What is a Sea Shanty? A sea shanty is a working song sung sailors on a ship while they perform repetitive tasks. The rhythms of the songs matched the sailors’ movements as they worked, which helped to relieve boredom and ease the strain of hard physical labor.
Full Answer
What is a sea shanty?
The phrase "sea shanty" carries a similar redundancy to that of the phrases " ATM machine " or " chai tea ", in that the word "shanty" alone already conveys the meaning of a sea-related work song.
Why do we use shanties?
As time wore on and shanties were established as an indispensable tool aboard the ships of many nations carrying heterogeneous crew, inspiration from several national and cultural traditions fed into the repertoire and their style was subsequently shaped by countless individuals.
Why are sea shanties making a comeback?
Despite the fact that the recent resurgence of sea shanties is owed entirely to the internet, their modern appeal certainly harkens back to their original purpose: synchronizing individual efforts to achieve a common goal.
What is another word for shanty?
For other meanings of "shanty", see shanty (disambiguation). A sea shanty, chantey, or chanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. The term shanty most accurately refers to a specific style of work song belonging to this historical repertoire.
What is a sea shanty and what is its purpose?
Sea shanties were work songs, devised to accompany particular actions or tasks on board ship. They could help keep time among groups of sailors, coordinate physical movements like hauling ropes and raising sails, and relieve the boredom of long, repetitive tasks.
Why is sea shanty so popular?
But with a sea shanty, they're very, very easy to pick up. “Very quickly, it becomes something that you can sing along with. And if you're singing along with it, then you're immediately engaged and you're part of it. And that in itself connects you to everyone else that's doing it.”
What are the three types of shanty?
There were three principal types of shanties: short-haul, or short-drag, shanties, which were simple songs sung when only a few pulls were needed; halyard shanties, for jobs such as hoisting sail, in which a pull-and-relax rhythm was required (e.g., “Blow the Man Down”); and windlass, or capstan, shanties, which ...
What are the 4 types of Sea shanties?
They get there name from the part of the ship where the singing usually took place: the forecastle, which was the crew's quarters.Short Drag Shanty. Short drag or short haul shanties were for tasks requiring quick pulls over a relatively short time, such as shortening or unfurling sails. ... Long Drag Shanty. ... Capstan Shanty.
Why did The Wellerman go viral?
In early 2021, a cover by Scottish singer Nathan Evans became a viral hit on the social media site TikTok, leading to a "social media craze" around songs erroneously considered sea shanties.
What is the most famous sea shanty?
Drunken Sailor, The Irish Rovers Sung by The Irish Rovers, a famous Toronto folk band formed in the 1960s, this is one of the most popular sea shanties ever.
Who invented sea shanties?
Two of the earliest references to shanties by name are in Charles Nordhoff's 1856 book The Merchant Vessel, where shantying is clearly described and the singer referred to as the “chanty-man,” and in the log book of the whale ship Atkins Adams during the 1858-1859 season, where we find several clear references to the ...
Where does sea shanty come from?
A sea shanty, chantey, or chanty (/ˈʃæntiː/) is a genre of traditional folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large merchant sailing vessels. They were found mostly on British and other European ships, and some had roots in lore and legend.
How do you make sea shanties?
0:006:24How to make Sea Shantys Thermochef video recipe cheekyrichoYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe first thing we're going to do is add our fish that's just been cut into little pieces. Into theMoreThe first thing we're going to do is add our fish that's just been cut into little pieces. Into the thermo chef jug. Our crept pepper and a good pinch of our veggie salt a glutinous rice flour.
Why is it called a shanty?
It was sometimes spelled with an “sh” and sometimes with a “ch.” And because “shanty” sounds similar to “chanter,” the French word meaning “to sing,” some folks put two and two together and decided that “shanty” was derived from this French word.
What shanties mean?
nounWord forms: plural -ties or -teys. a song originally sung by sailors, esp a rhythmic one forming an accompaniment to work. Word origin. C19: from French chanter to sing; see chant.
When did sea shanty's first begin?
Sea shanties began to emerge in the early 19th century on American packet ships crossing the Atlantic. The living tradition of singing sea shanties on board packet and clipper ships began to decline around 1880 when steam-driven ships began to dominate.
Why did capstans change the way shanties were sung?
As a result, this changed the types of sea shanties sung onboard because the nature of the work had evolved.
What are the two main subdivisions of sea shanties?
Because of the ad-hoc nature of shanty singing, there is no strict categorisation of sea shanties, but there are two main subdivisions which have long been used on merchant ships: capstan and halyard songs. Sea shanties are divided according to the tasks which the seamen would have been carrying out and refer to the two main physical actions ...
The start of a phenomenon
In the final days of 2020, Scottish singer Nathan Evans posted a TikTok of himself singing the sea shanty Wellerman. It's a New Zealand folksong from the mid-19th century, about a Sydney whaling company called The Weller Bros, whose employees and ships were called 'Wellermen'.
A sea shanty made for two (or more)
TikTok's duet feature allows people to easily add their own spins to other people's videos, leading to weird and wonderful collaborations like the Ratatouille musical, and one about a grocery store. Now it’s bringing us sea shanties.
A collaborative work of art
The sea shanty trend snowballed from there. Other people added their voices and built on what Nathan and then Luke had started, including Irish singer Aaron Sloan and American singer Bobby Waters.
Why sea shanties?
It makes sense that it's sea shanties uniting us. Designed to bring workers together as one, a sense of connection is in its DNA.
The Start of A Phenomenon
A Sea Shanty Made For Two
- TikTok's duet feature allows people to easily add their own spins to other people's videos, leading to weird and wonderful collaborations like the Ratatouille musical, and one about a grocery store. Now it’s bringing us sea shanties. Immediately after Nathan posted his Wellerman video, TikTok user Luke Taylor created a duet, posting it with the cap...
A Collaborative Work of Art
- The sea shanty trend snowballed from there. Other people added their voices and built on what Nathan and then Luke had started, including Irish singer Aaron Sloan and American singer Bobby Waters. On January 5 another Scottish singer, Jonny Stewart, added what he described as "filler baritone which nobody will hear but adds gentle thiccness" to the duet chain, causing it to go vir…
Why Sea Shanties?
- It makes sense that it's sea shanties uniting us. Designed to bring workers together as one, a sense of connection is in its DNA. "There's an intrinsic feeling of solidarity and shared experience with sea shanties," Jonny says, adding that the lyrics of this particular shanty seem to have struck a chord. "Having the Wellerman come and bring sustenance, with the prospect of returning to lif…