'I'll Give My Love an Apple'

'I'll Give My Love an Apple'.. A fine Nova Scotia version of an ancient riddle song that dates back to the 15th century. An early form, 'My Sister Sent Me from over the Sea,' seems to have been a dancing song, and similar riddles formed part of the old British ballad 'Captain Wedderburn's Courtship' (Child Ballads no. 46). In 1937 Helen Creighton collected the Canadian version from Denis Smith, a retired sea captain living in Chezzetcook, and included it in Traditional Songs from Nova Scotia (Toronto 1950). A recording by Charles Jordan and Joyce Sullivan is included in Canadian Folk Songs: A Centennial Collection (9-RCA/RCI CS-100-1/5-ACM 39 CD). Godfrey Ridout arranged the song in his Folk Songs of Eastern Canada (Thompson 1970; recorded by Jon Vickers) and two choral arrangements have been published, one by Christopher Gledhill, under the title of 'I Will Give My Love An Apple' (BMIC 1952), and one by Isaac Han (Harris 1986).