A Dorian-mode folk song. Dark but never hopeless: the B natural keeps a little light in it. Folk tunes vary; this is one common version.
The story
Scarborough Fair was a real event: a huge trading fair held for six weeks every year in the Yorkshire town of Scarborough from the Middle Ages onward.
The ballad descends from an older one, “The Elfin Knight”, in which two lovers set each other impossible tasks, such as making a shirt without a seam or needle. The refrain “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme” may have been a charm or simply a memorable line.
In 1965 the English folk singer Martin Carthy taught his version to Paul Simon, and Simon & Garfunkel’s 1966 recording made it known around the world.
Three things to know
- The melody is in the Dorian mode: minor, but with a raised sixth note that sounds ancient and slightly bright.
- Hundreds of versions of “The Elfin Knight” exist across Britain and North America.
- The fair was first granted its charter in 1253 by King Henry III.
How to play it
Listen for the B natural in D Dorian. It is the note that makes the tune sound medieval rather than simply sad.