[NSP] Re: Harvest tunes

2011-09-02 Thread Margaret Watchorn
Goswick Kirn - ideal for a kirn (or harvest) supper

Margaret




To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] Re: Shield's H'pipe

2011-07-14 Thread Margaret Watchorn
I spent some time with John Armstrong c.1979/1980 playing tunes and going
through his wonderful piles of mss. He was very kind and encouraging to a
(then) young piper, and passed on some invaluable insights into how he
played and what he thought about tunes. Unfortunately I don't have any
record of playing the Morpeth Rant with him. 

I do remember that John was sometimes unsure of a tune from its title, but
once the first notes were played, he knew exactly what it was. Similarly,
the question 'How does it gan?' that Jimmy Little often asked when playing
with Dishalagie was followed by an instant recall of the tune once it
started.

Best wishes
Margaret

-Original Message-
From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On Behalf
Of Matt Seattle
Sent: 14 July 2011 22:04
To: Dartmouth NPS
Subject: [NSP] Re: Shield's H'pipe

   To make it absolutely clear, it was not I who attached the name
   Shield's to the soundclip. Whether the source - JA of C - gave it that
   title, I don't know. This is not impossible given the Clough
   connection. The FARNE Core Tunes article on Morpeth Rant (not my
   work) also gives the Shield attribution.

   On Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 9:23 PM, Gibbons, John
   <[1]j.gibb...@imperial.ac.uk> wrote:

 But isn't Matt just quoting the Cloughs' title there?
 Beware of secondary sources, in other words -
 they don't corroborate where they are drawn from.
 A citation of 'The Morpeth Rant' (new or old) from anyone but the
 Cloughs,
 with the Shields' title, from pre-1900 would be interesting -
 one from anywhere near as far back as 1770,
 when 'The Morpeth Rant' made its first virtual appearance, would be
 astonishing.
 John

   --

References

   1. mailto:j.gibb...@imperial.ac.uk


To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html




[NSP] Pipes workshops/sessions

2011-06-07 Thread Margaret Watchorn
   There are still some places available for the next three workshops
   looking at more north Northumbrian tunes for pipes and other
   instruments.


   Pipes pitch sessions are on Saturday 9 July and Thursday 28 July, both
   from 2.00 - 4.00pm in the Parish Church Room, Embleton, Northumberland.

   Concert pitch session is on Saturday 27 August from 2.00 - 4.00pm at
   the same venue.

   Cost: -L-8 including refreshments and music.


   Contact me offlist for more details if you're interested.


   Best wishes

   Margaret


   --


To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] Re: Rotting of The Cotton Threads

2011-01-17 Thread Margaret Watchorn
I suspect both these tunes are based on the old north Northumbrian air 'The
Throttlin' of the Reeds/Reids'

Best wishes
Margaret

-Original Message-
From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On Behalf
Of Gibbons, John
Sent: 17 January 2011 12:46
To: NSP group
Subject: [NSP] Re: Rotting of The Cotton Threads

Richard,
Your discovery is a good one, but the rhythm of the title ''The Rotting of
the Cotton Threads'' is so clearly a Strathspey, as Francis noted, that I
looked elsewhere in the archive. On a moth eaten, yellowing, and (Speyside)
whisky-stained sheet of paper I found:

X:2
T: The Rotting of the Cotton Threads
C:Trad?
M:4/4
Q:1/4=60
L:1/8
K:A dor
 g.||:f/| ec bB| e>f g>e B>e B/Ge/|ec bB| c>d e/d/c/d/
ef e>a ae| f>g a>f dd|  e>f e>a af| e>f g/f/e/d/ ef e>a ae| f>g a>f  bd|(3 efg (3 agf (3 gfe (3fed| e>f
g/f/e/d/ eA GB|e>B g>B e/d/c/B/ c>f|eA GB|e>B g/f/e/d/ eF E>A CC|E>G A>c dd| E>F E>A Cc|e>f g/f/e/d/ eF E>A CC|E>G A>c df g/f/e/d/
emailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On Behalf
Of Richard York
Sent: 16 January 2011 22:54
To: NSP group
Subject: [NSP] Re: Rotting of The Cotton Threads

