Shantyman Library

Frederick Pease Harlow – The making of a sailor (1928)

Frederick Pease Harlow – The making of a sailor

First, I would like to thank my mentor, teacher, and (I dare to say it publicly for the first time) my friend, from the United States, Simon Spalding for recommending and introducing me to Frederick Harlow who wrote this great work. This book is a real treasure for shanty enthusiasts and the times of ironmen on wooden ships. You can put this book in the same row with such works as “The Merchant Vessel” by Nordhoff. or Richard Dana’s “Two Years Before Mast”.

This is simply a sailor’s diary, detailing the life of a sailor, with shanties intertwined in the plot. Real descriptions of the deep sea sailor profession, his life on the sea and onshore. This book is best read together with Frederick Harlow’s second book “Chanteying Aboard American Ships”. Both complement each other perfectly. The first describes works where shanties were used, and the second is a huge collection of them. Finally, it is worth adding that many of the greatest shanty singers point to both Harlow’s books as one of the main sources of their repertoire and knowledge about shanties.

Do you want to be more involved?

You can find excellent records of sea shanties here. If you want to discuss this book or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here, or below post in the comment section.

Related to The making of a sailor

Harpers Monthly Magazine (1882)

Jerzy Wadowski – Piesni Spod żagli (1989)

Jim Mageean – Heave Away (2020)

Harpers Monthly Magazine (1882)

Sailor Songs – William L. Alden

In the Harper’s Monthly Magazine from June to November 1882, we can find a spectacular collection of sea shanties. Interestingly enough is the fact that an author talking about the sailors says that the typical “Jack” of the pre-propeller age – the “packeterian”; and the able saman of the clipper-ship fleet – has, however, utterly varnished”, in an article from 1882! Whatever we can think, we need to understand how misunderstood and underestimated the importance of the sources, is and how priceless it is to read shanty collections like this one.

This is essential to preserve the authentic character of those songs. This is one of the earliest collections containing musical notations of the shanties covering around twenty shanties. “Bowline”, “Haul away Joe”, “Good-by My love goodbye”, and much more, we can find in this article. Very close to the original, printed, about 80 years before Stan Hugill’s “Shanties From The Seven Seas”. For all maritime and merchant fleet culture lovers, and most importantly for shanty enthusiasts, this article screams to be read. If anyone wants to read this article and does not have access, please contact me through Messenger, and I will be happy to share images of the whole article.

Do you want to be more involved?

You can find excellent records of sea shanties here. If you want to discuss this book or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here, or below post in the comment section.

Related to Harpers Monthly Magazine (1882) – Sailor Songs

Richard Terry – Shanties With Descants (1921)

Jerzy Wadowski – Piesni Spod żagli (1989)

Robert C. Leslie – A Waterbiography (1894)

Richard Runciman Terry – Shanties With Descants (1921)

Richard Runciman Terry – Shanties With Descants – Grand Hall Shanty revival

“Shanties with Descants” – Shanties collected and arranged by SIR RICHARD TERRY. Descants written by MAURICE JACOBSON – set 1(date of publication unknown to me).
Here is the publication, one of the many published during the so-called “Grand Hall shanty revival”, when tenors in beautiful tuxedos and choirs of classical music singers played scenes from “ship decks” on the stages of theaters, where the shantymen sang and the choir sailors in perfect harmony, answered in the chorus. The period of this revival falls in the second and third decades of the 20th century.

In the publication, we find five real deep-sea sailor shanties. The music in the arrangement has a full music notation written for two voices and a pianoforte, each song has a really good number of stanzas. It is worth noting that this is one of the two parts of this publication, unfortunately, I haven’t got the second one yet, so if someone has information on where to get, and buy, or someone has the second part and would like to make a gift for my collection, please contact me.

Do you want to be more involved?

You can find excellent records of sea shanties here. If you want to discuss this book or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here, or below post in the comment section.

Related to Shanties With Descants

The Chamber Journal (1869)

Michael Watson – The Powder Monkey (1885)

Simon Spalding – Food At Sea (2014)

The Chamber Journal (1869)

“Sailors’ Shanties And Sea-Songs” – Chambers Journal, Saturday, December 11, 1869

I must admit that this is one of the most valuable items in my collection of books. There are many reasons why I think so. The first is the date when this wonderful article was published. It was published before the first great collection of shanties by Alexandrine Smith, “The Music of The Waters” (1888). Thus 19 years earlier, it was also a time, when the shanties were truly in the golden age. The second reason is that, even though the content is relatively small, the enormity of the content is overwhelming me. It is important in terms of description of the types of shanties and confirm their usefulness, I highly recommend this article. (For those interested, I will be happy to send you pictures of the entire article).

Do you want to be more involved?

You can find excellent records of sea shanties here. If you want to discuss this book or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here, or below post in the comment section.

