Orange in Bloom/ Battle of the Somme

from Driftwood by Gf Morgan

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The Orange in Bloom (Traditional)

Originally a Morris dance tune in 6/8 time, The Orange in Bloom is also known as The Sherborne Waltz after Sherborne, Gloucestershire. Its origins are unknown.

Battle of the Somme (William Lawrie)
On July 1st, 1916, the British opened the Battle of the Somme with high expectations of an overwhelming victory and an end to the war. Introduced for the first time were the “Pals Battalions” made up of men and boys from the same region or profession who enlisted under the agreement that they would all serve together in the same battalions.
Following a week of artillery bombardment, the British Army went over the top and across No Man’s Land expecting the Germans to have been killed and the barbed wire cut. There was an almost holiday like atmosphere to their advance with some units playfully kicking soccer balls around.
The Germans had been hurt but many had survived in deep underground shelters, and others had been removed from the front lines to avoid exposure to the British shells. They manned their positions and although the British were successful in taking some of their objectives, the slaughter was intense and remains to this day the blackest day in the history of the British Army claiming 50,000 casualties on the first day.
The battle, which dragged on until November of that year was partially successful in that it relieved the pressure on the French positions around Verdun but it was this battle which created towns throughout England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland where the male population had almost ceased to exist.
One of the casualties was Pipe Major William Lawrie of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who perished in November of that year after contracting an illness in the trenches. Although he only composed about twenty pipe tunes that we know of, they were all hugely popular both then and now. Battle of the Somme may be one of the most renowned, its haunting air in slow march time bringing evocative memories of a distant tragedy that still marks us to this day.

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from Driftwood, released December 20, 2020
Gf Morgan - guitar, concertina
Nancy Brown - violin
Chris Gray - Uillean pipes

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Gf Morgan New Hope, Pennsylvania

Gf Morgan – Bio

Gf Morgan's work spans four decades and incorporates Celtic and traditional ballads as well as original compositions.

For videos and further info:

www.youtube.com/channel/UCz2f7owQMXjXtFN_tiBYjKg

www.gfmorganballads.com ... more

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