Opie collection of children's games & songs
Recording of children demonstrating songs and discussing playground games with Iona Opie (part 2 of 3)
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Type
sound
Duration
00:34:14
Shelf mark
C898/26
Subjects
Children's games; Children's songs
Recording date
1974-07
Is part of (Collection)
Opie collection of children's games and songs
Recording locations
Coram Fields, London, England
Interviewers
Opie, Iona (speaker, female)
Speakers
unidentified (children)
Abstract
Part 2 of 3. 00:00:00 - 00:34:14. This recording continues to interview children at Coram Fields in London. The majority of the interview focuses upon a group of schoolgirls, two of whom are sisters. The children sing and perform a number of short rhymes and songs concerning topics such as food and the weather. They also demonstrate several clapping songs, skipping songs and rhymes that accompany their ball games. Many of these songs and nursery rhymes are well-known and include 'It's Raining, It's Pouring' which one of the girls remarks she learnt from the radio [00:02:17 - 00:02:35]; 'Rain, Rain, Go Away' [00:02:51 - 00:03:02]; 'Incey, Wincey Spider' [00:03:14 - 00:03:40]; 'Humpty Dumpty' [00:05:02 - 00:05:15]; 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' [00:05:15 - 00:05:36]; 'Oranges and Lemons' [00:16:33 - 00:17:00]; 'Ring a Ring o' Roses' [00:23:32 - 00:24:32]; 'I'm Shirley Temple' [00:24:40] and 'The Farmer's in his Den' [00:27:15 - 00:28:14]. One of the girl also sings her 'favourite' song which she thinks she learnt on a school visit to the cinema. The song includes the line 'you can search for treasure'. They recite a short rhyme called 'Doctor Foster' [00:04:40 - 00:04:57] and another entitled 'KP Penny a Packet' which Iona notes is an 'old' rhyme [00:19:00 - 00:19:13]. The children are keen to demonstrate their clapping games and skipping games and these include 'I Went to a Chinese Restaurant' [00:28:42 - 00:29:47]; 'A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea' [00:29:52 - 00:31:09]; 'Under the Bram Bush' [00:31:34 - 00:32:49]; 'See, See, my Baby' [00:33:40 - 00:34:14]; 'I'm A Little Girl Guide' [00:07:10 - 00:07:36]; 'Popeye the Sailor Man' [00:32:50 - 00:33:05] and 'Raspberry, Strawberry, Blackberry, Tart' [00:28:45 - 00:21:50]. The recording contains ball games and the rhymes that the children sing alongside them. These include rhymes referring to Black Cats [00:11:50 -00:12:03] and well-known characters such as Cinderella [00:10:45 - 00:11:41] and Alice in Wonderland [00:10:00 - 00:10:16]. One child also sings a song that she calls 'Lemon Tree' and Iona remarks that this may be a 'real' song i.e. not a playground rhyme. It has a sophisticated melody and the girl notes it has no actions or movements [00:15:00 - 00:16:10]. Aside from the songs and rhymes, Iona asks the children where they learnt these songs and rhymes from, and whether any were from the TV. Although the children do refer to a TV show called 'The Knock Out' [00:13:10 - 00:13:33] it seems that they are taught most of the songs at school or learn them from friends and family. Â
Description
Item notes: Recording of children demonstrating songs and discussing playground games with Iona Opie. Speakers' notes: Group of schoolchildren at Coram Fields. Recording notes: Slight dropouts to tape extremities. Otherwise good throughout.
Metadata record:
Recording of children demonstrating songs and discussing playground games with Iona Opie (part 2 of 3)
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