posted by [identity profile] sollersuk.livejournal.com at 05:31am on 14/08/2013
In the cases that I know about, the tune came first and the words were put to it. A very large proportion come from the 18th century and are a good window into 18th century popular music
gillo: (Flowerpot Men house)
posted by [personal profile] gillo at 09:11am on 14/08/2013
That was my gut feeling too - Ride a cock horse is pretty much Lilibulero, after all. And some nursery rhymes started out as satire - The Grand Old Duke of York, for example.
 
posted by [identity profile] sollersuk.livejournal.com at 09:18am on 14/08/2013
Apparently none of them started off as being for children; they were just songs that people knew that they sang to children, and this developed into a tradition even when the contemporary allusions were forgotten
 
posted by [identity profile] gillpolack.livejournal.com at 04:03am on 15/08/2013
I shall remember this for next time I read Tristram Shandy.

October

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1
 
2
 
3
 
4
 
5
 
6
 
7
 
8
 
9
 
10 11
 
12
 
13
 
14
 
15
 
16
 
17
 
18
 
19
 
20
 
21
 
22
 
23
 
24
 
25
 
26
 
27
 
28
 
29
 
30
 
31