March of Cambreadth
Encyclopedia
March of Cambreadth is the award-winning signature song
of Alexander James Adams
, previously known as Heather Alexander. The song is well-known in filk, Renaissance Fair
and Society for Creative Anachronism
circles. It has been featured in novels by Mike Shepherd, John Ringo
and S.M. Stirling. It has also been parodied
extensively.
March of Cambreadth received a Pegasus Award in 2006, in the category "Best Battle Song".
Heather Alexander wrote the song in the late 1980s and sang lead vocals on the following recordings:
Alexander James Adams
has sung lead vocals on the following recordings:
The song also appears on albums by other artists.
Alexander did a second self-parody March of Con Death specifically for the RainFurrest 2009 Fur Suit Parade. As the theme for that year was "Zombie Attack" the lyrics included humorous puns relating to unlife and of course keeping the signature chorus line of "How many of them can we make die!"
Two other filk songs based on March have been written, both dealing with the aftermath of battle with the refrain "How many of them can we make live?". One, written by Lady Mondegreen
, is titled "Healer's Cry", and the other, by John C. Bunnell, is titled "After Cabreadth".
has (mis)quoted March of Cambreadth in his novels Hell's Faire, Ghost and There Will Be Dragons as well as in the second Looking-Glass book, Vorpal Blade. A copy of the Midsummer recording was included on CD-ROM in There Will Be Dragons, Hell's Faire and in the Baen Free Library.
S.M. Stirling quoted or referenced March of Cambreadth in The Protector's War, A Meeting In Corvallis, The Sunrise Lands and On The Oceans of Eternity, in all of which he insists the song is Traditional.
Mike Shepherd
used the song in his book Kris Longknife: Defiant.
Bob Kanefsky has parodied March of Cambreadth twice:
Heather Alexander recorded December of Cambreadth for the compilation album Roundworm.
P. R. Frost quoted March of Cambreadth in the book Moon In The Mirror : A Tess Noncoiré Adventure.
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
of Alexander James Adams
Alexander James Adams
Alexander James Adams is an American singer, musician and songwriter in the Celtic and World music genres. He blends mythical, fantasy, and traditional themes in performances, switching between instrumental fiddle and songs accompanied by guitar, bodhrán, and fiddle playing...
, previously known as Heather Alexander. The song is well-known in filk, Renaissance Fair
Renaissance Fair
A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the United States, open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent theme parks, others are...
and Society for Creative Anachronism
Society for Creative Anachronism
The Society for Creative Anachronism is an international living history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century...
circles. It has been featured in novels by Mike Shepherd, John Ringo
John Ringo
John Ringo is an American science fiction and military fiction author. He has had several New York Times best sellers. His books range from straightforward science fiction to a mix of military and political thrillers...
and S.M. Stirling. It has also been parodied
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
extensively.
March of Cambreadth received a Pegasus Award in 2006, in the category "Best Battle Song".
Recording History
- The 1990 Phoenyx album Keepers of the Flame. The band disbanded in 1991; the album is currently out of print.
- The 1997 Heather Alexander solo album Midsummer, where it is framed as the center of the "War Trilogy". The Midsummer recording is at a faster tempo than on Keepers of the Flame and the Wicked TinkersWicked TinkersThe Wicked Tinkers are an American Celtic music group who perform at many Scottish/Irish festivals.http://lh5.ggpht.com/-EajppDn4TKY/TAZi7AWKuOI/AAAAAAABsMc/8ARk5wnpcHM/DSC08855-ec.jpg-History:...
add their bagpipe-and-drums sound to the song.
- Uffington Horse's Enchantment includes a live recording of March of Cambreadth with Andrew Hare playing banjo, Dan Ochipinti playing drums, and Heather Alexander switching between guitar and fiddle. (This recording is included in a computer-readable data track on the Mixed Mode CDMixed Mode CDA Mixed Mode CD is a Compact Disc in which two different data types are combined. Typically the first track is a data track while the rest are audio tracks...
.)
