Soop's Extended Extension.

I'll sing it if I can find the words - have them somewhere

There's one I have not sung for a long time - but I did just now. Not very well.
There's more to it than I thought, and it's very old:

^"The four Marys were Mary, Queen of Scots' ladies-in-waiting, but these were Mary Seton, Mary Beaton, Mary Fleming and Mary Livingston. There was no Mary Carmichael but this popular song was believed to be relating to Mary, Queen of Scots until it was traced back to the court of the Tsar. The ballad dates between 1719 and 1764 and narrates the story of Mary Hamilton, a Scottish maid of Peter the Great's wife Catherine, who was executed for the murder of her illegitimate child, product of an affair with the Tsar Peter.
The two stories of Mary Hamilton and Mary, Queen of Scots were grafted onto each other."^

Why no italics?

Gagagran what are you playing tonight? Could we have some comfortable sophisticated jazzy stuff please.

AllieO The four Mary's as per Joan Baez?

I would put up with any amount of Rodgers and Hammerstein if I never had to sing the Military Wives Choir "Wherever you are." again!
Why does my first choir conductor keep making us sing it.

(Being greedy I do two choirs.)

How about some Lennon and McCartney?

Joan, yup.
Let's have some relaxing music then....jazz yes but something I know...

Soop. I am hoping that Torto has simply found love and is completely oblivious to time and remembering she has to eat. Not surprised Rory is now accepting kisses, he knows he is loved and adored.

I well remember that stage bags. 2 teenage DDs almost finished me off . But I feel sorry for them too at that age, still feeling childlike but know they should be acting more adult. Just keep breathing.

Lona. Enough said! I have two of the species you talk about. There have been ocassions I despair and they have my heart roasted, that's when I step back now 'til the dust has settled. I'll sit alongside you and we can relax and enjoy Gagagrans medley's. or bugger that! let's have a

I was obviously referring to,the flowers and not your medley's Gagagran

That's a good idea Agus, let's make them large!
Can you sing along to jazz? I feel like a a bit of a knees up if only

Here I am, fingers flexed, throat moistened with McSporran's excellent vino and my play list is exactly as requested starting with Rhapsody in Blue.

I have been practising my Oscar Peterson style jazz with a bit of Jules Holland interwoven and hope this is to the jazz fans' taste. I'll finish with a few traditional songs including Road to the Isles, a bit of Lennon and McCartney and maybe a Smoke Gets in Your Eyes improvisation number. Hope that suits. I'll do it as background music so you can all chat and enjoy refreshments too.

What a wonderful thing this virtual kitchen is. Soop is a genius to have started it! Thank you.

Off we go......................

Just had a thought - they were English crumpets. I think Scottish ones are different. Does that mean nobody here would eat them?

Icy Just bring 'em in and pile 'em high!

This extension is definitely getting an atmosphere that makes you want to linger long. I love background piano music. Had many an afternoon tea with piano playing gently as you unwind at the Manchester Midland which is just an expensive version of soop's place!

I love singing Lona. Would a few Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan numbers do? I'm not keen on the doowabbydabby type of jazz though!

I grew up listening to all the music you mention Gagagran and loved joining my parents singing along to two way family favourites or my Mother's favourite, Deanna Durban (sp) or Oh Mio Babino Caro.

Icy. I don't care what nationality your crumpets are as long as they have lashings of butter! Yum.

You really came up with a winner Soop when you opened up your kitchen.
It truly is a lovely place to visit.

"Play it" Gagagran

Alie that's the one. I remember Mary Seton and Mary Beaton et al. I think my friend's version carried on with ....Mary Carmichael and me
Thank you for the history of it, I thought it related to Mary Queen of Scots court.

The more I think about it, I think the haunting melody I remember was not that but something like 'The Tale of Glencoe'.

The background piano music is beautiful Gagagran.

Thanks dusty - the wine's not bad either! Just about to go into the short singalong section - so join in if you wish! Then I'll wind down with a medley of gentle golden oldies and afterwards hope I can join you round soop's fire to linger a while and scoff the smoked salmon sandwiches soop so kindly left for me. Bet Rory likes me tonight with my fishy treat!

Singing along......

Alie at school we sang. Last night there were three Mary's, tonight, there are but three, there was Mary Seaton and Mary Beaton and Mary Carmichael and me. We were told it referred to Mary Queen of Scots on the eve of her execution. I just believed what the music teacher told us so it's interesting to know their is another version of the story we were told.

One verse of it has "Mary Hamilton's borne a bairn to the highest Stewart in the land" (and separated it from its life with her little knife) so it has long ago been made to fit Mary Stewart's court, which had three Marys. Your music teacher had either bowderised it for school use, or had it bowdlerised for her when young and still believed that version.

We sang these songs at folk club and round the fire in student flats...I still have some just playable reel-to-reel tapes from the 60s!

Amazing amount of history in these old songs, but the stories get mixed just as a lot of oral history tales do, and there are always different versions of the songs.

I looked at 'The Road and the Miles to Dundee' and worked out that the pair probably walked from Forfar and in the early 1800s......

Sorry folks the music is making me sleepy so I shall just drowse off here......g'night.

I've closed the piano lid. That's me done for tonight! Need my sandwich and a cup of tea and a sit by the fire. Thanks for the craic! Might be back another night - if requested [cheers]

Yes of course. Singing about someone killing her baby would certainly not have been acceptable for young primary schoolgirls. Pretty sure my parents would have found that objectionable

I love "The road and the miles to Dundee", so douce and gentlemanly - escorting the young lady all the way to Dundee on a bitter winter night without "taking advantage" - unless of course that has been cleaned up too over the years! I like the tune too.

A lot of the old songs were first written down by Victorian lady poets, and sanitised on the way.

We should put in requests for Gagagran to play.

For starters "As time goes by"
"Non je ne regrette rien!"

Come on lets get a playlist for tomorrow night.