[NSP] Re: [nsp] file
On 1 Nov 2009, what.me wrote: I sent it with a jpeg of the Barrington. This is the abc, taken from my copy of a copy of the Jock Davidson MS. I've written the B part out in full since it doesn't quite repeat and one bar has been appended in a manner I can't reproduce. X:1 T:The Barrington Hornpipe C:T. Todd S: Jock Davidson MS M:C| L:1/8 K:G Bc|dbgd Bgec|AdBG EcAF|DEFG ABcd|edce d2Bc|\ dbgd Bgec|AdBG EcAF|DEFG AcBA|G2 g2 g2:|* Bc|dcdB GBdg|edec ABce|dcdB GBdB |(3ABA (3GFE D2 Bc|\ dcdB GBdg|edec ABce|dBfe dcBA|G2 g2 g2 Bc|\ dcdB GBdg|edec ABce|dbca BgAG|(3ABA (3GFE D2 Bc|\ dcdB GBdg|edec ABce|dBfe dcBA|G2 g2 g2||** I don't know about other researchers, but when I've compared other tunes with versions in this source they've often turned to be .idiosyncratic, perhaps would be the best word. I would treat it as an example of aural tradition, showing what can happen as tunes spread out. There are several HIll tunes of this nature in it, amongst other stuff. Anyone wanting a simple abc conversion program might like to consider abcexplorer - can't remember the URL, but Google would find it. It's free and does a reasonable job. It's player has drone settings although they're a trifle tricky to find. Hope this helps Julia To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Barrington
I've put it on my webpage [1]http://members.lycos.co.uk/adrianschofield/ Under Adrian's playing technique.. Barrington Hornpipe Adrian -- References 1. http://members.lycos.co.uk/adrianschofield/ To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: [nsp] file
On 11/1/09 9:17 AM, Julia Say julia@nspipes.co.uk wrote: Anyone wanting a simple abc conversion program might like to consider abcexplorer - can't remember the URL, but Google would find it. It's free and does a reasonable job. It's player has drone settings although they're a trifle tricky to find. For single tunes (and a really bad midi reproduction) the abc converter at the concertina net is handy. www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html Best wishes. Steve To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: [nsp] file
I agree with Julia on the idiosyncratic nature of the Kielder Jock ms. Note that the title and composer have been supplied by another hand. The version of Barrington is one musician's rendering, and valuable as such, but I don't think it improves on the 'original', which is what the Fenwick Tutor version appears to be. The other tunes Fenwick included show him - imho - to be in touch with the core repertoire of the smallpiping tradition, presumably from the best players of the time, e.g. his Holey Ha'penny is the Clough version, simplified but with all the essentials. -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: [nsp] file (Fenwick)
Hi All, Some time ago I psode the question, If I were a 19th Century piping teacher and the only book of music I had available was Peacock's tunes, could I grade the tunes so that the pupil could start with the easiest and progress through more difficult tunes until the whole book was within their reach. I graded the 50 tunes 1 (easy) to 5 (difficult) and was pleasantly surprised at the result which showed a fairly even spread with category 3 containig the most tunes. That sounds like a well-balanced selection to me. I don't know whether anyone else would like to try the exercise. It would be interesting to compare results. Barry On 1 Nov 2009 at 17:03, Francis Wood wrote: They are mostly pretty difficult. I wonder why he failed to additionally provide an additional body of more achievable tunes (if Coquetdale and the basic 'Bonny Pit Laddie' can be so termed). In an 'Instruction Book' which is elsewhere generous in space for less useful matter, it seems an odd omission. Francis To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: [nsp] file
Matt, I think we have to be very careful when making assumptions from sparse written sources. What you say might be true we have no way of being certain but the evidence I've come across seems to suggest that Fenwick's selection was not necessarily the best examples of piping at the time but only the best he had experienced and, as we are talking about times when people mostly travelled on foot (or pony trap if better off), from a fairly limited geographical area. In Fenwick's time there was a railway linking Newcastle and Alnwick but the outlying districts of north Northumberland were not easy to reach even 50 years after the period we are talking about. We know from Will Atkinson that there were musicians liberally scattered throughout those areas in the early 20^th century. Presumably these people learnt their craft from someone and as dot reading was an extremely rare skill at the time there'd be little written evidence of this activity. What we do know is that James Hall was appointed to his post as Duke's Piper in 1892 after an open competition. As previous appointees came from as far afield as Morpeth and North Shields (James Reid was appointed in 1857 and second Duke's piper to increase awareness of the instrument) I think we can assume competition would be fierce. The stipend of A-L-30 per annum would have been worth winning. It seems fairly certain, therefore, that James Hall could play well and yet there is no mention of him (or anyone else from north Northumberland) in the entrants list for the open competitions of the Northumbrian Small Pipes Society held in Alnwick in 1895. I have seen an original programme for these competitions; Jimmy