In our 16th programme Lance reads one poem by each of the second generation of English Romantic poets: Keats’s ‘To Autumn’; Shelley’s ‘The Cloud’; Byron’s ‘She Walks in Beauty’; and Clare’s ‘Decay’.
Download: Programme 16
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In our 15th programme Lance reads four poems by the first generation of English Romantic poets: Wordsworth’s ‘Daffodils’ and an extract from ‘The Prelude’; and Coleridge’s ‘Kubla Khan’ and ‘My Baptismal Birth-day’.
The short poem ‘Daffodils’ is from Bad Bad Cats, (c) Roger McGough 1997.
Download: Programme 15
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In our 14th programme Lance reads one longer poem: ST Coleridge’s ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, the most famous literary ballad in English poetry.
Download: Programme 14
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In our 13th programme Lance reads four Ballads, and there is one traditional song. The song is ‘The Ballad of Barbara Allen’. The traditional Ballads are ‘Sir Patrick Spens’ and ‘Get up and Bar the Door’. The literary Ballads are John Keats’ ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ and Charles Causley’s ‘Ballad of the Bread Man’.
Acknowledgements
‘Ballad of the Bread Man’ by Charles Causley is recorded by kind permission of the copyright holders’ agents, David Higham Associates.
Download: Programme 13
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The Ballad of Barbara Allen
In Scarlet Town where I was born
There was a fair maid dwelling,
Made every youth cry ‘Well-a-day’;
Her name was Barbara Allen.
All in the merry month of May
When green buds they were swelling,
Young Jemmy Grove on his deathbed lay
For love of Barbara Allen.
He sent his man unto her then
To the town where she was dwelling.
‘You must come to my master dear,
If your name be Barbara Allen.’
So slowly, slowly she came up,
And slowly she came nigh him.
And all she said when there she came:
‘Young man, I think you’re dying.’
He turned his face unto her straight,
With deadly sorrow sighing:
‘O lovely maid, come pity me;
I’m on my deathbed lying.’
‘If on your deathbed you do lie,
What needs the tale you’re telling?
I cannot keep you from your death.
Farewell,’ said Barbara Allen.
When he was dead and laid in grave,
Her heart was struck with sorrow.
‘O mother, mother, make my bed,
For I shall die tomorrow.’
‘Farewell,’ she said, ‘ye virgins all,
And shun that fault I fell in.
Henceforth take warning by the fall
Of cruel Barbara Allen.’
In our 12th programme Lance reads six poems that make him laugh. The poems are Marriott Edgar’s ‘The Return of Albert’, PG Wodehouse’s ‘Printer’s Error’, AP Herbert’s ‘Bacon and Eggs’, CJ Dennis’s ‘K’shoo’, Edwin Morgan’s ‘The Loch Ness Monster’s Song’ and an anonymous set of ‘Zen Error Messages’.
Lance’s recording of ‘The Return of Albert’ is on his CD ‘Music Hall Memories’ that you can buy here
Acknowledgements
‘Printer’s Error’ is copyright (c) The Estate of P.G. Wodehouse. Recorded by permission of the Estate, c/o Rogers, Coleridge & White Ltd, 20 Powis Mews, London W11 1JN
‘The Return of Albert’ by Marriott Edgar, ‘Bacon and Eggs’ by AP Herbert and ‘The Loch Ness Monster’s Song’ by Edwin Morgan are Copyright Control.
‘The Loch Ness Monster’s Song’ by Edwin Morgan is recorded by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd.
Download: Programme 12
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In our eleventh programme Lance reads six favourite poems about Christmas and the festive season. The poems are Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Eddi’s Service’, Michael Hewlett’s ‘When God Almighty Came To Be One Of Us’, John Betjeman’s ‘Christmas’, Veronica Zundel’s ‘Incarnation’, Christina Rossetti’s ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ and Norman Nicholson’s ‘Carol for the Last Christmas Eve.’
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Aitken Alexander Associates who represent the Estate of John Betjeman.
‘Incarnation’ is recorded by kind permission of the writer, Veronica Zundel. She writes non-fiction for the Christian market and has recently graduated, with distinction, from the Poetry School/Newcastle University MA in Writing Poetry, with poems published in various anthologies.
Thanks to the Trustees of the Estate of Norman Nicholson for permission to record his ‘Carol for the Last Christmas Eve’ from his COLLECTED POEMS, published by Faber & Faber.
Michael Hewlett’s ‘When God Almighty came to be one of us’ is Copyright Control. It was published in New Life by Stainer & Bell, 1969.
Download: Programme 11
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In our tenth programme Lance responds to a listener request for a poem by Rudyard Kipling. Lance reads five of Kiplings poems including ‘The Camel’s Hump’, ‘The Way Through the Woods’, ‘Tommy’, ‘The Secret of the Machines’ and ‘When Earth’s Last Picture is Painted.’
Download: Programme 10
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In our ninth programme we enjoy some poems written for children. Lance picks out five of his favourites: ‘The Owl and the Pussy Cat’ by Edward Lear, ‘Jabberwocky’ by Lewis Carroll, ‘The King’s Breakfast’ by A A Milne, ‘The Listeners’ by Walter de la Mare and ‘After Ever Happily’ by Ian Serraillier.
Acknowledgements:
Find more of Heidi Swedberg’s ukulele playing on Youtube or at her website.
‘The King’s Breakfast’ by A A Milne. (c) Text by A.A. Milne
‘The Listeners’ by Walter de la Mare. With thanks to the Literary Trustees of Walter de la Mare and The Society of Authors as their Representative.
‘After Ever Happily’ by Ian Serraillier. (c) Estate of Ian Serraillier
Buy Lance’s poetry CDs at his website
The picture of the Owl and the Pussycat is by Bob Bond. See more of his work here
Download: Programme 9
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In our eighth programme we look at Wordsworth’s famous poem ‘Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.’ That poem is the climax of Lance’s Guided Poetry Walk along the Banks of the Thames. One of the things Lance shows visitors is a series of paving stones with poem extracts that are on the walkway near the Festival Hall. So on this program Lance reads all four paving stone poems before finishing with Wordsworth’s famous words – just as he does on the walk!
Download: Programme 8
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