MUSIC
MUSICAL SCORES, SOUND RECORDINGS AND PERFORMANCES DEDICATED TO, OR INCLUDING, REFERENCES TO PETERLOO
PETERLOO (C.D.)
Ballads and songs of Peterloo is an edited collection of poems and songs written following the Peterloo Massacre in 1819.
The poems in this collection were published either as broadsides or in radical periodicals and newspapers.
Notes to support the reading of the texts are provided, but they also stand alone, conveying the original publications without diluting their authenticity.
Following an introduction outlining the massacre, the radical press and broadside ballad, the poems are grouped into six sections according to theme. Shelley's Masque of Anarchy is included as an appendix in acknowledgement of its continuing significance to the representation of Peterloo.
This book is primarily aimed at students and lecturers of Romanticism and social history.
BALLADS AND SONGS OF PETERLOO. Alison Morgan 2018. Manchester University Press 978-1-7849-9312-2
As is often the case at the end of a major conflict, the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 saw a brief period of victorious euphoria followed by a much longer period of economic austerity.
In short, the war had to be paid for and, as usual, the brunt of the bill fell on those with the least ability to pay and not upon those who had the most to gain from the conflict,
Meetings, protests and demonstrations by those who sought change were commonplace as they looked for the reform of everything from trial by jury to universal suffrage and secret ballots.
This album is an attempt to tell the story of The Peterloo Massacre through the eyes of the cotton workers of Lancashire and is dedicated to the memory of those who fell at Peterloo.
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PETERLOO. Geoff Higginbottom, Chris Harvey, Lesley Higginbottom Alison Younger. Fruitcake Recordings 1999
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This album forms the basis of the musical documentary - 'Peterloo - Soldiers On The Rampage' (see below)
Ten years after the release of 'Peterloo' by Geoff Higginbottom (see above) Geoff was prompted by Martin Gittins to create a live show based on the content of his concept CD.
During that year the show went on the road for the first time and played to audience large and small but all very positive in their comments.
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Ten years on and Soldiers On The Rampage (or simply 'Rampage' as it is often known as) has played in over 30 venues, including historic locations such as the Bull's Head in Stockport and the Friends Meeting House Manchester.
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2019 sees Geoff, Martin and Bob Ashworth - The Free Radicals - planning a tour of small thetres in the towns surrounding Manchester from which contingents marched to Manchester 200 years ago to hear Henry Hunt address the crowds.
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UPDATES WILL BE POSTED ON THE DEDICATED PAGE OF THE WEBSITE
‘The Road to Peterloo’ tells the story of one of the most notorious incidents in British labour history – the ‘Peterloo Massacre’ in Manchester in 1819 – through some of the many broadside ballads that were printed around the time of the event.
The songs have been selected from Alison Morgan's compilation Ballads and Songs of Peterloo (see above). Some are performed to original, contemporary tunes whist others have had new tunes written for them by the performers.
Three singers and musicians from North West England – Pete Coe, Brian Peters and Laura Smyth – trace the story from its roots in the poverty and hunger suffered by handloom weavers in the early 19th century. Their songs describe the terrible events of the day itself, when mounted soldiers charged a peaceful crowd demanding votes for all, and killed or injured many men, women and children by their indiscriminate use of sabres, and tell of later political developments inspired by the carnage.
Peterloo is the derisive name given to an incident that happened on August 16th, 1819 in St Peter’s Fields Manchester, when an orderly crowd of some 80,000 people met to hear a speech on political reform. On the orders of the magistrates they were interrupted by the yeomanry attempting to seize the banners they carried, and to arrest their speaker, Henry Hunt. Cavalry were sent in, and eleven people were killed and four hundred injured in the ensuing panic.
This overture attempts to portray these happenings musically, but after a lament for the killed and injured, it ends in triumph, in the firm belief that all those who have suffered and died in the cause of unity amongst mankind, will not have died so in vain.
Malcolm Arnold
THE PETERLOO OVERTURE - Malcolm Arnold 2002. Score 0-571-56645-6 Various C.D. Recordings available.
Rochdale rock band Tractor were fortunate enough to have legendary D.J. John Peel indulge them to write and record a suite of songs about Manchester's Peterloo Massacre - Peel helped pay recording studio bills and even bought them equipment to launch several locations of recording studios around Rochdale where they continued to record themselves and other bands which has played a major part in Manchester's musical history.
They recorded a 21 minute suite of songs about Peterloo in 1973.
When they became aware of the work of The Peterloo Memorial Campaign Group, Tractor wrote new songs in the last few years to add to the suite of music which now runs as a whole album at around 41 minutes.
PETERLOO, Tractor. Cargo Records, 2002. C.D. EAN:0811702011924
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The Battle for the Ballot was born from a unique collaboration between a museum and a songwriter. As part of an Arts Council funded 'songwriter in residence' project at the People's History Museum, Matt Hill / Quiet Loner was tasked with exploring the story of Universal Suffrage. The ten songs on this album tell the story of the men and women - reformers, revolutionaries, campaigners, chartists, suffragists and suffragettes - who fought for our right to vote, which was finally achieved in 1928.
Launched for Manchester Histories Festival in June 2016 ‘The Battle for the Ballot’ began as an acoustic live show, combining the songs with visuals from the museum collection. Now with this album release, Hill has finally followed up on 2012's 'Greedy Magicians', and made a record that shares many of the themes of its predecessor – the value of standing up and speaking out, the importance of knowing your history and how rights are never given, they must be fought for.
THE BATTLE FOR THE BALLOT, The Quiet Loner (Matt Hill) People's History Museum, 2017
The Battle for the Ballot was born from a unique collaboration between a museum and a songwriter. As part of an Arts Council funded 'songwriter in residence' project at the People's History Museum, Matt Hill / Quiet Loner was tasked with exploring the story of Universal Suffrage. The ten songs on this album tell the story of the men and women - reformers, revolutionaries, campaigners, chartists, suffragists and suffragettes - who fought for our right to vote, which was finally achieved in 1928.