Related to The Chamber Journal (1869)

Simon Spalding – Food At Sea (2014)

Michael Watson – The Powder Monkey (1885)

The Atlantic Monthly – July (1858)

Michael Watson – The Powder Monkey (1885)

Michael Watson – The Powder Monkey

I read about this beautiful song of the sea from Stan Hugill’s greatest book “Shanties from the Seven Seas”. In his book, on page 148 of the first edition, he gives us only the chorus of this song. It seems to be based on the chant of “Donkey Riding”, he did not remember the source or composer of this song. The song according to Stan Hugill’s description points to this song at the time in the 1850s. Unfortunately, in “Shanties from the Seven Seas” we can only find the chorus. Here is the oldest source of this beautiful song I could get.

This is the 59th edition written and composed by Michael Watson “The Powder-Monkey” (An Old Salt’s Story), published by London: Patey & Willis, [n / a]. Interesting information on the cover says that “this song may be sung in public free of charge”. However, two things are most important to me, the first one – is this is the first song in Stan Hugill’s book, which is not a sea shanty or a forebitter, it is a full-blooded “shore sea-song”, two – is the melody of the verses spectacularly changes the whole song, the refrain itself sounds like a sea shanty.

Do you want to be more involved?

You can find excellent records of sea shanties here. If you want to discuss this book or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here, or below post in the comment section.

Related to The Powder Monkey

Halina Stefanowska – Rozspiewane Morze (1975)

Jim Mageean – Sail Away (2021)

Gibb Schreffler – Boxing The Compass (2018)

Simon Spalding – Food At Sea (2014)

I was incredibly lucky to hear about this book

I was incredibly lucky, that I heard about Simon Spalding’s book – Food At Sea. I am also happy to say that I heard about the existence of this fantastic book from the author himself. Simon Spalding is one of the most famous shantymen. The author is a shanty singer, known not only in Poland but also around the world in the great community of shanty enthusiasts. Simon is a very experienced sailor (his experience was gained mainly on traditional big sail vessels). He is also a musicologist, a multi-instrumentalist, and a historian. We can say renaissance man (basically, he is an American twin of our National Polish Shantyman Marek Szurawski).

Noticable is that he has had the privilege of singing with the most famous shantyman known ever, Stan Hugill. But this is not what this book is about. The book is the largest compendium of knowledge ever published about food in the vessels on the seas and oceans.

What we can find in Simon Spalding – Food At Sea

In the book, the author describes it in the smallest detail. The book tells what types of dishes and food were part of the diet of a sailor, captain, or passenger. Starting from the first centuries, through the glorious period of the War of the great armadas of the Middle Ages. Also, there are chapters about the nineteenth-century diet of merchant seamen. The book not ending there. The next chapters tell about the food on large transatlantic liners to modern ships, including nuclear submarines.

The book is fantastically complemented by a chapter, with real recipes. We can find there the method of preparing the dishes that the author describes in his book. Dishes such as a rat dish or sea biscuits; as well as three ways to prepare grog. All recipes are the recipes used in historically documented moments in the history of the Navy. A little bit more about the prohibition era …

I am so glad that I read this wonderful book right after reading Stan Hugill’s Sailortown. Both of these books are a great source of the life of a sailor from the merchant navy. Merchant navy is the center point around the subject of the history of the shanties.

Do you want to be more involved?

You can find excellent records of sea shanties here. If you want to discuss this book or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here. Also below post in the comment section.

Related to Simon Spalding – Food At Sea

Bjorn Landstrom – The Ship (1961)

Robert C. Leslie – A Waterbiography (1894)

Cicely Fox Smith – Sea Songs and Ballads 1917 – 1922 (1930)

Gibb Schreffler – Boxing The Compass (2018)

Gibb Schreffler – Boxing The Compass

I have already read a few books on shanties, and the life and work of Tars from the period when the sails dominated seas and oceans. Each of the items I read brings something to my knowledge; but I must admit that this time; I was really positively surprised by the Gibb Schreffler’s – Boxing The Compass.

Although the author, Gibb Schreffler; surprised me more than once; I will only mention that he was the first (channel name on YT: Hultonclint); to do the almost impossible: he recorded on YouTube all the shanties and forebitters from Stan Hugill’s work – “Shanties From the Seven Seas” ( well, maybe almost all of them; but of course, it’s just a matter of approach; whether each version of the shanty from this book can be treated separately). His articles helps me a lot, and really extended my knowledge, which he publishes on the world’s largest forum of folk music; “Mudcat Caffe” (on the Mudcat Caffe forum, uses the nick Gibb Sahib). In addition, he is a musicologist lecturer, closely associated with the Mystic Seaport Museum.

his book, as I have already mentioned, surprises with its professionalism

This book, as I have already mentioned, surprises with its professionalism, is a great scientific compendium, showing the activity over the centuries concerning, finding, acquiring, shanties collection, and describes each source perfectly, showing its influence, but also the approach to the subject of individual collectors, I try to show the value of each of these works, in an academic manner. There are little guesswork and a lot of reliable and proven information on the subject.

