"The Carman's Whistle" is a

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

of the Tudor era. The title refers to the occupation of "carman" (or carter, as we would say today). Carmen were known for their habit of whistling, which according to William Chappell was effective in the management of horses. Risqué lyrics have survived including a version entitled "The Courteous Carman and the Amorous maid: Or, The Carman's Whistle". A version of this tune for the lute has been attributed to Robert Johnson or his father John Johnson. However, the best-known version is a keyboard arrangement by William Byrd, who used the tune as the basis of a set of variations. Byrd's piece was included in two of the most important collections of

keyboard music A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument played using a keyboard, a row of levers which are pressed by the fingers. The most common of these are the piano, organ, and various electronic keyboards, including synthesizers and digital piano ...

of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

, '' My Ladye Nevells Booke'' and the '' Fitzwilliam Virginal Book''. ''My Lady Nevells Booke'' is dated 1591, which provides a ''

terminus ante quem ''Terminus post quem'' ("limit after which", sometimes abbreviated to TPQ) and ''terminus ante quem'' ("limit before which", abbreviated to TAQ) specify the known limits of dating for events or items.. A ''terminus post quem'' is the earliest da ...

'' for Byrd's composition. ''The Carman's Whistle'' was a popular work in Byrd's lifetime.

Davitt Moroney Davitt Moroney (born 23 December 1950) is a British-born and educated musicologist, harpsichordist and organist. His parents were of Irish and Italian extraction – his father was an executive with the Anglo-Dutch Unilever conglomerate. ...

notes that nearly all the surviving sources include fingering, which suggests that the piece was used for teaching purposes. It is in

C major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...

, usually regarded as an easy

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

for keyboard players because its key signature has no sharps/flats.

Arrangements in the modern era

In the twentieth century it was arranged by Percy Grainger. It appears in Act III, Number 13, The Scene of the Russalkas, of

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

's opera ''

May Night ''May Night'' ( rus, Майская ночь, Mayskaya noch ) is a comic opera in three acts, four scenes, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov from a libretto by the composer and is based on Nikolai Gogol's story " May Night, or the Drowned Maiden", from hi ...

'', at the opening, as a romance sung by the character Levko.

Recordings

Recordings include: *

played the piece on the

chamber organ Carol Williams performing at the United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel.">West_Point_Cadet_Chapel.html" ;"title="United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel">United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel. ...

in his recording of Byrd's complete keyboard works.Weatherburn, Robert. "William Byrd: The Complete Keyboard Music. Davitt Moroney Playing: Harpsichords, Muselar Virginal, Chamber Organ, Clavichord, Ahrend Organ of l'Eglise-Musee Des Augustins in Toulouse." ''

Musical Opinion ''Musical Opinion'', often abbreviated to ''MO'', is a European classical music journal edited and produced in the UK. It is currently among the oldest such journals to be still publishing in the UK, having been continuously in publication since ...

''. Musical Opinion Ltd. 1999. Accessed via

HighBeam Research HighBeam Research was a paid search engine and full text online archive owned by Gale, a subsidiary of Cengage, for thousands of newspapers, magazines, academic journals, newswires, trade magazines, and encyclopedias in English. It was headquar ...

. 25 Nov. 2014 (subscription required) He plays it higher than written to give a whistling effect. *

Christopher Hogwood Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood (10 September 194124 September 2014) was an English conductor, harpsichordist, writer, and musicologist. Founder of the early music ensemble the Academy of Ancient Music, he was an authority on historically info ...

recorded the complete ''My Ladye Nevells Booke'' in the 1970s. *

Julian Bream Julian Alexander Bream (15 July 193314 August 2020) was an English classical guitarist and lutenist. Regarded as one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century, he played a significant role in improving the public per ...

Paul O'Dette Paul Raymond O'Dette (born February 2, 1954) is an American lutenist, conductor, and musicologist specializing in early music. Biography O'Dette, who was born in Pittsburgh, began playing the electric guitar in a rock band in Columbus, Ohio, w ...

and Christopher Wilson have recorded the version by Johnson (whichever one it was). * The City Waites have recorded the broadside ballad of this song sung by Douglas Wootton beginning 'As I abroad was walking/At the breaking of the day'

References

External links

The Carmans Whistle - free mp3
Songs about occupations 16th-century songs Compositions by William Byrd Variations {{classical-music-stub

Arrangements in the modern era

Recordings

See also

References

External links