CHRIS PARTINGTON
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1. Introduction
Very brief
2. The Collections
I think there are about 90 collections (I kept losing count),
with PDFs, containing at least 12,000 tunes.
This is my Village Music Project annex section, containing all
the VMP transcriptions, including new and newly revised ABC
files, many of which have yet to appear on the VMP website.
For the ABC files you will need (free) ABC software such as
ABCexplorer, ABCnavigator, or EasyABC.
There are also PDF files for every collection. How they behave when you click on them is dependent upon your browser settings; they will either open in your browser, or they may download to your computer automatically, or both. You can download them how you wish.
See Chris Walshaw's ABC Notation Homepage for details about the ABC Music Notation system, tutorials, and software.
See my Using
ABCexplorer page for a quick "getting started with
ABCexplorer" guide.
All the VMP transcriptions on this page have been transcribed by one of a team of volunteers, usually directly from the source, and checked for accuracy by a second volunteer, usually me. The object has been to retain the original musical intent as far as possible. We are conscious that although some of our readers require academic rigour in the transcriptions, which we try and provide, many will simply be expanding their knowledge of the repertoire and maybe picking up a new tune or two, which has necessitated "regularising" some tunes for the casual reader. Rendering the tunes into modern notation, and sometimes "rescuing" a tune, has sometimes required intervention, but editing has been respectfully done with annotations that make it possible to reconstruct the original as written. The tunes are in the same order as in the original source, and archaic spellings have been retained. Where alternative titles have been found, these titles have been suffixed with .aka (= Also Known As)
The ABC files are plain ASCII with no HTML elements.
One way to download them is to open the relevant file and copy
& paste either the entire contents, or individual tunes,
straight into a "new file" within your ABC program. However, be
aware that some ABC programs if done this way will omit the "file
headers" containing important contextual information.
A better way is to have the browser download it for you, with the
file headers intact. In Firefox for example you need to open the
relevant file in the browser, either right-click or open the File
menu drop-down box in the menu bar, click Save Page As to open the
dialogue box. When you have downloaded the file make sure the file
extension is changed to .abc rather than .txt. You will now be
able to open it from within your ABC program.
I would encourage you to download, and even share, the collections whole as ABC, they take up hardly any room. The files are human-readable even without the aid of software. This will ensure their survival far into the future even better than PDF would.
These transcriptions are the result of many years' work by a team
of volunteers. If you make use of them in any form of publication
or recording, please remember to credit us appropriately. The list
of volunteers is HERE
The tempii indicated in the various files are not suggested with
any authority, they are merely an aid to comprehension.
Clicking a link will take you to an introductory page for that
collection, from where you can access either the ABC or PDF file.
Alexander's
"Fifty Scotch & Irish Reels and Hornpipes" (ca1825)
"Arranged for the Violin and Flute by an Eminent Professor,
published by J.Alexander, 101 Leadenhall St."
Anonymous MS CAM1 "27" or
"MU39" (19thC)
The Cocks Collection contains several anonymous manuscripts from
19th century Northumberland, of which this is one
Anonymous MS CAM2 "14" or
"MU193" (early 19thC)
The Cocks Collection contains several anonymous manuscripts from
19th century Northumberland, of which this is another
Ashover MS, aka Harrison
and Wall
Derbyshire, a small manuscript from the late eighteenth century
Henry Atkinson's MS (1694)
A very early manuscript tune book by a young merchant in
Newcastle, from the Farne website.
Joseph Barne's MS 1762-9
A manuscript from Cumbria
John Baty MS#8, c1850-60
A manuscript from the North East
Thomas Bennet's Violin Book
1718
A collection of Preludes, Airs, Minuetts, Jiggs, Corants,
Rigadoons, Gavots, Marches, Sarabands, Country Dance, etc., in MS
for the violin or flute
Matthew Betham's Manuscript
(1815)
A music manuscript from Towcett, Cumbria
James Biggins MS 1779
A music manuscript from Leeds, West Yorkshire
Blackman's Selection
(ca1810-22)
"A Selection of the most favorite Hornpipes for the Violin. NB.
Most of these Hornpipes are within the Compass of the Flute. Price
1s; London. Published by W. Blackman, Music Seller. 15 Union Strt.
Southwark," ca1810-22.