  In fact I'm sure it would have made more sense with the sections in 
reverse order. But there you are, that's how I found it.
R.
On 16/01/2011 22:45, Richard York wrote:
>  Arduous research in dusty attics and archives has revealed, Francis, 
> that I regret it's not a strathspey, more a sort of rhythmic unravelling.
> I couldn't find anything called "The Rotting of the Cotton Threads" as 
> such, but this obviously fairly corrupt version called "The Rotting of 
> the Threads", which is pretty close, I'm sure you'll agree, turned up 
> among the yellowing manuscripts.
> It will be seen that the rhythms perhaps reflect the progressive 
> degeneration of the instrument... though I feel that the copyist has 
> perhaps put them in reverse order, so that rather than losing a beat 
> each time, the idee fixe actually gains one.
> Strange, and rather sad, really.
> It was hard to read the writing, but I think I transcribed it 
> correctly. If anyone has a better written out version I'll be 
> delighted to see it.
> I copy it below in abc's
>
> X:1
> T: The Rotting of the Threads
> C:Trad?
> M:3/4
> Q:120
> L:1/8
> K:G
> |:.gA.g.c e/2d/2c/2A/2|.gA.gB d/2B/2A/2G/2|.EAB.c e/2c/2B/2A/2|.DAB.c 
> d/2B/2A/2G/2:|
> M:7/8
> |: .gA.gB.c e/2d/2c/2B/2|.gA.gA.B d/2B/2A/2G/2|\
> M:3/4
> .EAB.c e/2c/2B/2A/2 | .DAB.c d/2B/2A/2G/2:||:/
> M:4/4
> .gA.gA B.ce/2d/2c/2A/2|.gA.gA B.cd/2B/2A/G/2|
> M:3/4
> .EAB.c e/2c/2B/2A/2 |. DAB.c d/2B/2A/2G/2:||:/
> M:9/8
> .gAg .ABc .ee/2c/2B/2A/2|.gAg .ABc .dd/2B/2A/2G/2|
> M:3/4
> .EAB.c e/2c/2B/2A/2| .DABc .d/2B/2A/2G/2:|
>
> Best wishes,
> Richard.
>
>
> On 15/01/2011 00:07, Francis Wood wrote:
>> A Strathspey, surely?
>>
>> Francis
>> On 14 Jan 2011, at 23:57, gibbonssoi...@aol.com wrote:
>>
>>>   Is 'The rotting of the cotton threads' the title of a tune I haven't
>>>   learned yet?
>>
>>
>> To get on or off this list see list information at
>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>>
>
>
>







[NSP] Re: Proudlock's Hornpipe - earliest reference?

2010-10-11 Thread Margaret Watchorn
Rob

John Armstrong of Carrick told me that Lewis Proudlock was a dancing master
born in the Elsdon area in about 1830, and active in the Thropton/Elsdon
area in the mid 19th century. I've no idea whether or not he composed the
hornpipe, though! 

Margaret



To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] Re: Skinny-piping

2010-08-17 Thread Margaret Watchorn
   Cold and Raw?



   Margaret


   --


To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] Re: Sweet & Salt Water tune collection

2010-07-10 Thread Margaret Watchorn
   One or two people have posed the question: How much duplication is
   there of tunes in previous publications? A brief answer is - not much!


   For those wanting more detail: of the 52 tunes, half are previously
   unpublished - mostly old tunes - and eight others come from my book
   `Dishalagie', out of print since 1990. Six more appear in Alnwick
   Piper's Society (mostly tunes by Dad or me). This leaves eight tunes
   from our repertoire which as far as I know don't appear in any volumes
   of Northumbrian music, and four others which are our versions of `Grace
   Darling', `Little Fishie', `Tweedside' and `Chickens and Sparrow
   Grass'. All seconds are previously unpublished.


   Hope this helps.


   Best wishes

   Margaret


   --


To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] New tunebook

2010-07-05 Thread Margaret Watchorn
   Now available:


   Sweet and Salt Water

   A collection of 52 old and new tunes, with harmonies. Contains tunes
   from Joe Hutton, Cheviot Ranters, John Readshaw, William Darling,
   William Dobson etc, as well as newer tunes by Jack Dodd and Margaret
   Watchorn.


