Peter Kennedy Collection

Mary Swain, Percy Lavarello and Basil Lavarello, Calshot, Hampshire 1962 (Tristan de Cunha islanders). Tape 5

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Andrew PaceBasil Lavarello sings '1500 miles from Table Bay' unaccompanied, followed by 'Little bit of Tristan'. After this Basil Lavarello sings 'The twelve men who went to Tristan', accompanying himself on guitar, followed by a little talk.
Posted by Andrew Pace on 07/03/2013

Andrew PaceKennedy narrates the dance steps during a performance of 'The chair dance'.
Posted by Andrew Pace on 07/03/2013

Andrew PacePercy Laverello talks a little and plays a number of dance tunes on the accordion.
Posted by Andrew Pace on 07/03/2013

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  • Type

    sound

  • Duration

    Unknown

  • Shelf mark

    C604/928

  • Recording date

    1962-08-31

  • Is part of (Collection)

    Peter Kennedy Collection

  • Recording locations

    Calshot, Hampshire, England

  • Performers

    Lavarello, Basil (singer, male / guitar), Lavarello, Percy (accordion / spoken, male), Swain, Mary (spoken, female)

  • Recordist

    Kennedy, Peter

  • Description

    [*Peter Kennedy's notes transcribed verbatim from the original tape box*] .- 1. Half-step Schottische [1'15"].- 2. "Tapioca Big Toe" (la varsoviana) [1'20"] Descr begins at [1'00"].- 3. Little Annie Rooney (waltz) ("The Oldest Dance in the World") [1'20"].- 4. The Chair Dance. Descr starts with music [1'25"].- 5. Basil sings (unacc.) Words own comp.- 5. "1500 miles from Table Bay" (tune: Galway Boy) [1'10"].- 6. "Little Bit of Tristan" (tune: Little bit of Everything in Texas) [0'45"].- 7. Sung with guitar (own words and tune) [2'00"] "The Twelve Men who went to Tristan."

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User notes for this item

[10:16]

Basil Lavarello sings '1500 miles from Table Bay' unaccompanied, followed by 'Little bit of Tristan'. After this Basil Lavarello sings 'The twelve men who went to Tristan', accompanying himself on guitar, followed by a little talk.

Posted by Andrew Pace, British Library on 07/03/2013 17:29:00

[7:13]

Kennedy narrates the dance steps during a performance of 'The chair dance'.

Posted by Andrew Pace, British Library on 07/03/2013 17:27:00

[0:02]

Percy Laverello talks a little and plays a number of dance tunes on the accordion.

Posted by Andrew Pace, British Library on 07/03/2013 17:27:00

This recording, made by Peter Kennedy and Maud Karpeles in Calshot, Hampshire, is of a number of refugees from the south Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha. They were being temporarily housed here due to a volcanic eruption on their home island. There is a lot of information, television news footage and reports of this and their stay in England, much of which is available on Youtube. There are several clips that include Mary Swain in particular.

Posted by Andrew Pace, British Library on 07/03/2013 17:25:00