The Locked Down Sessions

Jimmy - Original Song

A simple waltz in 3/4 with French/Early English influences.  While I was putting this together I could hear an old friend of mine, who I was in a number of bands with, playing fiddle over the top.  Sadly he died a couple of years ago.  This is for you mate xx

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At Home

Pour Mon Ami - Original Song

A few months ago Yorkshire poet Philippa Atkin sent me the words of one of her poems called Resting Place and wondered if I could set it to music.  It took a while but finally here it is.

Resting Place

Resting Place (Heaven for Horses)

A dance tune in 3/4 time that that has a little bit of a Spanish feel to it.

Travesura

Travesura - Original Tune

Here's my arrangement of a traditional song

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The Snows They Melt The Soonest

He's trying so hard to win back the women he loves, but she's having none of it.  What did he do? Who knows, but although he's feeling really bad about it he's not going to give up.

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Wrong From Right

Wrong from Right - Original Song

Boy loves girl, wicked father sends girl away to America, boy follows and searches for girl, boy finds girl and marries her. All in 2'42"!

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Albany

Albany - Original Song

A simple Christmas reminiscence from 50 years ago

Christmas Eve (1968)

Information about Elias hall can be found in Oldham Local Studies & Archives library, in documents left by local historian Charles Higson (1862-1930).  Higson transcribed Hall’s journal which amounted to about 13,000 words.
In this document Hall describes himself as a teacher of Psalmody and says he was born within bow-shot of St. Mary’s Parish Church, Oldham, where he took over as choirmaster in 1696 when his predecessor, Abraham Hurst, died. 
Hall later compiled one of the earliest collections of provincial parish church music, The Psalm-Singers Compleat Companion (1708) and kept a record of his experiences as a choirmaster in Oldham.
Hall appears to have dedicated himself to reforming church music, this is only a few decades after Cromwell and the Puritans who thought that church music should be plain.  Hall wrote that “what was then call’d singing was less harmonical than reading”, going on to versify:
“Then out the People yawl an hundred parts, / Some roar, some whine, some creak like Wheels of Carts” and ends “Like untam’d Horses, tearing with their throats, / One wretched stave into a hundred notes” 
(Thanks to Livi Michael for this information)
My song ‘The Ballad of Elias Hall’ came about after appearing as Elias Hall in the play Singers not Sinners, written by Livi Michael and Carol Davies.  Singers not Sinners tells how Hall, unhappy with his choir, convinces the vicar, Rev. Richard Sugden that women should be allowed to sing in the choir.  Up until then it was forbidden for women to sing in church choirs as this would put them in front of and above men!  To this day some cathedral choirs still don’t allow women to sing with men.

The Ballad of Elias Hall

If you drive on the A9 for about 40 miles north of Inverness you'll cross the Dornoch Firth and come to the turnoff for the A949 and the village of Clashmore, one of my favourite areas in Scotland where I always felt a gentle sadness on leaving.

The song started out as a simple guitar tune I played at home then, during lockdown 2020, a friend heard it and suggested I write some words and this is it.

I have no idea who the man is, or which king it is. All I know is that he loved the land he lived in and he loved his wife and family even more. Did he come back? What happened to his two young sons and his wife?

I'll let you decide.

Farewell to Clashmore

Farewell To Clashmore.WAV

Ian F Ball is a seasoned folk singer and songwriter based in Oldham in the North West of England. With over 50 years of experience, Ian's music has been influenced by a wide range of artists from Bach to Big Bill Broonzy, via Arthur Askey and The Purple Gang.
He bought his first guitar aged 14 from Boots the Chemist and was excited to become a singer songwriter.  Fast forward half a century or so and he’s finally done it.   He’s not been treading water during those years though. Becoming an accomplished Melodeon player Ian self-published a book of tunes in the 90, ‘One Too Many’.  The title tune was picked up by Belshazzar’s Feast and played on track one of their debut album of the same name.  Other tunes have been picked up and recorded by bands on both sides of the Atlantic.
He's played in various ceilidh, folk, blues and Americana bands over the years on, guitar, melodeon, harmonica, mandolin, whistle, keyboard and bouzouki, but now concentrates on writing for guitar and melodeon.
An active member of his local musical society, in 2011 Ian was fortunate enough to perform, with other members of the society, on the main stage of the Carnegie Hall in New York in a 150 strong international choir. In 2022 Ian was awarded the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (North West Region): Best Male Lead in a Musical for his role as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof.
You can listen to Ian's music on Spotify and Bandcamp and all good streaming platforms. 
Stay updated with his latest news and releases by following his official Music Facebook page.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095418363300
Bandcamp: https://ianfball.bandcamp.com/follow_me

Ian F Ball

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