Introduction

Deborah Donner writes...
"I remember many of the songs from ‘The Pennine Way’ Including all three verses from ‘The song of the Pendle Witches’. I also remember a set of sea themed songs which included ‘Shenandoah’ and ‘Heave, heave away’ and one booklet called ‘The Bluebird Line’ which was my favourite. If you do ever locate these booklets – please do let me know, I would dearly love to see them again!"

Music Workshop Stage I
A series of broadcasts provided by the BBC for the School Broadcasting Council for the United Kingdom. The two series (below) were written and produced by William Murphy.

"In our junior school there was a radio receiver in the headmaster/secretary's room which fed a network of speakers in the classrooms. To listen to a programme, the teacher plugged the speaker into the wall socket and the whole class could then play the instruments when prompted by the broadcaster."

	Don Carlos the Brave (Autumn 1968) Don Carlos can be seen in the foreground, playing his guitar. "Come on Don Carlos, give us some music for we are in our places. Strike up the rhythm of the bolero and we will try to follow..." Songs included: The Troubadour, Cavalry Mouse, The Last Straw, Bolero, Hickory Dickory Dock, Jesus and the Troubadour.
	The Island People (Summer 1969): An Irish sequence of music and poetry by Seamus Heaney. Music by Gerard Victory. Songs included: Ceili on the Deck, The Oarsmen's Song, The Basket-Maker's Song, Neddy, The Dealer.

The Island People

This theme was about the people of the Isle of Arran.

The Basket-Maker's Song:

The up-rights are sharpen'd, pegged straight in the ground.
I pick forty rods, here's how they're stuck round.

The up-rights are sharpen'd, pegged straight in the ground.
I pick forty rods, here's how they're stuck round.

Four twos for each side, three twos for each end.
Four threes for the corners where all the rods bend.

Three O'clock Grandad This was all about a grandfather clock that would only strike three. The children Peter and Jill try to give the clock away, but finally realise it is a unique timepiece which belongs at home rather than anywhere else. The songs and verse combine with the illustrations in the booklet to tell the story as it unfolds. I think there would have been more explanation of the story in the book, but here are some of the words to the songs which were copied down at the time...

Eb-en-e-zer Bar-tho-lo-mew Browne

My name's Eb-en-e-zer Bar-tho-lo-mew Browne
Any odd jobs! Any work to-day?
I'll do any odd job for just half-a-crown.
What, carry a clock of such fame and renown.
Yes, Three O'clock Grandad I'll lift and carry
right up to the top of the hill.

'Please carry this clock' said young Peter and Jill
Any odd jobs! Any work to-day?
To the Fishmonger Sprat at the top of the hill
You'll need all your strength
and you'll need all of your skill.
Yes, Three O'clock Grandad I'll lift and carry
right up to the top of the hill.

So up the steep hill to the Fishmonger's shop
Any odd jobs! Any work to-day?
I puffed and I staggered till reaching the top
and not for a moment did I ever stop.
Yes! Three O'clock Grandad I'll lift and carry
right up to the top of the hill.

At the Fishmongers...

When through his shop window the fishmonger spied,
Ebenezer Bartholomew Browne, he helped him to
carry his burden inside, in a corner they set the clock down.

When shopping for herring or kippers or cod
or other fine fish for their tea,
the customers found it exceedingly odd,
when old Three O'clock Grandad struck three.

Now nobody knows just how true it might be
nor why it should happen to Sprat,
but people stopped buying his fish for their tea
and the reason they gave him was that:

When shopping for herring or kippers or cod
or other fine fish for their tea,
the customers found it exceedingly odd,
when old Three O'clock Grandad struck three.

The fishmonger puzzled and scratched at his head
and found that a good answer was
to give the old clock to the blacksmith instead.
He decided to do this because:

When shopping for herring or kippers or cod
or other fine fish for their tea,
the customers found it exceedingly odd,
when old Three O'clock Grandad struck three.

Eb-en-e-zer Bar-tho-lo-mew Browne

Eb-en-e-zer, you'll climb once again the steep slope
Such children as Peter and Jill,
would love to see Three O'clock Grandad I hope
in the school at the top of the hill.

At the School...

At school they had such an awful shock
When the clock arrived for all to see.
Oh! What have we here? A Grandfather clock.
The teacher looked at it wond'ringly.
No, no. Oh, no!
This fine old clock may be very bold,
but school is for those who're not so old.

