Category Archives: Windlass

Nautical Storytelling and Sea Chantey Music

Sea Chantey Demonstration at Mystic Seaport

    I have immersed myself in nautical research for a forth coming nautical epic storytelling. I willingly signed on to Mystic Seaport’s Sea Chantey class. www.mysticseaport.org  Four weeks of singing sea chanteys and learning about the music of the sea and the work it was created to support. It is not enough, the seven of us in the class are having such a good time! There are so many sea chanteys which are a combination of tales, legends and ship terminology all colored by the  wide variety of languages and nationalities of the sailors and set to rhythms of work on sailing vessels.

Here is some video of the Mystic Seaport Demonstration Crew at work April 7, 2012 on board the L. A.Dunton. A cold spring wind whipped across the Mystic River that day to remind us of how tough work would be out in the elements. The last portion shows an example of chantey music used to work the windlass.

                               Click follow to read the next post on using “bones”* in Sea Chantey music.

Bones: a rhythm instrument made of bone or wood

Similar posts:
https://www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.com/chasing-a-story-up-hill-and-out-to-sea/
https://www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.com/mystic-seaport-sea-chantey-class/