Sixteenth Century Ballads: A work in progress

.. neither is there anie tune or stroke which may be sung or plaide on instruments, which hath not some poetical ditties framed according to the numbers thereof: some to Rogero, some to Trenchmore, ... to Galliardes, to Pavines, to Iygges, to Brawles, to all manner of tunes which everie Fidler knowes better then myself.'

William Webbe, Discourse of English Poetrie, 1586

Introduction

Details about the key sources can be found in the bibliography of early music materials; Livingston and Simpson are excellent secondary sources, while transcriptions of the words to the ballads are found in sources such as Collmann and Lilly, which were printed in the Victorian era.

The work so far:

• Status of the project
• The Music of the Sixteenth Century Broadside Ballad (an incomplete article)
• The database, taken from Livingston and Simpson
• Transcriptions:
  • The Shirburn Ballads (transcription underway at www.pgdp.net.)
  • Collmann Ballads and Broadsides chiefly Of the Elizabethan Period (partial)
  • Rollins (ed.) A Handful of Pleasant Delights (partial)
  • Lilly A Collection of Seventy-Nine Black-letter Ballads and Broadsides (partial)
  • Thomas Deloney's Works (full facsimile, partial transcription)
    • Thomas Deloney's Strange Histories (1602, complete, with images)
    • Thomas Deloney's Garland of good Will (1631, complete)
• A short note on Sixteenth Century Child ballads
• A longer article about Early Child Ballads
• Ballads from non-English cultures
• Class handout for a 50 minute class on this subject (Taught at A&S Tourney)

Related on-line materials:

• Roud Folk Song Index (mostly more modern info) (use the search box)
• Early Modern Center English Ballad Archive, 1500-1800
• (Bodleian) Broadside Ballads Online and the allegro catalogue (25 16th century ballads, almost all religious)
• The Music of Thomas Ravenscroft (1609, 1611, mostly rounds, a few ballads)
• Bruce Olson's Ballad Info (much info on 17c ballads, including a list and tunes. Some pre-1600 material, you have to dig for it.)
• The Traditional Ballad Index (but beware their attributions, they aren't very rigorous)
• Early 17th Century Ballads
• Early American Secular Music and Its European Sources (1589-1839)
• National Library of Scotland Ballad Collection (1650+)