Alexander James Adams
Alexander James Adams
Alexander James Adams is an American singer, musician and songwriter in the Celtic and World music genres. He blends mythical, fantasy, and traditional themes in performances, switching between instrumental fiddle and songs accompanied by guitar, bodhrán, and fiddle playing...
has sung lead vocals on the following recordings:
- Alexander James AdamsAlexander James AdamsAlexander James Adams is an American singer, musician and songwriter in the Celtic and World music genres. He blends mythical, fantasy, and traditional themes in performances, switching between instrumental fiddle and songs accompanied by guitar, bodhrán, and fiddle playing...
and Tricky Pixie included the song on their 2007 album Live!. Live! is currently out of print.
- The 2010 Alexander James AdamsAlexander James AdamsAlexander James Adams is an American singer, musician and songwriter in the Celtic and World music genres. He blends mythical, fantasy, and traditional themes in performances, switching between instrumental fiddle and songs accompanied by guitar, bodhrán, and fiddle playing...
studio album Harvest Season: Second Cutting.
- The Alexander James AdamsAlexander James AdamsAlexander James Adams is an American singer, musician and songwriter in the Celtic and World music genres. He blends mythical, fantasy, and traditional themes in performances, switching between instrumental fiddle and songs accompanied by guitar, bodhrán, and fiddle playing...
live Yule DVD, recorded in December 2009.
The song also appears on albums by other artists.
War Trilogy
The "War Trilogy" on Midsummer consists of three songs. The first, a love ballad, anticipates the battle; the second portrays the battle; the third looks back on the battle and its results.- Tomorrow I Leave For Battle, lyrics: Philip R. Obermarck, music: Heather Alexander
- March of Cambreadth, lyrics & music: Heather Alexander
- Courage Knows No Bounds, lyrics: Philip R. Obermarck, music: Heather Alexander
Frog of Cambreadth & other parodies
As described on the live album Festival Wind, Alexander was reading an Internet filk mailing list when his fans observed that they could sing March of Cambreadth to the tune of his children's song Hap'n'Frog and vice versa. Determined to embarrass himself before anyone else did it for him, he took the two songs "and let them have an afternoon together and breed." The result is Hap'n'Frog of Cambreadth, recorded on Festival Wind.Alexander did a second self-parody March of Con Death specifically for the RainFurrest 2009 Fur Suit Parade. As the theme for that year was "Zombie Attack" the lyrics included humorous puns relating to unlife and of course keeping the signature chorus line of "How many of them can we make die!"
Two other filk songs based on March have been written, both dealing with the aftermath of battle with the refrain "How many of them can we make live?". One, written by Lady Mondegreen
Mondegreen
A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
, is titled "Healer's Cry", and the other, by John C. Bunnell, is titled "After Cabreadth".
Cultural references
John RingoJohn Ringo
John Ringo is an American science fiction and military fiction author. He has had several New York Times best sellers. His books range from straightforward science fiction to a mix of military and political thrillers...
has (mis)quoted March of Cambreadth in his novels Hell's Faire, Ghost and There Will Be Dragons as well as in the second Looking-Glass book, Vorpal Blade. A copy of the Midsummer recording was included on CD-ROM in There Will Be Dragons, Hell's Faire and in the Baen Free Library.
S.M. Stirling quoted or referenced March of Cambreadth in The Protector's War, A Meeting In Corvallis, The Sunrise Lands and On The Oceans of Eternity, in all of which he insists the song is Traditional.
Mike Shepherd
Mike Shepherd (author)
Mike Shepherd, a.k.a. Mike Moscoe, is an American science fiction writer who lives in Vancouver, WA. He was born in 1947 in Philadelphia to a Navy family and traveled a lot as a child. It was not until high school that he finished a year in the school he started.After a career in government, he...
used the song in his book Kris Longknife: Defiant.
Bob Kanefsky has parodied March of Cambreadth twice:
Heather Alexander recorded December of Cambreadth for the compilation album Roundworm.
P. R. Frost quoted March of Cambreadth in the book Moon In The Mirror : A Tess Noncoiré Adventure.
External links
Lyrics
As the lyrics and music were originally copyrighted by Heather Alexander, they remain copyright Heather Alexander, not copyright Alexander James Adams.- March of Cambreadth and Frog of Cambreadth lyrics
- Weight Loss Centers from Hell lyrics
- December of Cambreadth lyrics