Robertson Shantymen (yes just men) was started by Michael D. Breen in February 2024.The little group sang ‘Haul Away Joe’ on our first day.

“Ever since an English lecturer at Melbourne University in 1960 spoke of ballads as songs with no known composer (‘songs the people wrote’ as the German say), I have loved that genre.” says Michael Breen.

        Shanties are work songs. They evoke the mystery, sweat and hard edge of the wind and waves and gangs of men wrestling with ropes or sails on an unreliable floor called a deck. Shanties have an unmissable beat to keep the mob together and get maximum heft.

        The main categories of on-boat shanties are halyard, capstan and sheet (sail) shanties. And there are landlubber shanties for pubs and folk groups, which tell of the terror, boredom and romance, like broken token songs, bawdy songs, and revenge songs about bad bosses and heroism of sailors. 

 

A notable sailor songwriter was Cyril Tawney (Grey Funnel Line etc.)

Ballad-writers, like Ewan McColl (‘Blow Boys Blow) or Stan Rogers, (‘Northwest Passage’ ) wrote sea story ballads. Many others were written for an occasion like the Grimsby 1884 storm disaster, counting the ‘three score and ten’  graves in the Grimsby Cemetery. Or disasters such as the  New York 1941 mining disaster as popularised by the BGs.

        We acknowledge that when sailors enlisted, the boatswain never asked ‘Can you sing?’ It was just a given that men can sing, despite the destructive pronouncements from teachers and others.

        So why sing shanties? It is wonderful to join your voice in harmony with other men. Singing is good for you.* And it is rewarding to create a work of art which is not dependent on sophisticated electronic gear, unhealthy amplification, smoke and mirrors.  The human voice is the oldest musical instrument and the most versatile for occasions, all moods and emotions.

        Try this link.

*https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-singing#benefits

 

Michael D. Breen

Robertson