The Voice of the People facts for kids

The Voice of the People is a special collection of traditional folk songs. It features recordings of singers and musicians from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

This series was first released in 1998. It had 20 CDs and was put together by Dr Reg Hall from Sussex University. Later, more collections were added in 2012 and 2013. In 2016, two more albums were released. These focused on the music of Irish people living in London from the 1950s until today.

Discovering Folk Music Stars

Before the 1950s and 60s, many traditional singers and musicians were only famous in their own towns. Most people outside their communities did not know about them. But then, collectors started traveling with portable tape recorders. They recorded these amazing artists. Some musicians recorded enough songs for a whole album. Others are known for just a few special songs.

The people featured in this collection usually had working-class jobs. They were not professional musicians in the way we think of them today. Sometimes, singers used old song books or printed song sheets. But most of their songs were passed down by oral tradition. This means they learned the songs by listening to others and remembering them. This collection is like the UK's version of the famous Anthology of American Folk Music by Harry Smith.

What People Thought of the Collection

Many people loved The Voice of the People series. Brian Peters, a writer for Roots World, called it "the crème de la crème of Britain's traditional singers and musicians." This means he thought it was the very best. Veteran Records said it was "the greatest set of CDs of English, Irish and Scottish singing and music ever produced."

This album is also mentioned in a special book. The book celebrates 70 years of Topic Records. It lists The Voice of the People as one of their classic records. Two songs from the series, Creeping Jane and The Nut Dance, are even featured on a special anniversary CD.

A Look at the Songs

The collection is divided into different series and volumes. Each volume often focuses on a certain theme or type of music. The songs are listed by the titles the singers used. But sometimes, these songs are known by other names too. The notes for each song often include numbers from folk song indexes. These include the Roud Folk Song Index, Child Ballad Numbers, and Laws Numbers. These numbers help researchers find and identify different versions of the same song.

First Series: A Journey Through Traditional Life

The first series has 20 CDs. Each CD explores a different part of traditional life and music. Here are some examples of the themes you can find:

• Volume 1: Come Let Us Buy the Licence - Songs about falling in love and getting married.
• Volume 2: My Ship Shall Sail the Ocean - Songs about the sea, storms, sailors, and fishermen.
• Volume 3: O’er His Grave the Grass Grew Green - Sad songs and tragic stories.
• Volume 4: Farewell, My Own Dear Native Land - Songs about leaving home and moving to other places.
• Volume 5: Come All My Lads That Follow the Plough - Songs about the lives of working people in the countryside.
• Volume 6: Tonight I'll Make You My Bride - More songs about love, both true and false.
• Volume 7: First I'm Going To Sing You a Ditty - Fun songs and lively tunes from rural areas.
• Volume 8: A Story I'm Just About To Tell - Songs about local events and big national issues.
• Volume 9: Rig-A-Jig-Jig - Dance music from the south of England. This volume features instruments like the concertina, fiddle, and melodeon.
• Volume 10: Who's That at my Bedroom Window? - Songs about love and romantic meetings.
• Volume 11: My Father's the King of the Gypsies - Songs from English and Welsh Travellers and Gypsies.
• Volume 12: We've Received Orders to Sail - More songs about sailors at sea and on land.
• Volume 13: They Ordered Their Pints of Beer & Bottle of Sherry - Songs about the good and bad sides of drinking.
• Volume 14: Troubles They Are But Few - More dance tunes and short, fun songs.
• Volume 15: As Me and My Love Sat Courting - Even more songs about love, dating, and marriage.
• Volume 16: You Lazy Lot of Boneshakers - Songs and dance tunes related to seasonal events and celebrations.
• Volume 17: It Fell on a Day, a Bonny Summer Day - Longer story-songs called ballads.
• Volume 18: To Catch a Fine Buck Was My Delight - Songs about hunting and poaching.
• Volume 19: Ranting & Reeling - Dance music from the north of England.
• Volume 20: There is a Man Upon the Farm - Songs about working men and women.

A special album called The Voice of the People – A Selection from the Series of Anthologies was also released in 1998. It includes one song from each of the first twenty volumes.

Second Series: New Discoveries

A second series was released in 2012. It had four volumes and seven CDs. These were put together by Shirley Collins, Steve Roud, and Rod Stradling. Some of the albums in this series include:

• TSCD671 You Never Heard So Sweet: Songs by Southern English Traditional Singers. This album features songs from singers in southern England.
• TSCD672D I’m a Romany Rai: Songs by Southern English Gypsy Traditional Singers. This two-CD set focuses on songs from Gypsy singers in southern England. It includes recordings of Phoebe Smith and Caroline Hughes and her family.
• TSCD673T Good People, Take Warning: Ballads by British and Irish Traditional Singers. This three-CD set, chosen by Steve Roud, features many different ballads from across Britain and Ireland.
• TSCD674 Sarah Makem: The Heart Is True. This album is all about the songs of Sarah Makem, chosen by Rod Stradling.

Third Series: Old Recordings Brought to Life

In 2013, a third series was released. It had four albums, including six CDs and one DVD. These albums featured old recordings made by Peter Kennedy. Dr Reg Hall selected the songs for this series. Some of the albums include:

• Good Humour for the Rest of the Night: A Selection of Dance Music in Northumberland and Cumberland. This album is full of dance music from northern England. It features instruments like the fiddle, piccolo, Jew's harp, and melodeon.
• The Barley Mow – Field Recordings and a Film Made in Suffolk. This album includes a CD of songs and a DVD with a film. The recordings were made in Suffolk in the 1950s. The film shows live performances in a pub called the Ship Inn in Blaxhall.
• The Flax in Bloom: Traditional Songs, Airs & Dance Music in Ulster. This three-CD set has recordings from 1952 and 1953. It includes a mix of dance tunes and songs from Fermanagh and Donegal. It also has a special CD with recordings of Travelling People, all singing without instruments.
• Orkney - Traditional Dance Music From Orkney. This album features instrumental music from the Orkney Islands.

Fourth Series: London-Irish Music

On March 16, 2016, Topic Records released two more albums in the series. These albums celebrate the traditional music of the 'London-Irish' community. Reg Hall put these collections together. They include rare recordings from Topic Records' own archives, the Peter Kennedy archive, and many private collections. The albums are:

• It was mighty - This album covers the early days of Irish music in London.
• It was great altogether - This album looks at how the Irish music tradition continued in London.