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Glenn L Andersson
Detective Sergeant
Username: Glenna
Post Number: 141
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 11:32 am: |       |
Hi everyone,
Don't know if anybody picks up on this, but I'll give it a shot.
In my experience of studying old murder cases in Scandinavia, I've sometimes come across what we could refer to as "prison songs" (there probably is a better english term for it that I don't know about) -- that is, songs concieved and performed inside the prisons and becoming a musically and litterary culture in its own right. The lyrics are mainly story-tellings and ballads about known murders or individual victims or perpetrators, and mostly previuosly known melodies from other folk songs are used.
Now, with my own background as a musician and my old interest in British folk songs, I couldn't, of course, help notice the ballad Lines on the Terrible Tradegy in Whitechapel (sung to the melody My Village Home), reproduced in Sugden's book (2002, p.56) and which also can be heard in the documentary The Hunt for Jack the Ripper.
Now, as I see it, this has not been known as a prison song, but a tune coming out of the folk lore in East End. Does anybody here know about any prison songs on the Jack the Ripper theme? The point is that these are sometimes interesting to study, as they show how myths surrounding a case are transformed and created.
All the best
Glenn L Andersson
Crime historian, Sweden |
Christopher T George
Inspector
Username: Chrisg
Post Number: 319
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 4:10 pm: | |
Hi, Glenn:
The notion of prison songs is new to me. The songs that we generally think about in Nineteenth Century England are street ballads that told the story of various crimes. They were sung by street balladeers and sold as song sheets for a penny.
Have a look at the following--
A ballad about William Corder (1828), about whom the balladeer sang that for "murdering Maria Marten I was hanged upon the tree." Another different version of this ballad is at "Maria Marten", where you can read more about this crime for which Corder was hanged outside Bury St Edmund’s Gaol on 11 August 1828.
All the best
Chris |
Glenn L Andersson
Inspector
Username: Glenna
Post Number: 159
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 6:17 pm: | |
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the response.
I've check out your links -- very interesting. That song database "folkinfo.org" was a real goldmine, so I thank you for that one; wish I would have known about that when I was more musically active. Even found some of my old favourites, "The Blacksmith", "Gower Wassail" and "Lovely On the Water". Incredible site!
Yes, we had street ballads as well, and travelling sales-men (or rather: tramps) walking from door to door selling sheets of music.
I would be surprised, though, if prison songs were a phenomenon only concentrated to Scandinavia. But maybe it was, due to different conditions in the prisons? But if such culture existed, it would be natural to think that Jack the Ripper as a musical or litterary theme would have flourished there as well as on the streets.
Anyhow, thank you, Chris.
All the best
Glenn L Andersson
Crime historian, Sweden |
Jeffrey Bloomfied
Detective Sergeant
Username: Mayerling
Post Number: 122
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 9:46 pm: | |
Hi Glen,
May I recommend to your attention BLOODY VERSICLES: THE RHYMES OF CRIME by Jonathan
Goodman (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press,
1993). The editor includes many lyrics as well as doggerel poems about crimes, and devotes a
section on Jack the Ripper (pp. 59 - 64).
Best wishes,
Jeff Bloomfield |
Glenn L Andersson
Inspector
Username: Glenna
Post Number: 162
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2003 - 9:05 am: | |
Ah! Thank you, Jeff.
It probably won't be that easy to get hold of in Sweden or in the libraries here, but I'll give it a go. Sounds interesting. Thanks again.
All the best
Glenn L Andersson
Crime historian, Sweden |
Jeffrey Bloomfied
Detective Sergeant
Username: Mayerling
Post Number: 125
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2003 - 8:13 pm: | |
Hi Glenn,
I don't know if you are aware of it, but you may
find of interest a full score musical by Stephen
Sondheim called ASSASSINS, which is about the men
and women who have been behind the various assassinations and attempted assassinations of the
Presidents of the United States since 1835. It
may be on a CD.
Best wishes,
Jeff |
Glenn L Andersson
Inspector
Username: Glenna
Post Number: 167
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2003 - 8:59 pm: | |
Hi Jeff,
No I wasn't aware of it.
It certainly shows that you can make musicals on just about everything. 
Thanks again.
All the best
Glenn L Andersson
Crime historian, Sweden |
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