Dorothy Carter (born New York City , 1935, died June 7, 2003, in New Orleans ) was an American musician. Carter performed contemporary, folk, traditional, medieval, and experimental music with a large collection of stringed instruments such as the hammered dulcimer , zither , psaltery , and hurdy-gurdy . She is regarded as an important figure in the genres of psychedelic folk music and medieval music revival.
33-546: The Mediæval Bæbes is a British musical ensemble founded in 1996 by Dorothy Carter and Katharine Blake . It included some of Blake's colleagues from the band Miranda Sex Garden , as well as other friends who shared her love of medieval music . The lineup often rotates from album to album, and ranges from six to twelve members. As of 2010, the group had sold some 500,000 records worldwide, their most successful being Worldes Blysse with 250,000 copies purchased. The Bæbes' first album, Salva Nos (1997), reached number two on
66-508: A collaboration that persisted for decades. In the 1990s Carter returned to London and founded the all-female revival group Mediæval Bæbes with Katherine Blake of Miranda Sex Garden . The group's 1997 debut album, Salva Nos reached #2 on the classical music charts. Carter later settled in New Orleans , residing in a live-in studio on the third floor of a warehouse building where she hosted salons. She died in 2003 of an aneurysm . She
99-494: A melody that he dates to around 1790 in New Bedford, Massachusetts : Ring a ring a Rosie, A bottle full of posie, All the girls in our town Ring for little Josie. Newell notes that "[a]t the end of the words the children suddenly stoop, and the last to get down undergoes some penalty, or has to take the place of the child in the centre, who represents the 'rosie' (rose-tree; French, rosier )." In an 1846 article from
132-595: A passage that reads, "Gifted children of fortune have the power to laugh roses, as Freyja wept gold," suggesting that the game’s origins may involve pagan beings of light. Another interpretation is more literal, proposing that it involved making a "ring" around roses and ending with "all fall down" as a kind of curtsy . In 1892, the American writer Eugene Field wrote a poem titled Teeny-Weeny , which specifically described fay folk playing ring-a-rosie. According to Games and Songs of American Children , published in 1883,
165-454: A similar scene into the Renaissance setting with his 1877 work Girotondo (Round Dance), where young maidens circle a child at the center to instrumental accompaniment. The specific words to which these children danced are not recorded, but the scene's familiarity was echoed by English artists who depicted similar scenes in the 19th century. In Thomas Webster 's Ring o' Roses , circa 1850,
198-537: Is reported to date from decades earlier. Similar rhymes are known across Europe, with varying lyrics. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 7925. The origin of the song is unknown, and there is no evidence supporting the popular 20th-century interpretation linking it to the Great Plague or earlier outbreaks of bubonic plague in England. The origins and earliest wording of the rhyme remain unknown. In many versions of
231-581: Is survived by a son and daughter, Justin Carter of Los Angeles, California and Celeste Carter of Picayune, Mississippi and a grandson, Damien Helgason. Ring a Ring o%27 Roses " Ring a Ring o' Roses ", also known as " Ring a Ring o' Rosie " or (in the United States) " Ring Around the Rosie ", is a nursery rhyme , folk song , and playground game . Descriptions first appeared in the mid-19th century, though it
264-485: The Brooklyn Eagle , a different version of the game called Ring o' Roses is described. In this version, a group of young children forms a ring, from which a boy selects a girl and kisses her. An 1883 collection of Shropshire folklore includes the following version: A ring, a ring o' roses, A pocket-full o' posies; One for Jack and one for Jim and one for little Moses! A-tisha! a-tisha! a-tisha! On
297-623: The Great Plague of 1665 in England or with earlier outbreaks of the bubonic plague in England. However, interpreters of the rhyme before World War II make no mention of this connection. By 1951, this interpretation had become widely accepted as an explanation for the rhyme’s form that had become standard in the United Kingdom. Peter and Iona Opie , leading authorities on nursery rhymes , observed: The invariable sneezing and falling down in modern English versions have given would-be origin finders
330-596: The London Royal Academy , and Guildhall School of Music in France . In the early 1970s, Carter was a member of the Central Maine Power Music Company with Robert Rutman and Constance Demby . She moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts , where she continued to collaborate with Rutman, who played his sound sculptures on her second album. She regularly played concerts with Rutman's Steel Cello Ensemble,
363-521: The recorder and cittern , played by the singers or fellow musicians. The Bæbes' musical pieces run the gamut from extremely traditional, such as their version of the " Coventry Carol " on Salva Nos , to songs that feel traditional but are much more modern, such as their rendition of "Summerisle", a song written for Robin Hardy 's 1973 cult film, The Wicker Man . John Cale added non-medieval instruments, including saxophone and electric guitar , to some of
