BELONG TO BE
promenade songs with The Red River Singers
4th May - MVC festival 3.30pm, Sun 26th May – Kernowfest, Sat 22nd June –
afternoon, Sat 27th July – afternoon, Sat 17th August – afternoon
The Cornish Miners loved to sing and the tradition continues with the Red River
Singers. They will be singing some of the old hymns and songs the miners
would have sung as well as newly composed ones inspired by mining.
The songs will be sung in the exhibition centre - in the old buildings
themselves. Whilst you wander around the exhibition, reading and seeing the exhibits and photos the songs
will surround you.
The Red River singers are a new group based at Heartlands, led by Hilary Coleman singer and musician with
top Cornish band Dalla, bard of the Gorsedh and Cornish music teacher/trainer with many years experience in
schools and communities.
PROGRAMME
Main Exhibition Room:
Harbour Lights – Sankey hymn, P.Bliss
Also known as Lower Lights, this hymn was written in 1871. Philip Bliss, an
American associate of Moody and Sankey; evangelists who came to Cornwall.
Ever since this song has remained very popular, spreading from its Methodist
beginnings into a universally well known and well loved song.
Caricature of Moody & Sankey
Lily Of The Valley – Traditional plantation hymn
This song could have come back to Cornwall from America with miners. Many
spirituals and gospel hymns are still sung around Cornish pubs, and have been
for many years.
The flower, Lily of the Valley, has a long-standing association with Helston Flora
Day, being traditionally worn by the dancers.
One of our singers Tina Daniel gave us this photo of her Grandfather William Pascoe (1920’s) who
lived in this area and loved to sing in the pub with his mates.
Winder Room (upstairs):
Red River Valley – Traditional
The singers’ theme song – although collected in Canada in 1879 it’s appropriate for this area
where the river ran red by the minerals washed down from the mines. It is a song of
impossible love and could well have been sung by emigrant miners from Cornwall who went
there for the Gold Rushes
Cornish sailor Billy Barker made one of his richest strikes in the Cariboo Gold Rush1860 and 1866
Cornish Lads – Roger Bryant
This song, written in 1998 by Roger Bryant from Four Lanes, will be forever
associated with South Crofty mine due to it’s chorus being graffitted on the
wall when the mine closed.
The song has very much been taken to heart by Cornish singers, and is sung
the length and breadth of the Duchy.
Group of tin miners before going underground - c1905
Bal Maidens’ room:
Sweet Bye & Bye – Sankey hymn, S.F.Bennett & J.P.Webster
‘Then we all clembd down the ladders, about forty men, all told
An’ up through the shaft to daylight we sung, an’ the sound uproll’d
For we had some brae fine singers from the Bible Christian Choir,
An ‘we like to tuney belaw,sir, or around a black smith’s fire.
We sung ‘In the sweet bye-and-bye’ sir ‘bout the beautiful golden shore,
Where we hope we shall some day gather, an’ never to part any more.’
1898 William Herbert Thomas, The Flooding of Wheal Owles
Wheal Owles
Bal Maidens’ Chant – Traditional additional words & music H.Coleman
Verse 1 was collected from Bal Maidens singing at Gwennap mine & Verses 2 & 3 were
heard from the singing of miners in South India - both printed in the Old Cornwall
magazines.
Bal maidens worked above ground smashing rocks and other hard work, They were
described as ‘Amazons’ due to their independent spirit and ‘masculine’ work. Yet they wore
‘pendant earrings and showy bead necklaces on Sundays’ (Henwood, in the Mining Journal)
Film Room:
Soldiers Farewell – 1858 J.Kinkel
This song seems to have been in known around Cornwall in the 1920’s.
Emmigrating Miners, leaving the Tamar Valley, used Gunnislake station to
depart. ‘the platform would be full of the miners and their families singing ‘how
can I bear to leave thee?’
Miners’ Anthem – R.Bryant
Written in 2000 for the musical drama The Cry of Tin.
It is very much in the Sankey style of hymns that were and still are so popular in Cornwall.
‘Many miners were converted by the famous John Wesley. His religion could see a man
through the darkest days.’