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Early 19th century, Winterton, Lincolnshire
Go to ABC
file, by Ruairidh Greig
Go to a PDF
of the ABC notation
A short book of twenty three tunes for a wind instrument,
from the collection of early wind instruments and music books held
in All Saint's Church, Winterton, Lincolnshire, relics of the West
Gallery band and choir that once were there.
The front cover is inscribed in pencil, not very legibly, with
what looks to be "Thomas Tait's Book". The handwriting is not
inconsistent with the author's hand elsewhere in the book. At the
back of the book in a much fairer hand, is "Miss A. Alderson,
Gainsbro"
This short handwritten music book has a mixture of religious and
secular music. Ruairidh Greig has transcribed the secular music
into ABC Music Notation.
The tunes are a mixture of militia marches and country dances.
The numbering of the tunes, the fact that many are spaced as if to
allow for the later insertion of another voice, and the presence
in several places of multi-bar rests, suggests that the pieces
have been copied out of a larger work for more than one
instrument.
Some of the tunes go beyond the normal first position attainable
by an amateur string player, and can be presumed to be for a wind
instrument.
Census and other records show several Thomas Taits living in
Winterton around this period. Later censuses have it as Tate
rather than Tait.
There is a very high probability that Thomas Tait was a member of
the All Saints Church West Gallery Band.
West Gallery events are still held in All Saints Church from time
to time.
From The Galpin Society For the Study of Musical Instruments Newsletter
44 February 2016 is the following:-
"An ongoing Heritage Lottery Fund project
- ‘All Saints: the story it tells of Winterton’ - has enabled the
church to arrange full conservation of a set of ‘west
gallery’ wind instruments and manuscripts."
An article about the church instruments can be found on the church
webpage.
An article about West Gallery Music can be found here http://www.rodingmusic.co.uk/index.htm
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