   Price: -L-10 plus postage, packing etc.


   Orders and enquiries gratefully received offlist at
   [1]i...@pipesandfiddle.co.uk


   Best wishes

   Margaret

   --

References

   1. mailto:i...@pipesandfiddle.co.uk


To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] Concerts and workshops

2010-06-13 Thread Margaret Watchorn
   Anyone who's in north Northumberland during the next few months might
   be interested in the following concerts and workshops. Hope to see some
   of you there.

   Margaret

   WORKSHOPS

   Saturday 14 August 2.00 - 4.00pm. Parish Church Room, Embleton

   A workshop specially for players of Northumbrian smallpipes in F pitch.
   Learn some old and new tunes from the new tunebook, Sweet and Salt
   Water.

   Cost: -L-5 per session, including refreshments. Places are limited and
   must be booked in advance.

   As above, but for players of any melody instrument in concert pitch. If
   you'd like to, stay for the evening concert and perform a set of tunes
   with us.

   Thursday 8 July 2.00 - 4.00pm. Parish Church Room, Embleton

   Friday 30 July 2.00 - 4.00pm. St. Lawrence's Church, Warkworth

   Friday 3 September 2.00 - 4.00pm. St. Cuthbert's Centre, Holy Island

   CONCERTS

   Traditional music from Northumberland and beyond, featuring
   Northumbrian smallpipes, fiddle and voice.

   Thursday 8 July 7.30pm. Holy Trinity Church, Embleton

   Friday 30 July 7.30pm. St. Lawrence's Church, Warkworth

   Thursday 19 August 7.30pm. St. Mary's Church, Newton

   Friday 3 September 6.00pm. St. Cuthbert's Centre, Holy Island

   Admission to concerts: -L-5 (children under 12 free)

   For further details, contact Andrew or Margaret Watchorn on 01665
   576245 or i...@pipesandfiddle.co.uk

   --


To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] Re: Jack Dodd

2010-04-07 Thread Margaret Watchorn


Jack Dodd is my father. Now aged 84, he doesn't play the banjo much, and the
pipes even less, but occasionally a new tune comes into his head (though
he's never mastered the art of writing the dots). He still has an incredible
memory for all kinds of music that he heard in his youth!

I'm happy to share more information about him and his tunes, on or off the
list.

Margaret

John Dally wrote:

Playing through some of Jack Dodd's tunes today, I wondered if anyone
on the list could tell me about him, or send me to some resource on
the web that might have information about him.




To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] Re: kipper box

2010-02-10 Thread Margaret Watchorn
   I've a clear mental image of seeing somewhere, a photograph of an old
   street musician playing what looked very like a strung kipper box.  He
   was holding it like a fiddle.


   I'm sure the staff at the Irish Traditional Music Archive would be able
   to help with this query, Dru.


   My apologies for introducing a non-piping flavour with the `kipper box'
   reference in my original posting. It's a phrase common in our family to
   describe a fiddle that sounds distinctly ropey - my great great aunt
   Nellie from Woodhorn used it when talking about a local fiddle player,
   and it's stuck ever since.


   Margaret


   --


To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] Re: Sliabh na m'bhan (was Gaelic Pronunciation)

2010-02-09 Thread Margaret Watchorn
If it hadn't been for this discussion I wouldn't have gone searching through
old cassettes and found the recording I wanted - Joe playing Sliabh na
m'bhan at Rock Nab (Ron Purvis's house) at a house session in the early
1980s. Andy learned to play it and is pretty close to the way Joe played it
then.

I have another cassette tape of 18 tunes which Joe made for me in 1981 to go
alongside my 3rd year dissertation at York. I asked him to record something
that showed the range of his repertoire. It contains a smattering of
Scottish tunes and one or two hornpipes of distinctly Irish origin. There
are some unusual offerings including The Queen's Welcome to Invercauld, and
My Home (played in A rather than G) - I suspect to prove that nsp can be
played in keys other than G and D major.

I shall do some serious listening tonight!