Online Books

• Old English ballads, 1553-1625, chiefly from MSS by Rollins, Hyder Edward, 1889-1958
• An Elizabethan garland; being a descriptive catalogue of seventy black-letter ballads, printed between the years 1559 and 1597. In the possession of George Daniel by Daniel, George, 1789-1864
• The early naval ballads of England (vol 2) by Halliwell-Phillipps, J. O. (James Orchard), 1820-1889
• A collection of songs and ballads relative to the London prentices and trades; and to the affairs of London generally: during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries by Mackay, Charles, 1814-1889
• A handful of pleasant delights, containing sundry new sonnets and delectable histories in divers kinds of metre &c. 1584. (ed. by Edward Arber, 1878.)
• A Book of Old English Ballads (lyrics, but no source information!)
• Catalogue of a collection of printed broadsides in the possession of the Society of Antiquaries of London
• The Roxburghe ballads, 1871 edition, (vol 1, vol 2, vol 5, vol 6, pt.1-2, vol 6, pt.3-4, vol 7, vol 8, pt.2) by Chappell, W. (William), 1809-1888
• The Roxburghe ballads, 1873 edition (vol 1, vol 2 by Hindley, Charles, d. 1893
• Roxburghe ballads, 1873 edition (vol 1, vol 2) by Hindley, Charles, d. 1893
• A book of Roxburghe ballads by Collier, John Payne, 1789-1883 (another copy)
• The Shirburn ballads, 1585-1616 by Clark, Andrew, 1856-1922. (see above for transcription)
• Popular music of the olden time: a collection of ancient songs, ballads, and dance tunes, illustrative of the national music of England: with short introductions to the different reigns, and notices of the airs from writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: also a short account of the minstrels (vol 1, vol 2) ) by Chappell, W. (William), 1809-1888 and Macfarren, G. A. (George Alexander), Sir, 1813-1887
• Popular Music Of The Olden Time (Dover edition, vol 1 of 2)
• A Transcript of the Registers of the Company of Stationers of London; 1554-1640 A.D.
• The records of the Worshipful company of stationers (a paper given in 1881)
• Extracts From The Registers Of The Stationers Company by J. Payne Collier
• Extracts From The Registers Of The Stationers Company by J. Payne Collier
• Early English poetry, ballads, and popular literature of the middle ages. Ed. from original manuscripts and scarce publications, 1840 edition?, (vol 1, 1 again, 1 again, vol 2, 2 again, vol 5, vol 6, vol 7, vol 8, 8 again, vol 9, vol 11, vol 12, 12 again, vol 13, vol 14, vol 15, vol 16, vol 17, 17 again, 17 again, vol 18, 18 again, vol 19, vol 20, vol 21, 21 again, vol 22, vol 23, 23 again, vol 24, vol 25, 25 again, vol 26, vol 27, 27 again, vol 28, 28 again, vol 29, vol 30, 30 again, vol 31) J. Payne Collier, ed.
• Bishop Percy's folio manuscript : ballads and romances, 1867 edition (vol 1, vol 2, vol 3) by Percy, Thomas, 1729-1811 and Hales, John W. (John Wesley), 1836-1914 and Furnivall, Frederick James, 1825-1910
• Bishop Percy's folio manuscript. Ballads and romances, 1868 edition (vol 2, vol 3) by Percy, Thomas, 1729-1811 and British Museum. Mss. (Additional 27, 879) and Hales, John W. (John Wesley), 1836-1914 and Furnivall, Frederick James, 1825-1910
• Folio of Old English ballads and romances, 1905 edition (vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4) by Percy, Thomas, 1729-1811 and Furnivall, Frederick James, 1825-1910 and Hales, John W. (John Wesley), 1836-1914
• Percy's reliques of ancient English poetry (reprint of 1906 edition) (vol 1) by Percy, Thomas, 1729-1811
• Reliques of ancient English poetry: consisting of old heroic ballads, songs, and other pieces of our earlier poets; together with some few of later date. Reprinted entire from the author's last ed. With memoir and critical dissertation by George Gilfilla, 1858 edition (vol 1, vol 2, vol 3) by Percy, Thomas, 1729-1811 and Gilfillan, George, 1813-1878
• Reliques of ancient English poetry: consisting of old heroic ballads, songs, and other pieces of our earlier poets, together with some few of later date, 1876 edition (vol 1, vol 2, vol 2 again?, vol 3) by Percy, Thomas, 1729-1811 and Wheatley, Henry Benjamin, 1838-1917
• Reliques of ancient English poetry consisting of old heroic ballads, songs and other pieces of our earlier poets, together with some few of later date (1857 edition) by Percy, Thomas, 1729-1811 and Willmott, Robert Aris, 1809-1863
• Reliques of ancient English poetry, consisting of old heroic ballads, songs, etc (1887 edition) by Percy, Thomas, 1729-1811 and Walford, Edward, 1823-1897
• Remains of the early popular poetry of England; collected and edited, with introductions and notes (vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4) by Hazlitt, William Carew, 1834-1913
• Shorter Elizabethan poems by Arber, Edward, 1836-1912 and Bullen, A. H. (Arthur Henry), 1857-1920 and Seccombe, Thomas, 1866-1923
• Kemp's Nine days wonder. Tarlton's jests, with A pretty new ballad, entitled The crow sits upon the wall. Introductory notes by J.P. Feather by Kemp, William, fl. 1600 and Tarlton, Richard, d. 1588. Crowe sits upon the wall. 1972