This book is enriched; by a huge list of source texts; which are a great place for the list of the greatest works dealing with shanties. One more note, this book does not contain shanties, but contains the knowledge about people and works describing shanties, does not even describe the shanties themselves “per sé”. For all shanties enthusiasts who wish to have a general view of the history of shanties learning, this is a must-have position.

Do you want to be more involved?

You can find excellent records of sea shanties here. If you want to discuss this book or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here, or below post in the comment section.

Related to Gibb Schreffler – “Boxing the Compass”

The Atlantic Monthly – July (1858)

Robert C. Leslie – A Waterbiography (1894)

Stan Hugill – Shanties and Sailors’ Songs (1969)

Jim Mageean – Sail Away (2021)

Jim Mageean – Sail Away – A Collection of Forebitters and Sea Songs compiled by Jim Mageean.

After spending more than 50 years gathering all the information on maritime songs. Particularly the shanties or work songs but also forebitters and sea songs, used by sailors. He finally decided to share some of what he learned; with other lovers of these songs in the Jim Mageean – Sail Away.
Jim Mageen sang with all the greatest shanty singers of our world. Through his old friend and mentor Stan Hugill and others such as Louis Killen; Johnny Collins, Pat Sheridan; Marek Szurawski, and many more shantymen, that is not possible to list them all. He is one; of not too many shantymen left who sing and learn; traditional as it is, shanties and forebitters.
The collection includes 21 very special favored Jim songs (this time their Forebitters and Sea Songs). Some of the songs from this collection were published and recorded for the first time. Every single song contains a description with essential information. The last thing that I can tell; is that the book contains a CD with all the songs from the book, ready to listen to, read, and sing. If you have this tool in hand, you have the chance to extend; the great company of the maritime singers of the world.

Do you want to be more involved?

You can find excellent records of sea shanties here. If you want to discuss this book or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here, or below post in the comment section.

Related to Jim Mageean – Sail Away

Jim Mageean – Haul Away (2020)

Shanties and Sailor’ Songs (1969)

Jim Mageean – Heave Away (2020)

Halina Stefanowska – Rozspiewane Morze (1975)

Description of Halina Stefanowska – Rozspiewane Morze (1975)

Halina Stefanowska – Rozspiewane Morza (1975), is one of three Polish-language books about sea shanties (another two: Along with the book “Szanty I Szantymeni” – Marek Szurawski and “Songs from under the sails” – Jerzy Wadowski). However, sea shanties are not the main topic of this book. Also, I discovered that only the first 66 pages contain shanties with their descriptions.

As mentioned previously the first chapter “Boys, Ahoj”, contains a set of sea shanties, is very interesting, and has a lot of important information about shanties. It is worth mentioning, that the shanties in this chapter are also translated into Polish.

I also found that this book is big, it contains almost 400 pages. Most of the time, the book keeps a patriotic tone, starting with the description of the maritime school in Tczew, through the often dramatic circumstances of the creation of certain sea songs (written during World War II and the post-war period). I Halina Stefanowska’s songs also have chords for guitar. To finish my review, I can confirm, that this book is a really great source of knowledge about sea shanties and Polish sea songs.

Do you want to be more involved?

You can find excellent records of sea shanties here. If you want to discuss this book; or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here, or below post in the comment section.

Related to Rozspiewane Morze (1975)

Additional Stan Hugill’s books Sailortown (1967), Sea Shanties (1977), Shanties and Sailor’ Songs (1969).

Cicely Fox Smith – Sea Songs and Ballads 1917 – 1922 (1930)

Description of the Cicely Fox Smith – Sea Songs and Ballads 1917 – 1922 (1930)

It is a great joy to present to all of you this amazing book. When I saw it in the online store, I thought it was a sea shanty book. Also, I thought this book contained a collection of shanties and songs of the sea. I knew that Miss Smith was great in the field of shanties books.

You can’t even imagine my surprise when I discovered, that the Sea Songs and Ballads 1917 – 1922 do not contain any notes and are a collection of poetry. However, this poetry surprised me even more, reading this book. At the time when I read this book, I felt like a person who gets to know the marine world. The realism of this poetry related to a certain period when sailing ships were undoubtedly still at sea.
The introduction on the inside cover says:
Miss C.Fox Smith is the ‘C.F.S’ whose initials are so well known to the readers of Punch where many of these delightful salt-water poems first appeared. Miss Fox Smith’s knowledge of ships and of those that go down to the sea in them is so remarkable as to be almost clairvoyant, and with that understanding goes a mastery of rhythm and melody.
I confirm that this book is a great source of authentic seafaring poetry of the golden age of the sails. some poems can boldly be used as lyrics; coded songs about the sea, in an authentic atmosphere at the beginning of the 20th century.

Do you want to be more involved?

You can find excellent records of sea shanties here. If you want to discuss this book or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here, or below post in the comment section.

Related to Cicely Fox Smith – Sea Songs and Ballads 1917 – 1922 (1930)

Additional Stan Hugill’s books Shanties and Sailor’ Songs (1969), Sea Shanties (1977), Songs Of The Sea (1977).