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#1732930906631396-543: The "rosie" was thought to refer to the French word for rose tree , with children dancing and bowing to the person in the center. Some variations included literal falling down, which lessened the connection to the game-rhyme’s original form. In 1898, sneezing was also noted as a symbol with superstitious and supernatural significance across various cultures. Since the Second World War , the rhyme has often been associated with
429-775: The Bæbes contributed Mediæval Bæbes music to the soundtrack of the BBC period drama The Virgin Queen , which portrays the life of Elizabeth I of England , including the title music, which is a poem written by Elizabeth set to music by Blake. The Bæbes provided the vocal track for and starred in the video of the Delerium track "Aria"; the vocals are an adapted version of the vocals from "All Turns to Yesterday" from Worldes Blysse . They are also featured on two tracks from Delerium's 2006 album, Nuages du Monde : "Extollere" and "Sister Sojourn Ghost". In 2016,
462-617: The Mediæval Bæbes performed a concert at the Tabernacle, Notting Hill in London to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band. Seventeen of the past and present members were reunited on stage for a few songs. In 2017, Sophia Halberstam joined as a high soprano vocalist. Member Maple Bee (aka Melanie Garside) is the singer in electronic duo Huski and the younger sister of KatieJane Garside , singer of London-based rock band Queenadreena . One of
495-601: The UK specialist classical charts, and was certified silver on 15 May 1998. Subsequent albums include Worldes Blysse (which went to No. 1), Undrentide , (co-produced by John Cale ), The Rose , (produced by Toby Wood), and the Christmas-themed album Mistletoe and Wine . Mirabilis (2005) was launched at a concert and party in London, August 2005. A self-titled DVD was released in July 2006. The first 300 preorders were autographed by
528-468: The action to the word with unfailing hilarity and complete satisfaction." An Indian version ends with: "Husha busha! / We all fall down!" Variations, corruptions, and adaptations of the rhyme have been noted to exist long before its earliest printed versions. One such variation was recorded as being used in Connecticut in the 1840s. A novel from 1855, The Old Homestead by Ann S. Stephens , includes
561-453: The arrangements on Undrentide , although with subsequent albums the band returned to more traditional instruments. Even with these instruments, however, the band's current style is quite different from medieval authentic performance groups, as it displays significant modern influence - this juxtaposition is apparent in the album Illumination (2009) produced by KK (Kevin Kerrigan) . In 2005,
594-680: The band and received a special mention in the DVD credits. A live album was released on 25 November 2006 and features two new studio tracks. Each album features traditional medieval songs and poetry set to music, mostly arranged by Blake specifically for the ensemble, alongside varying numbers of original compositions. They sing in a variety of languages, including Latin , Middle English , French , Italian , Russian , Swedish , Scottish English , German , Manx Gaelic , Spanish , Welsh , Bavarian , Provençal , Irish , modern English and Cornish . Their vocals are backed by medieval instruments, including
627-485: The burning of victims' houses, or the blackening of skin due to the disease. This theory has been adapted to explain other versions of the rhyme. In its various forms, this interpretation has entered popular culture and has been referenced to make indirect connections to the plague. In 1949, a parodist created a version referencing radiation sickness : Ring-a-ring-o'- geranium , A pocket full of uranium , Hiro, shima All fall down! In March 2020, during
660-622: The children dance to the music of a seated clarinetist . Meanwhile, in Frederick Morgan 's Ring a Ring of Roses (the title under which it was exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1885), the children are shown dancing around a tree. Two other artists associated with the Newlyn School also depicted the game: Elizabeth Adela Forbes in 1880 and Harold Harvey in a later work. The origins and meanings of
693-647: The final line, "they stand and imitate sneezing". The Opies, in their Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, record similar variations that have appeared over time. A German rhyme, first printed in 1796, closely resembles "Ring a ring o' roses" in its first stanza and includes similar actions, with sitting rather than falling as the concluding gesture: Ringel ringel reihen, Wir sind der Kinder dreien, Sitzen unter'm Hollerbusch Und machen alle Husch husch husch! A loose translation reads: "Round about in rings / We children three / Sit beneath an elderbush / And 'Shoo, shoo, shoo' go we!" This rhyme, which appears in