• Robert Laneham's letter : describing a part of the entertainment unto Queen Elizabeth at the castel of Kenilworth in 1575 by Laneham, Robert, fl. 1575.
• Lyrics from the song-books of the Elizabethan Age by Bullen, A. H. (Arthur Henry), 1857-1920.
• PR1207 .B86 More lyrics from the song-books of the Elizabethan age by Bullen, A. H. (Arthur Henry), 1857-1920
• The choise of Valentines : or, themerie ballad of Nash his dildo by Nash, Thomas, 1567-1601 and Farmer, John Stephen, 1845?-1915?
• An English garner: ingatherings from our history and literature, 1845 edition, (vol 2, vol 5, vol 6)
• An English garner: ingatherings from our history and literature, 1877 edition, (vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4, vol 5, vol 6, vol 7, vol 8) by Arber, Edward, 1836-1912.
• An English garner; ingatherings from our history and literature, 1877 edition, (vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 3 again, vol 4, vol 5, vol 6, vol 7) by Arber, Edward, 1836-1912
• An English garner; ingatherings from our history and literature, 1903 edition, (vol 1, vol 8, vol 9, vol 10, vol 11, vol 12) by Arber, Edward, 1836-1912
• An English garner; ingatherings from our history and literature, 1909 edition, (vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4, vol 5, vol 6, vol 7, vol 8) by Arber, Edward, 1836-1912
• An English garner: short Elizabethan poems by Seccombe, Thomas
• Tudor tracts, 1532-1588 : an English garner by Pollard, A. F. (Albert Frederick), 1869-1948 and Arber, Edward, 1836-1912 and Seccombe, Thomas, 1866-1923
• An analytical catalogue of the contents of the two editions of "An English garner," compiled by Edward Arber, 1877-97, and rearranged under the editorship of Thomas Seccombe, 1903-04 by John Rylands Library, Manchester and Arber, Edward, 1836-1912
• Elizabethan Lyrics From The Original Texts by Norman Ault
• DA20 .C17 The Political Songs of England, From the Reign of John to that of Edward II. by Camden Society (Great Britain)
• Tudor and Stuart love songs; by Briscoe, John Potter, 1848-1926
• PR1184 .B7 1908R Tudor and Stuart love songs; New ed., with additions by Briscoe, John Potter, 1848-1926
• PR1191 .C6 1868R A compendious book of Psalms and spiritual songs, commonly known as "The gude and godlie ballates." Reprinted from the edition of 1578 by Wedderburn, John, 1500?-1556 and Wedderburn, James, 1495?-1553 and Wedderburn, Robert, ca. 1510-ca. 1557 and Laing, David, 1793-1878
• PR1203 .A7 English songs; Dunbar and his times, 1401-1508 A.D (vol 1) by Arber, Edward, 1836-1912
• PR1205 .S66 1800a Songs and sonnets of the Earl of Surrey by Surrey, Henry Howard, Earl of, 1517?-1547.
• PR1207 .G37 Elizabethan songs "in honour of love and beautie", collected and illustrated by Edmund H. Garrett, with an introd. by Andrew Lang by Garrett, Edmund Henry, 1853-1929
• PR1207 .P64 The Poets of the Elizabethan age. A selection of their most celebrated songs and sonnets
• PR2384 .T5A64 Epitaphes, epigrams, songs, and sonets, with a discourse of the friendly affections of Tymetes to Pyndara his ladie. Newly corrected with additions and set out by George Turbervile, gentleman. Anno Domini 1567 by Turberville, George, 1540?-1610?
• PR2842 .I5 Songs from the plays of Shakespeare. With initials and borders illuminated by Edith A. Ibbs by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 and Ibbs, Edith A
• PR2848 .A2P3 1887R Songs and sonnets. Edited by F.T. Palgrave by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 and Palgrave, Francis Turner, 1824-1897
• PR2888 .L6 A list of all the songs & passages in Shakspere which have been set to music by Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616
• PR3034 .M6 1920R Shakespeare: his music and song by Moncur-Sime, A. H
• The Poets of the Elizabethan age. A selection of their most celebrated songs and sonnets
• Selected poems [by] Robert Southwell; Pastorals and sonnets [by] Henry Constable; Songs, sonnets, etc. [by] William Drummond by Southwell, Robert, Saint, 1561?-1595 and Constable, Henry, 1562-1613 and Drummond, William, 1585-1649
• Naval Songs And Ballads (a few pre-1600 ballads)
• Songes and Sonettes, ed. by Richard Tottel (1557)
• PR1205 .T6 1897R Miscellany. Songes and sonettes by Tottel, Richard, d. 1594 and Surrey, Henry Howard, Earl of, 1517?-1547 and Wyatt, Thomas, Sir, 1503?-1542 and Grimald, Nicholas, 1519-1562
• Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England (1857), also available as a large ftp file) (mostly post-1600)
• The Caxton club scrap-book; early English verses, 1250-1650 by Cheney, John Vance, 1848-1922
• A Ballade of the Scottyshe Kynge, by John Skelton
• A ballade of the Scottysshe kynge. Reproduced in facsim. with an historical and bibliographical introd. by John Ashton by Skelton, John, 1460?-1529 and Ashton, John, b. 1834
• The earliest known printed English ballad. A ballade of the Scottysshe kynge by Skelton, John, 1460?-1529 and Ashton, John, b. 1834
