House Carpenter- Chandler (NC) 1916 Sharp J
[Single stanza with music from: English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians; collected by Olive Dame Campbell and Cecil J. Sharp, published 1917 (notes follow). Sharp's No. 29. is titled, The Daemon Lover. I've changed it to the more appropriate title- House Carpenter.
Sharp did not provide the complete text for Chandler's version and many of the versions he collected because he probably felt that the text was not significantly different than the other versions he had already written out.
The Chandler name is well known for balladry in Madison Co., NC. Following Sharps notes is an excerpt about the Madison County singers.
R. Matteson 2013]
Notes: No. 29. The Daemon Lover.
Texts without tunes:—Child, No. 243.
Texts with tunes:—Journal of the Folk-Song Society, iii., 84. Motherwell's Minstrelsy, Appendix xv., tune 1. Songs of the West, 2nd ed., No. 76. American variants: —Journal of American Folk-Lore, xviii., 207; xix., 295; xx., 257; xxvi., 360; xxv., 274 (with tune). Broadside by H. De Marsan, New York. Musical Quarterly, January, 1916, p. 18.
From: Welcome to Madison County, North Carolina; North Carolina Mountain Vacation and Tourism Information:
The ballads sung in Madison County resonate with the history of the folk ballads brought by their ancestors from Scotland and England over a century before. There is no doubt about the musical heritage when hearing the voices of the many Madison County ballad singers.
There exists no greater proof of the ballad legacy today than the sisters whose exposure to music at a very young age was as natural and expected as any standard child-rearing practice. The eighth generation of ballad singers descended from the premiere Wallin/Chandler families is found in Denise Norton O’Sullivan and Dee Dee Norton Buckner. Denise and Dee Dee are sisters and great-granddaughters of Dellie Norton. Dee Dee continues to perform in Madison County. Denise learned her ballads from Granny Dell, as well as her great aunt Inez Chandler and cousin Doug Wallin.
Mentor to Many — Dellie Chandler Norton & Lloyd Chandler
And, again, the Chandler name comes up in the person of Dellie’s brother Lloyd Chandler. Lloyd (1896-1978), was an itinerant Freewill Baptist preacher. Although it is unclear in Cecil Sharp’s diary, Lloyd may have been one of those who sang for Sharp in 1916. The notation in the diary lists a “Floyd” rather than Lloyd. There is controversy over his authorship of “Conversation with Death” (better known by the title “O Death”). People who knew Lloyd Chandler believe he wrote it while those who did not know him disagree.
The family story of Dellie Chandler Norton was captured both in photographs and words in Sodom Laurel Album (2002) by Rob Amberg, Madison County photographer. A special treasure–a CD featuring Dellie, Berzilla, Cas and other members of the family singing some of the old ballads accompanies the book.
J. House Carpenter- Sung by Mrs. ANELIZE CHANDLER at Alleghany, N. C, Aug. 28, 1916
Hexatonic. Mode 4
We've met, we've met, my own true love,
We've met, we've met once more.
I've lately crossed the salt water sea
And it's all for the sake of you.