Here’s a snippet of the first rehearsal we had for our songs in Treasure Island. Sailors in the 18th century used song to help their work along and keep the rhythm. These songs were called Shanties. Shanties had antecedents in the working chants of British and other national maritime traditions. They were notably influenced by songs of African-Americans, such as those sung whilst manually loading vessels with cotton in ports of the southern United States. Shanty repertoire borrowed from the contemporary popular music enjoyed by sailors.