Margaret


-Original Message-
From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On Behalf
Of Anthony Robb
Sent: 09 February 2010 11:20
To: nsp; julia@nspipes.co.uk
Subject: [NSP] Re: Sliabh na m'bhan (was Gaelic Pronunciation)


   On 6th Feb Julia Say wrote:

   That's interesting, Margaret. I remember Joe's views on both Irish
   music in
   Northumberland, and on Billy Pigg and his playing, from conversations
   with him in
   the early 90s, at the Rothbury course, at Alnwick, and from playing
   bass with him
   and Will & Will in sessions.
   As a result I am mildly surprised that he played it.
   Hello Julia & Margaret,
   Sorry to be so tardy replying to this. I hope people aren't given the
   wrong impression about Joe by this posting.
   I think the distinction  has to be made between style and music. People
   who knew Joe well would be amused by the suggestion that he had
   something against Irish music per se. True the Irish style was not
   attractive to him (and others) as it was too fast and flowing and
   lacking the bounce needed to satisfy a Ranting community. Jigs had
   similar problems. Having said that, many tunes of Irish origin were
   very successfully adapted to become well used favourites. Saddle
   the Pony & Blackthorn Stick to name but two. Hornpipes were the common
   ground here and Joe played some great Irish ones, Stack of Wheat,
   Greencastle etc.
   To be fair the same problems existed with some of the well known
   Scottish bands. Their reels tended to be "unRantable" and their waltzes
   and polkas tended to drag as far as Northumbrian dancers were
   concerned. If Scottish bands couldn't adapt their style to suit they
   didn't get a return gig!
   As Jimmy Little said recently, "to really know about our music you have
   to live amongst it"!
   As aye
   Anthony

   --


To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html




[NSP] Re: NSP duet with other instruments

2010-02-09 Thread Margaret Watchorn
Anthony is absolutely right about Willie Taylor's dislike of tuning down a
fiddle; the 'knicker-elastic' comment is one he used frequently. 

When I'm playing duets with Andy's nsp, I always tune down. For me, I've
spent a long time trying to find the right fiddle and strings so it doesn't
sound like a kipper-box (or I hope it doesn't) when tuned lower. In my
opinion, it's about trying to find a sound quality/timbre/call it what you
will, that sounds right with the particular set of pipes you're playing
with. That's the case with any two instruments playing together, of course.

The only time I ever heard Joe play the fiddle was when he was about to
leave my parents' house late one evening and had boxed up his pipes, only to
hear the rest of us start on a tune that happened to be a favourite of his.
He picked my fiddle off the top of the piano and played along till the end
of the set, when Hannah decided it was definitely home time!

Margaret



To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] Re: Sliabh na m'bhan (was Gaelic Pronunciation)

2010-02-06 Thread Margaret Watchorn
   Joe Hutton played this tune in the early 1980s, and that's where I
   learned it - his version was basically the same as Gay McKeon's. When I
   asked him where he got the tune, he couldn't remember.


   Somewhere I have a poor quality cassette recording of Joe and me
   playing it at one of the house sessions we used to have in those days.
   Happy days.


   Margaret


   --


To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] Re: An enquiry - Pallister family of Cambo - 3 xi 2009

2009-11-03 Thread margaret
My guess is that it may have been Jimmy Pallister, a fiddle player who lived at 
Close House, Cambo. He was a member of Alnwick Pipers' Society in the late 
1970s (where I came across him, but can't say I knew him well), and previously 
had been a member of the Alnwick branch of NPS. 

There are recordings of him playing three or four tracks on 'Morpeth Rant' - he 
was a 'canny hand', as my dad would say. I'll ask Dad and see what he can 
remember of him.

Not sure about the dam, though... Fontburn was the nearest to Cambo but it was 
completed earlier than 1949.

Best wishes
Margaret

-- Dru Brooke-Taylor wrote : 
I was at a family party last weekend, where I played. As soon as he saw 
my pipes, cousin of mine said he'd seen and heard pipes before.

Somewhere around 1949, his father was working away from home on the 
construction of a dam and he went up to stay there. He told me that he 
stayed at Cambo with a family called Pallister and that the head of the 
family was a piper. He played a large number of instruments, regularly, 
probably more than one evening a week. He told my cousin that he could 
pick up most instruments fairly quickly, sometimes in a matter of 
minutes.