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#1732930906631726-616: The following version: A ring – a ring of roses, Laps full of posies; Awake – awake! Now come and make A ring – a ring of roses. Another early record of the rhyme appears in Kate Greenaway 's Mother Goose; or, the Old Nursery Rhymes (1881): Ring-a-ring-a-roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush! hush! hush! hush! We're all tumbled down. In his Games and Songs of American Children (1883), William Wells Newell describes several variants, including one with
759-518: The game have long been unknown and are subject to speculation. Folklore scholars consider the popular explanation linking it to the Great Plague , which has been common since the mid-20th century, to be unfounded. In 1898, A Dictionary of British Folklore suggested that the game may have pagan origins. This was based on a comparison in the Sheffield Glossary with Jacob Grimm ’s Deutsche Mythologie , which relates it to pagan myths. It cites
792-497: The game, a group of children forms a ring, dances in a circle around one person, and then stoops or curtsies on the final line. The slowest child to perform this action may face a penalty or become the "rosie" (literally: rose tree, from the French rosier ), taking their place in the center of the ring. Common British versions include: Ring-a-ring o' roses, A pocket full of posies . A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all fall down! Common American versions include: Ring around
825-605: The group performed the theme song to the ITV TV series Victoria , performing the composition by Martin Phipps . In 2023, the Baebes collaborated with Orbital on the latter's single "Ringa Ringa", a version of the children's rhyme " Ring a Ring o' Roses " referencing the COVID pandemic. The song appeared on Orbital's album Optical Delusion which released February 17, 2023 On 19 December 2016,
858-413: The group's founding musicians, Dorothy Carter , died of a stroke in 2003 at the age of 68. In addition to playing autoharp , hurdy-gurdy , and dulcimer with the group, she performed the lead vocals on "So Spricht Das Leben" ( Worldes Blysse ) and "L'Amour de Moi" ( The Rose ). Emily Ovenden left the group at the beginning of 2016. She is the daughter of artists Graham Ovenden and Annie Ovenden . She
891-492: The opportunity to say that the rhyme dates back to the Great Plague. A rosy rash, they allege, was a symptom of the plague, and posies of herbs were carried as protection and to ward off the smell of the disease. Sneezing or coughing was a final fatal symptom, and "all fall down" was exactly what happened. The line Ashes, Ashes in colonial versions of the rhyme has been claimed to refer variously to cremation of bodies,
924-452: The popular collection Des Knaben Wunderhorn , is well known in Germany and has many local variations. Another German version reads: Ringel, Ringel, Rosen, Schöne Aprikosen, Veilchen blau, Vergissmeinnicht, Alle Kinder setzen sich! In translation: "A ring, a ring o' roses, / Lovely apricots, / Violets blue, forget-me-nots, / Sit down, children all!" Swiss versions of
957-518: The rhyme involve children dancing around a rosebush. Other European singing games with a strong resemblance include " Roze, roze, meie " ("Rose, rose, May") from the Netherlands, which has a similar tune to "Ring a ring o' roses," and " Gira, gira rosa " ("Circle, circle, rose"), recorded in Venice in 1874. In this Italian version, girls dance around a central girl, who skips and curtsies as directed by
990-423: The rosie, A pocket full of posies . Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down! Some versions replace the third line with "Red Bird Blue Bird" or "Green Grass-Yellow Grass," and the ending may be changed to "Sweet bread, rye bread,/ Squat!" Godey's Lady's Book (1882) describes this variation, noting it as "One, two, three—squat!" Before the final line, the children suddenly stop, then shout it together, "suiting
1023-439: The verses and at the end kisses the one she likes best, choosing her to be in the middle for the next round. Evidence of similar children's round dances appears in continental paintings. For example, Hans Thoma 's Kinderreigen (Children Dancing in a Ring) from 1872 depicts children dancing in an Alpine meadow, while a later version of the painting shows them dancing around a tree. The Florentine artist Raffaello Sorbi brought
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1056-631: Was born and raised in Cornwall and now lives in London . She performed backing vocals on DragonForce 's The Power Within and Reaching into Infinity . She is also a founding member and former lead vocalist of English gothic metal band Pythia . Marie Findley left the group in March 2007. She is also a film reviewer and television script writer for programmes such as Smack the Pony and The Ant & Dec Show . She
1089-639: Was the lead (using the name Tulip Junkie) in the Ken Russell film The Fall of the Louse of Usher . 16 May 2007 – Audrey Evans and Maple Bee resigned due to family and professional commitments and Cylindra Sapphire resigned in order to follow a different musical path. 22 July 2009 – Claire Rabbitt left the Bæbes. Sarah Kayte Foster came on to replace her. Dorothy Carter Carter studied classical piano at age six. She later attended Bard College in New York,
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