A small published book from early nineteenth century London,
containing thirty two still popular common-time hornpipes
Bland
& Weller (circa 1800)
London music publisher
James Blackshaw
1837
One of the ASH Shropshire MSS
Thomas Bray's
Country Dances 1699
A very early printed collection of 20 country dances and tunes,
thought to be the earliest surviving dance tunes in England that
include a bass line, and very good it is too
Browne Family MSS
Four manuscripts from Troutbeck, Cumbria, various dates
John Burks
MS
An English dance tune manuscript of 1821, 116 tunes
Joshua Burnett MS
Early 19thC, UK Worsborough, S.Yorks
Contains a great many common time hornpipes plus a number of reels
and a few jigs and waltzes
John Buttrey MS
Early 19thC from Lincolnshire
A very large manuscript. Buttrey was a fifer in the British Army,
posted in South Africa and India, eventually returning home to
Lincolnshire
Cahusac's 24 Country Dances for the Year 1758, with dance notation
Cahusac's 24
Country Dances for the Year 1809
The Cahusac family, father Thomas and sons Thomas and William,
were music publishers and instrument makers
William Calvert MS
A MS from North Yorkshire, early 19th century
Carlisle MS
Sometimes referred to as 1861 Carlisle, or J.Nicholson Carlisle.
John Clare MS
The early 19th century labourer/poet was aso a fiddler
WmClarke
of Lincoln Music Manuscript Book, 1770
This is a music manuscript from Lincolnshire, England. Compiled by
William Clarke, Charles Woodall, and George Skelton. It contains
mostly popular dance music of the period c1770
John Clews MS
c1800
One of the ASH Shropshire MSS
Craig's Empire
Collection of Hornpipes
A published dance tune book, no date c1900
Benjamin Cooke's MS
An army officer's music book from circa 1770
Rev. Thomas Cowper MS 1766
A short manuscript from Dufton, Westmoreland
Robert C. Dalton MS 1841
A typical mid 19thC manuscript, 148 tunes
Davidson's
250 Welsh Airs 1859
An assorted collection of Welsh parlour music
Dixon (Anonymous)
Music Manuscript (1811)
A music manuscript from Lincolnshire, England. Found in the Dixon
Family Papers in Lincolnshire Archives. It contains mostly popular
dance music of the period, arranged for piano
Thomas John Dixon MS, 1798
Another MS from Lincolnshire
The
Fiddler's Tune Books 1 & 2 Peter Kennedy, EFDSS, 1951-3
The original books, of which this is a transcription, have long
been out of print, and although they have been re-edited and
republished by Dave Mallinson, the new version is quite different
C.J.Fox MS, c1830
A manuscript from Beverley, East Yorkshire
Joshua Gibbons
Music Manuscript 1823
Music manuscript fromTealby, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire
Giles, William Henry and "W.G."
Two related manuscript tune books from Bampton in the Bush,
Oxfordshire, dated 1839, 1842. They contain a mixture of various
dance tunes, including many that became Morris tunes, songs, and
religious items
Goulding & Co; 24
Country Dances for the Year 1808
Goulding, D'Almaine &
Potter; 24 Country Dances for the Year 1811
Goulding & D'Almaine's
24 Country Dances for the year 1826
William Thomas Green MS 1851
A music manuscript from Morpeth, in Northumberland
John Hall's MS 1833
A manuscript from Northumberland
Rev. Robert
Harrison MS
A very large early 19th century tune book from Temple Sowerby,
Westmorland
Edward Holmes MS 1845
A large dance tune manuscript from the East Riding of Yorkshire
Albert John
Hughes MS n/d
One of the ASH Shropshire MSS
Richard Hughes
MS 1823
One of the ASH Shropshire MSS
William Irwin's MSS
Important mid-19th century manuscripts from a noted Lake District
fiddler, transcribed by Anne Gilchrist
H.S.J.Jackson MS
One of the collection of Wyresdale manuscripts
John Johnson's "Choice Collections of 200 Favorite Country Dances", 8 Volumes, London 1740-58. English Country Dance Tunes from the mid-18thC. Volumes 1 & 2 of the series were heavily based upon Daniel Wright's two collections of a few years previously
John Jones MS
1801
One of the ASH Shropshire MSS
Frank Kidson's
Hornpipe Book
Hornpipes collected by Kidson
Lawrence Leadley MS#4,
c1850 or earlier
One of the manuscript tune books belonging to the subject of the
book "The Fiddler of Helperby", Dragonfly Music, 1994. It contains
material that had been popular for some time, as well as up to the
minute sets of quadrilles and polkas, and many very fine hornpipes
William Hall Lister MS,
1840-60
A manuscript from Northumberland
William Litten MS, 1802
The fiddle manuscript book of a ship's fiddler in the British
India Fleet
John Miller MS, Perth, 1799
A very martial fyfe manuscript
William Mittell MS, 1799
A manuscript from Kent
John W. Moore MS, 1841
A good manuscript from the north-east
John Nichol MS, mid19thC
Another good manuscript from the north-east
James Nuttall MS
A manuscript from East Lancashire
R.D.Owen/New Harmony MS
A manuscript from Indiana with strong Scottish links
Playford's Dancing
Master, volumes 1, 2, and 3, 1651-1728
The most important early collections of dances and music
Preston's Country Dances.
