What is this project about?
Unlike today, in early modern Britain singing together was ubiquitous entertainment for all ages and classes. The popularity of ballad-singing is well known; however, singing in harmony has largely been studied as an elite practice. In contrast, this first in-depth study of round/catch-singing c.1550-1650 (songs like ‘London’s Burning’ for ‘Frere Jacques’ where everyone sings the same tune but starting at different times) demonstrates the vital importance of polyphonic song across the social spectrum, asking: who sang catches and how were singers regarded? What social functions did catch-singing play and how did their singing define different communities? How did catches traverse oral/literate cultures, and how were they adapted for use in different settings such as homes, alehouses, ships, and stages?
This research aims to dispels notions of popular song as monophonic, redefine singing in harmony as socially ubiquitous not exclusive, and resituate such singing as a vital social practice in early-modern everyday life. Moreover, workshops will engage new publics in catch-singing and ask what benefits a revival of such informal, social singing might bring for individuals and communities today.