Little's grandfather passed it down to him. His grandfather was the proud possessor of a Reid set and taught Hannah Hutton's brother, John Robson, the pipes. The programme is a gem of a document but misleading, I feel, in this respect, it seems to indicate there were no pipers of accomplishment in the Alnwick area at that time. I quizzed Jimmy about this and he explained that preliminary auditions to gain entry to the competitions were held in Newcastle; far too far for working men miles from Alnwick, to get to. For most of them a visit to Alnwick was a rarity in 1895! What we glean from Kennedy North and Jimmy Little is a tantalising glimpse of the strength and history of piping in north Northumberland. We know this music tradition is continuous and spans many generations. Can we be quite sure that Fenwick had the whole story? I hope to do an article on Jimmy Little's experience of the piping tradition from up north but I fear much of the general picture has been lost. What we can't do is dismiss it as second rate or suggest (as one article I read not to long go did) it was non-existent. As aye Anthony --- On Sun, 1/11/09, Matt Seattle theborderpi...@googlemail.com wrote: From: Matt Seattle theborderpi...@googlemail.com Subject: [NSP] Re: [nsp] file To: julia@nspipes.co.uk Cc: nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu Date: Sunday, 1 November, 2009, 3:14 PM I agree with Julia on the idiosyncratic nature of the Kielder Jock ms. Note that the title and composer have been supplied by another hand. The version of Barrington is one musician's rendering, and valuable as such, but I don't think it improves on the 'original', which is what the Fenwick Tutor version appears to be. The other tunes Fenwick included show him - imho - to be in touch with the core repertoire of the smallpiping tradition, presumably from the best players of the time, e.g. his Holey Ha'penny is the Clough version, simplified but with all the essentials. -- To get on or off this list see list information at [1]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: [nsp] file (Fenwick)
On 1 Nov 2009, Francis Wood wrote: They are mostly pretty difficult. I wonder why he failed to additionally provide an additional body of more achievable tunes (if Coquetdale and the basic 'Bonny Pit Laddie' can be so termed). In an 'Instruction Book' which is elsewhere generous in space for less useful matter, it seems an odd omission. Perhaps an idea of the tunes learnt by beginners of the time can be garnered by inspecting the tune submissions to learner class competitions. Or indeed the unplaced players in the Open class. So for example in 1894 Wm Hills played Old Towler and Fenwick's Gathering Tune (presumably Sir John of that ilk), R. Batey played My lodging is on the cold ground (aka Believe me) and WG Brown of Prudhoe (who he?) played Haughs of Cromdale and Because he was. In 1896 the 3 beginners listed played Lads of Alnwick, Lamshaw's Fancy and Drops of Brandy. Although I have been told that this was a shortlist - only the top 3 beginners got to play on the day. All found in the Transactions. Apart from Haughs of Cromdale most of those tunes are familiar to pipers of today, and a number will at least know of the latter. There is also the book compiled by young Tom Clough when he was learning which must have been in the 1920s. I can't lay my hand on the list right now, but I know it included the Redesdale. If I find it, I'll post it. Julia To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: [BULK] Re: [nsp] file
Anthony Robb wrote: dot reading was an extremely rare skill at the time If you mean specifically among players of the NSP (or the fiddle, then perhaps - I wouldn't know. But if you mean in general, then that is a far too sweeping statement. Musical literacy was my no means uncommon, even among the working class. You are ignoring the influence of the Sunday school system, particularly among Nonconformists, and the self-improvement movement among the so-called better working class, with the miners being among the leaders. Large numbers of ordinary people could read music - witness the great Handel festivals and organisations like the Huddersfield Choral Society. Cheers, Paul Gretton To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: [BULK] Re: [nsp] file
It just occurred to me that I ought to have added: To get an idea of the culture that fostered musical literacy even among very ordinary people, just read D.H. Lawrence, specifically Sons and Lovers. Cheers, Paul Gretton -Original Message- From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On Behalf Of Paul Gretton Sent: 01 November 2009 19:20 To: nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu Subject: [NSP] Re: [BULK] Re: [nsp] file Anthony Robb wrote: dot reading was an extremely rare skill at the time If you mean specifically among players of the NSP (or the fiddle, then perhaps - I wouldn't know. But if you mean in general, then that is a far too sweeping statement. Musical literacy was my no means uncommon, even among the working class. You are ignoring the influence of the Sunday school system, particularly among Nonconformists, and the self-improvement movement among the so-called better working class, with the miners being among the leaders. Large numbers of ordinary people could read music - witness the great Handel festivals and organisations like the Huddersfield Choral Society. Cheers, Paul Gretton To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
