

Fran Shaw's Songsheets - Part 1, Bush Music Club Song Sheets, dated 1956 & 1957, & undated  

Anniversaries - Bush Music Club's 2nd Anniversary, 1956 - Fran Shaw's Song Sheets, Part 2
http://bushmusicclub.blogspot.com/2019/01/anniversaries-bush-music-clubs-2nd.html
 

Fran Shaw's Songsheets, Part 3. Miscellaneous sets & papers (including the 6 mystery songs) 
https://bushmusicclub.blogspot.com/2019/08/fran-shaws -songsheets-part-3.html

Fran Shaw's Songsheets - Part 4. Camp Songs, Dept of Education, Phys Education Branch
http://bushmusicclub.blogspot.com/2019/08/fran-shaws-songsheets-part-4-camp-songs.html
 

Fran Shaw's Songsheets - Part 5, Talks on bush music

Sandra Nixon
Hon. Secretary, Archivist & Librarian
Bush Music Club Inc, Founded 1954
GPO Box 433, Sydney 2001
Website - http://www.bushmusic.org.au/
blog - http://bushmusicclub.blogspot.com.au/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw8v2tPRJ1LeTvoTKNnbC3w
Email - bmcmail1954@gmail.com