Sally in our Alley

[Joy]

Yesterday on the classical radio station they played a song 'Sally in our Alley' Opus 108 from the 25 Scottish Songs by Beethoven. I had never heard this before, a real treat.
Any comments on this or history? Did B come up with this strange title?

[This message has been edited by Joy (edited October 07, 2002).]

[spaceray]

Henry Carey was a composer as well as a dramatist and a poet. He had composed his own music to 'Sally in our Alley'but about 1760 his melody was superseded by another tune"The Country Lass"which was adapted to Carey's verses and is the one Beethoven wrote this setting for.
Carey writes about the genesus of his song thus:
A shoemaker's 'prentice,making holiday with his sweetheart,treated her with a sight of Bedlam the puppet shows ,the flying chairs and all the elegancies of Moorfields,from whence proceeding to the farthing-pye house,he gave her a collection of buns,cheesecakes,gammon of bacon.stuffed beef and bottled ale, thorugh all which scenes the author dodged them. Charmed with the simplicity of their courtship, he drew from what he witnessed this little sketch of nature;but being then young and obscure, he was very much ridiculed by some of his acquaintance for this performance,which nevertheless made its way into the polite world and amply recompenced him by the applause of the divine Addison who was pleased more than once to mention it with approbation.

There were many parodies of Carey's orignal tune,among them "Sally in our Alley to Billy in Piccadilly"and "Sally Rivall'd by Country Molly." The tune now current was widely used in plays and Ballad operas, noteably The Beggars Opera(1728)

The above is a note at the end of the Beethoven setting for Sally in our Alley that I found in a book called Folksong settings by Master Composers.I'm sorry that I have failed to jot down the authors name but will hunt it up and post it to you.
Would you like a copy of this music?

[chopithoven]

I would really like a copy of that music if you're kind enough to send it to me via e-mail. Thanks anyway.

[Joy]

Spaceray, thanks for all the information on this subject!

Joy

[spaceray]

Originally posted by chopithoven:
I would really like a copy of that music if you're kind enough to send it to me via e-mail. Thanks anyway.

I regret to say that every time I try to email you this song your address fails.