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Preston's Country Dances. Annual collections of 24. This long-running series seems to have run from after 1780 until at least tune number 861 in 1818, according to Frank Kidson. Each tune in the annual collections is numbered as part of a long series, although the numbering is somewhat erratic, but if the books were ever formed into larger compendiums of 200 there are no known copies of those larger works
Go to ABC file. With dance notation
Go to PDF of the transcription
Part of the Winder family papers
Transcribed into ABC Music Notation for The Village Music Project
by John Adams (2017)
Go to ABC file. With dance notations
Go to PDF of the transcription
Four tunes missing
Transcribed into ABC Music Notation for The Village Music Project
by Peter Dunk (2016)
Kidson writes:
John Preston, the founder of the
firm, was according to the directory of 1774, then established
at 9, Banbury Court, Long Acre, as musical instrument maker, and
possibly as music publisher, though I have as yet found no music
bearing this address on the imprint. In 1776, he was at 105,
Strand, near Beaufort Buildings, publishing books of Lessons for
the guitar, etc. He advertises "the greatest variety of new
music and musical instruments, ruled paper, etc., wholesale and
retail."
In 1778 he had removed to
98, Strand, a mistake in the directory possibly for 97, for at
this latter number the firm remains from before February, 1781,
till about 1822. John Preston's business soon became an
important one, and he published a great quantity of the best
music of his day. In 1789, Preston, who had just taken his son
Thomas into partnership, bought the whole plates and stock-in
trade of Robert Bremner, and had additional premises at Exeter
Change.
Between 1798 and 1801,
John Preston disappears from the firm (though in some instances
the old style, Preston & Son, is used), and Thomas alone
remains. In 1823 Thomas Preston had left the Strand and was at 7
1, Dean Street, Soho, where he remained until after 1833. In
1837, Messrs. Coventry & Holliers have possession and are
re-pul)lishing from Preston's old plates. Coventry & Hollier
are advertising in 1848, but their names are not in the Musical
Directory for 1853; Novello & Co. were large purchasers at
the sale of their effects.
The Preston publications
are very numerous. They include a great number of the English
operas in oblong folio and the usual popular sheet music,
besides a long series of Country Dances in yearly sets of
twenty-four for the violin in oblong 8vo. This series started
with the set for 1786 and reached down to at least 1818. The
dances are numbered (with occasional mistakes) continuously,
reaching at the end of the 1818 set to No. 861 ; printed on both
sides of the paper. They also published Country Dances in folio
and oblong 4to.
Other more important
works were Bunting's " Ancient Irish Music," vol. i (1796)-the
original publication, freely pirated by Irish music printers.
"Twelve Original Hibernian Melodies," Miss Owenson, folio,
Shakespeare's Dramatic Songs," W. Linley, 2 books, folio, Musica
Antiqua," J. S. Smith, 2 vols., folio. They were also the London
publishers and printers of George Thomson's 11 Scottish, Irish,
and Welsh Collections."
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