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William Thomas Green MS, Morpeth, 1851

(b.1825 d.1898), Northumberland

52 tunes. A transcription into ABC Music Notation for The Village Music Project, by Steve Mansfield and Ruairidh Greig, of the pages from the MS which were selected for reproduction on the Farne website.

Go to ABC file

Go to PDF of transcription
   
Farne interpret the hard-to-read date on the opening page as 1831, but both the contents and his birth date favour an interpretation of 1851!

Matt Seattle's description, from the Farne website:-

"Part of the Cocks collection, this book is now housed in the Northumberland Record Office in Gosforth, with complete photocopies in the Black Gate and Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum. It is described as 'Wm T Green's Music Book Piper'.

William Thomas Green was the son of William Green of Morpeth (1774-1860) who was piper to the Duchess of Northumberland from 1806, and according to Les Jessop (Northumbrian Pipers' Society Magazine Vol. 12, 1991), was 'the link between the 18th century pipers and the antiquarians responsible for the revival of the music in the 1850s.'

Curiously his son's book does not contain many pipe tunes, but seems to be a fiddler's book, though the transposition and range of some tunes suggest that he played flute or fife as well. The bulk of the book consists of standard Scottish tunes (not reproduced), but there are also some good local items, particularly hornpipes. Some are alternative texts of items reproduced elsewhere on the FARNE site, but a few are both unique and of high quality."

Height : 14 cm

Width : 23 cm"


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