Napoleon and British Song, 1797-1822 offers a radical reassessment of a definitive period in Britain's political and cultural history. In a time so often seen as crucial to the formation of a kingdom unified by opposition to the French, an examination of popular culture across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland reveals a very different story. By looking at some four hundred songs, many of which have been recorded for the first time to accompany this book, and by looking at their writers, printers, singers, and audiences, this work raises major questions: about our relationship as historians with song as a source - song as performed in a time and place, not as read from the page - and about the relationship of ordinary Britons with Napoleon, the war against him, and the idea of Britain itself.
Arvustused
Napoleon and British Song, 17971822 is an excellent study that brings fresh insights to our understanding of both the political and cultural histories of this period. It demonstrates that a nuanced reading of the eras popular song is highly rewarding, and its critical approach should serve as a model for scholars working with any ephemera of any kind. (Erica Buurman, The BARS Review, Issue 48, Autumn, 2016)
Acknowledgements
vi
Abbreviations and Conventions
vii
Note on the Songs
viii
Introduction
1
(14)
1 `A Hacknied Tune'? Song Culture in Napoleonic Britain
15
(25)
2 `Threats of the Carmagnols': Contesting the Nation, 1797--1805
40
(34)
3 `That the War Might Cease': Awaiting and Making News, 1806--1813
74
(30)
4 `Now Boney's Awa": Triumph, Tragedy, and the Legend Established, 1814--1822
104
(30)
5 `Canny Newcassel': A Case Study, 1797--1822
134
(29)
Coda
163
(2)
Appendix
165
(35)
Notes
200
(29)
Bibliography
229
(28)
Index
257
Oskar Cox Jensen is Research Fellow in the Department of Music, King's College London, UK. He is currently co-editing a volume of essays on the world of Charles Dibdin the Elder and preparing a second monograph on London Ballad Singers.