• Ballads from manuscripts (vol 1, vol 2) by London. Ballad Society and Furnivall, Frederick James, 1825-1910
• Ancient Scottish poems, never before in print. But now published from the Ms. collections of Sir Richard Maitland, of Lethington, knight (vol 1, vol 2) by Pinkerton, John, 1758-1826 and Pepys Library. Mss and Maitland, Richard, (Sir) 1496-1586
• Political poems and songs relating to English history, composed during the period from the accession of Edw. III. to that of Ric. III. Edited by Thomas Wright (vol 1, vol 2) by Wright, Thomas, 1810-1877
• Patriotic song: a book of English verse: being an anthology of the patriotic poetry of the British Empire from the defeat of the Spanish Armada till the death of Queen Victoria by Megaw, Arthur Stanley, 1872-
• Some old French and English ballads by Steele, Robert W and Eragny Press (1905) bkp CU-BANC and Pissarro, Lucien, 1863-1944 and Pissarro, Esther
• Ballads: romantic, fantastical, and humorous by Ainsworth, William Harrison, 1805-1882 and Crichton, James, 1560-1585? and Gilbert, John, Sir, 1817-1897, ill
• National ballad and song. Merry songs and ballads, prior to the year A.D. 1800 (vol 1) by Farmer, John Stephen, 1845?-1915?
• Merry songs and ballads, prior to the year A.D. 1800 (vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4, vol 5), by Farmer, John Stephen, 1845?-1915?
• Ultonian hero-ballads collected in the highlands and western isles of Scotland: from the year 1516, and at successive periods till 1870 by Maclean, Hector
• The medieval popular ballad by Steenstrup, Johannes C. H. R. (Johannes Christoffer Hagemann Reinhardt), 1844-1935 and Cox, Edward Godfrey, 1876-1963 (another copy)
• Scottish poetry of the sixteenth century .. by Eyre-Todd, George, 1862-1937
• Elizabethan songs "in honour of love and beautie." by Garrett, Edmund Henry, 1853-1929 and Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912
• Ballads of Romance and Chivalry: Popular Ballads of the Olden Times - First Series by Sidgwick, Frank
• Ballads of Mystery and Miracle and Fyttes of Mirth: Popular Ballads of the Olden Times - Second Series by Sidgwick, Frank
• Ballads of Scottish Tradition and Romance: Popular Ballads of the Olden Times - Third Series by Various
• Ballads and poems illustrating English history by Sidgwick, Frank
• Ballads and poems illustrating English history by Sidgwick, Frank
• Old ballads by Sidgwick, Frank
• Early English and Scottish poetry, 1250-1600 by Fitzgibbon, H. Macaulay (Henry Macaulay), 1855-1942
• English and Scottish ballads, 1857 edition, by Child, Francis James, 1825-1896 (vol 2, vol 3)
• English and Scottish ballads, 1860 edition, by Child, Francis James, 1825-1896 vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4, vol 5, vol 6, vol 7, vol 8)
• The English and Scottish popular ballads, 1882 edition by Child, Francis James, 1825-1896 and Kittredge, George Lyman, 1860-1941 (vol 1, part 1, vol 1, part 2, vol 2, part 1, vol 2, part 2, vol 3, part 1, vol 3, part 2, vol 4, part 1, vol 4, part 2, vol 5, part 1, vol 5, part 2)
• The English and Scottish popular ballads, 1882 edition, by Child, Francis James, 1825-1896 and Kittredge, George Lyman, 1860-1941 (vol 1, vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 3, vol 3, vol 4, vol 4, vol 5)
• English and Scottish popular ballads; by Child, Francis James, 1825-1896 and Sargent, Helen Child and Kittredge, George Lyman, 1860-1941
• Ancient songs and ballads, from the reign of King Henry the Second to the revolution (vol 1) by Ritson, Joseph, 1752-1803 and Frank, Joseph, fl. 1780-1830
• Ancient songs and ballads from the reign of King Henry the Second to the Revolution. 3d ed. carefully rev. by W. Carew Hazlitt (vol 2) by Ritson, Joseph, 1752-1803 and Hazlitt, William Carew, 1834-1913
• Robin Hood: a collection of all the ancient poems, songs, and ballads, now extant, relative to that celebrated English outlaw: to which are prefixed historical anecdotes of his life, 1820 edition, by Ritson, Joseph, 1752-1803 and McCreery, John, 1768-1832 (another copy)
• Robin Hood: a collection of all the ancient poems, songs, and ballads, now extant relative to that celebrated English outlaw. To which are prefixed historical anecdotes of his life, 1832 edition (vol 1, vol 1 again, vol 2, vol 2 again) by Ritson, Joseph, 1752-1803 and Frank, Joseph, fl. 1780-1830 and Bewick, Thomas, 1753-1828, ill
• Robin Hood: a collection of all the ancient poems, songs, and ballads, now extant, relative to that celebrated English outlaw. To which are prefixed historical anecdotes of his life, 1885 edition, by Ritson, Joseph, 1752-1803 and Frank, Joseph, fl.1780-1830, ill and Bewick, Thomas, 1753-1828, ill
• Robin Hood: a collection of all the ancient poems, songs and ballads, now extant, relative to that celebrated English outlaw, 1887 edition, (vol 1, vol 2) by Ritson, Joseph, 1752-1803 and Frank, Joseph, fl. 1780-1830 and Bewick, Thomas, 1753-1828

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