Packington's Pound
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
"Packington's Pound" is an English broadside ballad that dates back<br> to the last quarter of the 17th century. It is most recognized by its tune.<br> Claude Simpson in The British Broadside Ballad and its Music writes:<br> "'Packington's Pound' is the most popular single tune associated with ballads<br> before 1700." Due to the tune's overwhelming popularity, it is difficult to pinpoint a<br> specific set of lyrics to associate with it. Instead, because of this ubiquity,<br> the tune was readily applied to countless other ballads.<br> The tune of "Packington's Pound" is often attributed to lutenist Francis Cutting<br> although his name is not found on any of the extant ballads. The name may have<br> originated from Sir John Packington, one of Elizabeth I's court favorites of whom<br> Chappell says "the same who wagered that he would swim from the Bridge at Westminster,<br> i.e. Whitehall Stairs, to that at Greenwich, for the sum of £3,000.... But the<br> good Queen, who had a particular tenderness for handsome fellows, would not permit<br> Sir John to run the hazard of the trial". (The course, running down stream would<br> be approximately 10 miles.)<br> The history of the tune suggests that prior to 1700, "Packington's Pound" was a<br> more popular tune than "Fortunate My Foe" and "Greensleeves".<br> "Packington's Pound", the tune, has been incorporated into many historical<br> plays by many well-established playwrights: John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera",<br> Ben Jonson's "Bartholomew Fair", Edward Phillips's "The Mock Lawyer" and others.<br> It was printed in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book and in William Chappell's<br> The Ballad Literature and Popular Music of the Olden Time.<br> It has been recorded by most classical guitarists. I learned it from Julian Bream's<br> recording although my version is significantly different from that given in<br> Chappell.<br>
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