Country Gardens facts for kids
"Country Gardens" is a very old English folk tune. It's famous for being used in Morris dancing, which is a traditional English folk dance. The tune became well-known thanks to musicians like William Kimber and Percy Grainger.
The Tune's History
The "Country Gardens" tune is quite old! We can trace it back to at least 1728. A version of the tune appeared in a play called Quaker's Opera by Thomas Walker. This play was a funny copy of another popular play, The Beggar's Opera.
Later, in 1906, a folk music expert named Cecil Sharp wrote down the tune after hearing William Kimber play it. William Kimber was a traditional musician who had been playing "Country Gardens" for Morris dancers since the 1800s. You can even find Cecil Sharp's notes about the song online today! William Kimber was recorded playing the tune on his concertina in 1948.
The tune was used for Morris dances in many Cotswold villages. Different versions were collected from places like "Bampton in the Bush", "Field Town" (from Leafield), "Headington", and "Longborough".
Percy Grainger's Version
The Australian composer and folk music collector Percy Grainger helped make "Country Gardens" even more popular. He arranged the tune for piano in 1918.
Even though it's a simple tune, it became Grainger's most famous work. Because of this, "Country Gardens" was added to the Australian National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia list in 2008. The tune, especially Grainger's arrangement for piano and orchestra, is still a favorite for school orchestras to play.
Popular Songs and Parodies
Many artists have used the "Country Gardens" tune in their own songs and parodies.
- The old satirical song "The Vicar of Bray" from the 1700s uses this tune.
- Pop singer Jimmie F. Rodgers sang a version called "English Country Garden". It became a hit in the UK in June 1962, reaching Number 5 on the charts.
- Comedian Allan Sherman used the melody for his 1963 song, ""Here's to the Crabgrass"".
- The American jazz musician Charlie Parker and his band often played a short part of the tune at the end of their songs.
- The video game Weird Dreams uses the song when players are in an area called "Country Garden".
- In Jeff Minter's computer game Hover Bovver, a version of "Country Gardens" plays as background music.
- Danish musician Kim Larsen wrote Danish words for the tune, calling it "Kongens have" (which means "The King's Garden"). This song is also well-known through another Danish musician, Flemming Jørgensen.
See also
- Radio 4 UK Theme
