Michael Ridderbusch wrote:
> Could a song title have different melodies assigned to it over the years?
> If so, how many of them are out there?
>
>
It was often the case in the early part of the last century that rural
performers would hear a song or tune only once or twice via recording or
radio and incorporate it into their repertoire. That meant that both
lyrics and melodies relied on memory, and so there are plenty of
examples of same tune / different lyrics and same lyrics / different
tune. Also, because of the "folk tradition" (and poor enunciation) two
performers will seldom use exactly the same words or the same tune, even
if both allegedly learned from the same source (thank you Charlie Poole).

--
Pete Tinker
23257 Gilmore St.
West Hills, CA 91307 USA
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