The grand old clock in the schoolroom stood
and the class looked on admiringly.
Oh Jill, said the teacher, you never should
dispose of a clock of pedigree.
No, no. Oh, no!
A clock so old, I hope you'll see,
may well be a clock of pedigree!

A fine old clock is a joy to all
It'll serve the family faithfully
and striking three's what I would call
a sign of reliability.
No, no. Oh, no!
For striking three can only be a sign of reliability.

A Clock of Distinction and Character

A clock of distinction and character
and character, and character.
A clock of distinction and character,
a wonderful time piece is he.

A clock that strikes one, two, three, four or five,
three, four or five, three, four or five.
A clock that strikes one, two, three, four or five
Is useful for telling the time.

But one that strikes nothing but three is rare,
but three is rare, but three is rare.
But one that strikes nothing but three is rare,
and worth many hundreds of pounds.

Oh, Three O' clock Grandad is striking three,
is striking three, is striking three.
Oh, Three O'clock Grandad is striking three,
he's glad to be home once again.

And some more lyrics remembered by Clive Zietman:

"Whatever the hour and whatever the day
Whatever the time of the year
Old Three O'clock Grandad would always strike three,
would strike three, would strike three
Three O'clock Grandad is striking again."

The National Arts Education Archive Database provides the following references:

Institution BBC Radio for Schools

Title Music workshop stage 1; three o'clock grandad

Notes Includes notes for the teacher. Series written and produced by William Murphy

Date 1968 Classmark BHPMMU00227

Date 1969 Classmark BHPMMU00228

Title Music workshop stage 1; the wild west

Date 1970 Classmark BHPMBK00125

Title Music workshop stage 1; the bluebird line

Date 1970 Classmark BHPMMU00229

Notes Includes teachers notes. Series written and produced by William Murphy and Douglas Coombes

The Violin-Maker: Music Workshop Stage I: BBC Radio for Schools, Summer Term 1970

Music Workshop Stage II
Twm Shon Catti

I can't recall any songs from this series.

The Pennine Way

[With thanks to Deborah Donner for remembering these]

The song of the Pendle Witches

We crouch on Pendle Hill
When all the moors are still
We feed on roots and moory moss and shale
We weave our spells of spite
All through the creeping night
Then skip and dance like scarecrows in a gale.

Oh we’re all skin and bones
We’re bony looking crones
Like bony cats we bare our teeth and grin
We’re crones in rotting rags
We’re haggard looking hags
And jugs of sour moonlight keep us thin

And we make wicked charms
For churches homes and farms
With beetles woody worms and mouldy clay
And certain misty spells
Are meant to haunt the fells
And lead the Pennine climbers - all astray!

Hadrian's Song

Oh, Hadrian was an emperor
With laurels for a crown
He walked the length of Pennine lands with one long roman frown.
He led his gleaming legions north
by peak and moor and ghyll
For the Picts of Caledonia were plundering their fill.

Oh Hadrian was an emperor
Who braved the madding thrall
He marched a hundred roman miles
To build a roman wall
And stone and stone was laid on stone
From Tyne to Solway Firth
(words not known)
(words not known) his worth.

* updated 25/05/08

Another Shore/Paris Under Gaslight

Nicolette on her way to market

Nicolette on her way to market
Walking along the ‘Grand Boulevard’
Everyone there is glad to see her
All say ‘bonjour’ whoever they are.

“Bonjour Nicolette, comment ça va?”
“Oh ça va bien merci.
Il fait beau temps, le ciel est bleu,
Ça va très bien merci.”

References

The National Arts Education Archive Database provides the following references:
Institution BBC Radio for Schools

Title Music workshop stage 2; December fair

Date 1969 Classmark BHPMBK00218

Notes: Series written and produced by William Murphy. Music composed and arranged by Michael Jessett. Includes teachers notes. Autumn term

Title Music workshop stage 2; Twm shon cati

Date 1970 Classmark BHPMBK00219

Title Music workshop stage 2; The Pennine way

Date 1971 Classmark BHPMBK00220

Title Music workshop stage 2; Paris under gaslight

Date 1972 Classmark BHPMBK00221

Notes: Series written and produced by William Murphy. Spring, summer and autumn terms. Includes teachers notes

William Appleby died in 1973.





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