Hey everyone

I made this list for myself because I wanted to sing something interesting! Everybody seems to do stuff from the standard folk repertoire in the “traditional song” section of their singing exam... songs everybody knows, such as “Scarborough Fair” and “The Gypsy Rover”. They’re pretty good songs, but why not choose something different? A slightly more original song would stand out from the rest, and you wouldn’t have to compete with loads of different versions of it. These are all songs I’ve considered myself (me = 18, mezzo soprano-ish, just done Grade 5) because they all have strong melodies which work well unaccompanied. If you’re also running away from "Scarborough Fair" there may be something for you here...

Irish stuff: Danny Boy, The Water Is Wide, Blow the Wind Southerly, Paddy’s Lament (listen out for the Sinead O’Connor version), Killarney

Scottish: Loch Lomond, Barbara Allen, The Keel Row, The Blood Red Rose (try this on a guitar sometime – gorgeous!), Land of the Leal, Hills of Ardmorn

Welsh: The Ash Grove, David of the White Rock (so beautiful), All Through The Night

English (least well known): Linden Lea, Sweet and Low, Worcester City, Tam Lin, Barbara Allen (another version), The Cuckoo, My true love once he courted me, Black is the colour, Lovely Joan (a bit rude, but well worth a go), The Snow It Melts The Soonest

And of course, folk doesn’t have to be from the British Isles. Maybe you’ve got friends from another country? They could teach you something. Searching the web will also reveal loads of good stuff, and some of the songs in the exam syllabus are actually folk songs, such as Linden Lea. For extra coolness sing songs from overseas in their original language

Sea shanties: Way Down Rio, Botany Bay

American spirituals: Every Time I Feel The Spirit, Motherless Child (this one is so haunting), Shenandoah, Let My People Go (I LOVE this one), Oh Sinner Man, Balm In Gilead, Joshua fit de battle of Jericho, Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?

American: House of the Rising Sun, Joe Hill, Blue Lake and Rocky Shore, Rainbow Warrior (which isn’t strictly folk, but is lovely anyway)

Russian: Moscow Evenings

Australian: Waltzing Matilda!

Israeli: Donna Donna

Jamaican: Banana Boat Song, Jamaica Farewell, Last thing on my mind

Sometimes you can get away with modern composed songs in folk style, like Song for Ireland (1980 but sounds traditional) because the examiners don’t mind or don’t know the difference. Listen to the Kathleen Ferrier album “Blow the Wind Southerly” for more folk songs of the British Isles. Eliza Carthy, Joan Baez and June Tabor are also great sources of inspiration. If you’re taking the exam in December, there are plenty of traditional Christmas songs which might fit the bill. It took me ages to decide which song to actually do, but in the end I chose Shenandoah. God knows what I'll do next year. Happy folksinging guys

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singingsiren
xx

should have told me earlier...i've already done my grade 8 singing...

Oops

What song did you do?

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singingsiren
xx

i did "the fisherman's night song"... and i got 18 out of 21 for that section...

i did the water is wide and shenandoah! both gorgeous!

If you like "The water is wide", which I do a lot, then listen to Eva Cassidy's version... it's simply amazing...

singingsiren
xx

QUOTE

If you like "The water is wide", which I do a lot, then listen to Eva Cassidy's version... it's simply amazing...

Did you do that version? I was never too keen on it.I do the charlotte church version.

I haven't done that song in an exam yet, I just love listening to it! I've only taken 2 singing exams, at grades 3 and 5, and I sang The Ash Grove in the first one and Shenandoah in the second.

Charlotte Church, hmmm. I haven't really listened to her all that much. I suppose the whole "cute little stage-school prodigy" thing, plus her more recent forays into crossover, make it hard for me to take her seriously... plus my singing teacher didn't think much of her technique, and that's probably influenced me. She (my teacher) used to do impressions of CC singing Panis Angelicus, and say my own version of it was better. Obviously an exaggeration! The best Panis Angelicus I've heard was sung by Cecilia Bartoli...

But I will listen out for her version of "The water is wide", now you mention it. Maybe she's better than I thought, if I can only get past all the PR and "voice of an angel" cutesyness...

singingsiren
xx

i don't like charlotte church much...i don't really like her voice...

i don't like charlotte church much...i don't really like her voice...

sorri for posted my message twice...

she hasn't really done crossover except for one song, but i don't like that song, and I don't like her ballads.her voice is good though and the water is wide was done after her 12 year old prodigy 'love me please' stage.to be honest, i listen to her more to practice with, not to listen to her herself.nice version of the water is wide though

but i still prefere "real" and mature soloists....

Wow, just found this post. What a great idea!