Another visit to the long eared world of the ‘Hare’.
“Hares on the Mountain” is an English folk song. Versions of this song have been collected from traditional singers in England, Canada and the USA, and have been recorded by modern folk artists. The English folk singer Shirley Collins (who probably learnt the song from a version collected by Cecil Sharp in Somerset) released a popular version in 1959 which inspired most of the popular renditions, including the recording by Alt-J for the film Bright (2017). This song is composed of two distinct parts, “Hares on the Mountain” and “The Knife in the Window”, both of which have been collected as distinct songs. It may be that it started life as two different songs which were amalgamated by singers. A third theme, “Crawling and Creeping”, apparently an adaptation of the “Knife in the Window” motif, occurs in the American tradition.
“The Granemore Hare” is a mighty song! But a little known one. This saga of hare hunt and its variant The Hills of Granemore hail from around Keady in County Armagh. In the song the only one to get the rough end of the stick is the “pussy”. Do we detect a Monigan in the hunt? Ashley Hutchings: “This is Irish – Terry brought it in.” Martin Simpson sang Granemore Hare in 1999 on his live CD Bootleg USA and in 2007 on his Topic CD Prodigal Son.
“Hunting the Hare” is a Welsh tradational song with English words by A.P. Graves. The “Hunting the Hare” was also known in Wales by the name ‘Helar’s Ysgfarnog'”. In the United States it appears in several MS collection of around 1800. Kate Rusby & Kathryn Roberts sang Yelping and Skelping otherwise known as ‘Hunting the Hare’ in 1995 on their eponymous album, Kate Rusby & Kathryn Roberts. This video shows them at the Albert Hole, Bristol, on 10 June 1994.
“Hares on the Old Plantation” probably comes from the early 1800s, when the newly introduced game laws and enclosure acts were beginning to deeply affect the lower classes. Knowing the extent to which poaching was practised, even in recent years, it’s not surprising to find songs on the subject still popular among country singers. In the case of this song, well over half the 24 examples in Roud are sound recordings—a very unusual proportion, but unsurprising in the light of the above. What might surprise us is that there are no broadside versions listed, since other such songs are well supported by these publications.
“The Fabled Hare“ is a song cycle from Maddy Prior’s 1993 album Year. Maddy says ‘I’ve always recognised that hares are different from rabbits, but it was only when I was invited to write some music for a television wild life programme about them, that I realised their true individuality and rangey wildness. They do not burrow, but live precariously on the surface in “forms” with strong hind legs as their main asset, in that speed is their best defense against foxes and dogs. The very speed and agility of the hare has prompted man to breed a hound equal to the challenge, but the hare can dodge quicker than all but the nimblest dogs and its stamina is superior after a short distance, so may survive even the handicapped situation of “coursing”. Their mad courting behaviour is related to March because that is when they are most visible although they continue their mating activities through most of the year, hidden by darkness or long grass. Mainly the “boxing” they indulge in is between male and female. She is keeping them in order. The hare has deep mythological significance and is known in Chinese, American Indian as wall as European stories. It was the symbol of Aestre, the pagan goddess of rebirth, before Christianity became prevalent in these islands, and as the old religion was overturned so its gods and symbols became associated with the devil and hares were thought to be witches “familiars”. This piece of music opens with a spell reputed to be used by Scottish witches to change into hares to travel undetected.
