Royal Musical Association Annual Conference
Wed 10 Sept
|University of Southampton
The conference will highlight and promote all aspects of music research, whether expressed in words, notation or sounds. Scholars with expertise from across the spectrum of music and sound studies will join us for this event.
Time & Location
10 Sept 2025, 19:00 – 12 Sept 2025, 23:00
University of Southampton, Sir James Matthews Building, Southampton SO14 7FP, UK
About the event
“As I went a-walking down Ratcliffe Highway”: Reconstructing London’s 19th-century sailortown through shanty repertoire
Shanties were highly valued by sailors for their ability to facilitate labour and boost morale amongst ships’ crews. A common sailor adage is that ‘a shanty is worth ten men on a rope’, and captains of merchant vessels competed to hire sailors with a reputation for being a strong shantyman (the leader). This role, although unofficial, afforded the sailor a greater respect and authority that far surpassed his designated position aboard the ship. Some sailors even went so far as to sabotage their peers’ attempts to assume the role, highlighting the importance of the shantyman in shipboard culture. Unusually, the qualities of a good shantyman had little to do with musical talent. Instead, it was a sailor’s improvisational wit, and, above all, his extensive repertoire of shanties that set him apart. Aspiring shantymen knew that to…