Forgotten Melodies

In this first episode, we talk all about the seasonally-appropriate Wassail tradition, and are joined by our friend and collaborator Ben Harber, who, with Eleanor, delivers brand new versions of "Here We Come A-Wassailing" and "The Bottom of the Punch Bowl," talking through the song-types' musical features.

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If you're unfamiliar with what a Wassail even is, you're in the right place, as we're chatting through the earliest records we have, from Anglo Saxon drinking games to Geoffrey of Monmouth and Shakespeare weaving Wassails into the fabric of English Literature.

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But, while modern perceptions of Wassailing might relate hundreds of regionally varied folk songs to waking up apple orchards after winter, is that the purpose they have always served? Is there any difference between a Wassail Bowl and a Loving Cup?

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And why oh why, on a Wassail, do people pin bits of toast to fruit trees?

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As ever, we'll do our best to get to the bottom of these mysteries, and several others. All while trying to appease the Old Apple Tree Man, in the hope he might show us the way to buried treasure!