Annual collections of 24.
Randall, William. 24 Country
Dances for the year 1776
Complete with transcriptions of the dances
Roose, John MS 1850
A very large MS from Manchester
Rutherford, David.
Complete Collection of 200 Country Dances Volumes 1 & 2,
1756-1759
Complete with dance notation
James Sailes MS, c1830
A short manuscript from Lincolnshire
Thomas Sands MS, 1810
A manuscript from Lincolnshire, 270 tunes
Humphrey Senhouse MS,
1747
A manuscript from the Cumberland landed gentry. 142 tunes
George Spencer MS, 1831
A manuscript from Leeds, 124 tunes
Henry Stables MS
A late 19th century manuscript from the Lake District
Anonymous MS from
Staffordshire
Early 19thC, 41 tunes
C.J.Surtees MS, 1819
A manuscript from the North-east of England, various hands, 41
tunes
Thomas Tait MS, early 19th C
A short manuscript from All Saint's Church, Winterton,
Lincolnshire
Eliza Tennyson Music
Manuscript Book, 1822
19thC music manuscript from Lincolnshire, England. Compiled by
Eliza, mother of Alfred Lord, Tennyson, it contains mostly popular
dance and light classical music of the period for solo instruments
Scan Tester
My transcriptions from the 2 CD set of the Sussex concertina
player
William Tildsley's MS,
1860
From Salford, Lancashire
Thompson's Annual
Collections of 24 Country Dances
Thompson's "Compleat
Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances" Vols 1 - 4, 1751-80
"perform'd at Court, Bath, Tunbridge & all Public Assemblies
with proper Figures or Directions to each tune set for the Violin,
German-Flute & Hautboy. Pr. 3s 6d. London"
Thompson's "Compleat
Collection of 120 Favourite Hornpipes" circa 1770
Hornpipes of a theatrical persuasion, in every time signature
imaginable! Seemingly originally published as four volumes of 30
tunes each, then consolidated into one volume. Tunes named for
heroes of The Seven Years War (1756-63) suggest that the short
volumes were published around that time and consolidated some time
after that
Thompson's "Compleat
Tutor for the Fife" circa1765
An important source of military fife music
VWMLa late 18thC
An anonymous manuscript
Walsh's Compleat Country
Dancing Master
John Walsh and his son, also John, made three series of their
Compleat Country Dancing Master. The first series, of two books,
commenced in 1718 and was a direct plagiarism of the Playfords
Country Dancing Master. Beginning in 1731 they issued a new second
series, of four books of three hundred tunes each. In the 1740s
they started a third series of six books, reusing many of the old
plates in new sequences. He advertised them as a six book set in
1754. (Information from Early American
Secular Music and its European Sources) Wm Randall took over
the business and advertised them as a seven book set after the
middle of the century
George Henry Watson MS
A late 19thC manuscript from Norfolk
Thomas Westrop 120 Country
Dances
pub. London, date uncertain, probably about 1900
Thomas Wilson, Companion to
the Ballroom, pub London 1816
An influential dance instruction manual, with 303 tunes from the
year of Waterloo. Facsimile available elsewhere. The tune
selection includes many Scottish, Irish and French tunes of the
period, alongside minuets, allemands, cotillions, hornpipes and
country dances. Some of his annotations are dubious.
The Winder MSS
A collection of manuscripts and dance instruction books from
Wyresdale in Lancashire
Lionel Winship MS
A manuscript from Wark, Northumberland, dated 1833
Three
Extraordinary Collections
Thomas Marsden, "A Collection of Original Lancashire
Hornpipes Old and New containing Divisions upon each for the
treble Violin. Being the First if its Kind. London, 1705"
John Walsh "The Third Book of the most
celebrated jiggs,
lancashire Hornpipes, Scotch and highland lilts, Northern
Frisks, Morris's and Cheshire Rounds, with Hornpipes the bagpipe
manner, to which is added the Black joak, the White joak, the
Brown, the Red and the yellow Joaks, with variety of Whims and
Fancies of different humour, fitted to the genious and use of
Publik Performers. London, 1731
Daniel Wright, "An Extraordinary Collection of
Pleasant & merry Humours, never before Published Containing
Hornpipes, Jiggs, North Cuntry Frisks, Morris's, Bagpipe
Hornpipes, & Rounds, with Severall Additional fancis added,
fit for all those that play Publick. London, 1713"
Yarker MS, 1797
Cumbria,