I agreed with him that I'd see if I could find out a bit more for him. 
So, I know this is 60 years ago, but does anyone know anything about a 
piper and player of other instruments from Cambo called Pallister? Did 
anyone out here meet him personally, remember him or know anything more 
about his life?

As a matter of interest also, does anyone know what dam was being built 
around 1949?



To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html

--
This message was sent on behalf of marga...@wyngarth7.fsnet.co.uk at 
openSubscriber.com
http://www.opensubscriber.com/message/nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu/12995222.html




[NSP] Re: [BULK] Re: [nsp] file - William Darling

2009-11-03 Thread margaret
Thank you, Francis, for your appreciation. 

Dobson played in Mr. Thompson's String Band, as well as with Mr C A Richardson 
of Alnwick, whose compositions Dobson copied into his book. We will never know 
for sure whether or not Dobson, Darling, Readshaw and Wallace used 'dots' for 
performance purposes. Probably they played familiar tunes from memory; perhaps 
they wrote down new tunes which they'd acquired by ear so that they weren't 
forgotten. Maybe they copied tunes from publications/other people's books to 
save the expense of buying music. I have done all three since I was a teenager. 
But we weren't there in the nineteenth century, so all we can do is take the 
evidence we have and try to put it together in a logical way. 

Apologies for there being no reference to smallpipes, but here are a couple of 
snippets which people can interpret as they wish:

The Alnwick Journal July 16, 1860: 
QUADRILLE BAND Mr B. Thompson begs leave to intimate that his String Band is 
always ready to attend Horticultural and other Fetes, Balls, Soirees, Pic-nics, 
and similar parties. Music, and Musical Instruments of every description, 
supplied to order on the shortest notice.

The Alnwick Journal October 15, 1859:
NORTHUMBERLAND LIGHT INFANTRY As the Band of the above regiment is about to be 
augmented, 10 or 12 Young Men from 16 years of age, and upwards of 5 feet in 
height are immediately required. They will receive a sound instruction in music 
theory, and upon the following instruments: Clarionets, Cornopeans, French 
Horns, Euphoniums and Side Drum.

Margaret

Francis Wood wrote : 

On 3 Nov 2009, at 10:01, Anthony Robb wrote:

>   In my 20+ years playing up north I got to at least a couple of  
> hundred
>   dances, parties, sessions, music evenings & concerts with a fair few
>   established players and never saw a page of dots used once

Perhaps they were saying "Look out, its that Anthony. Quick, hide the  
dots, everyone!"

More seriously, Anthony, Margaret & others, I am hugely enjoying this  
correspondance which shows this list at its best. Thanks for some  
great stuff.
Important that it gets written down, and even if it gets no further  
than an email posting, that in itself has some permanence.

Francis







To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html

--
This message was sent on behalf of marga...@wyngarth7.fsnet.co.uk at 
openSubscriber.com
http://www.opensubscriber.com/message/nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu/12993083.html




[NSP] Re: [BULK] Re: [nsp] file - William Darling

2009-11-03 Thread margaret
Yes, the William Darling is Grace Darling's father. It's a lovely little 
manuscript, currently on loan to the RNLI Museum at Bamburgh.
William Dobson's manuscript also contains a list of tunes he could play, neatly 
divided up according to key signature; he obviously didn't feel the need to 
write down tunes he could play without dots!

Best wishes
Margaret

-- Gibbons, John wrote : 
And the place!

John 

-Original Message-
From: lute-...@cs.d... [mailto:lute-...@cs.d...] On Behalf Of Paul Gretton
Sent: 02 November 2009 17:10
To: n...@cs.d...
Subject: [NSP] Re: [BULK] Re: [nsp] file

This is fascinating stuff. Thanks, Margaret.
BTW, could the William Darling whom you mention possibly be Grace Darling's
dad? The date you give could fit.

Cheers, Paul Gretton



--
This message was sent on behalf of marga...@wyngarth7.fsnet.co.uk at 
openSubscriber.com
http://www.opensubscriber.com/message/nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu/12990303.html



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

2009-11-02 Thread Margaret Watchorn
I've found the recent comments about music in north Northumberland very
interesting. I grew up among those who learned and played by ear (Joe
Hutton, Will Atkinson, Jimmy Little, the Cheviot Ranters band in its various
line-ups, and my dad, among many others) and owe them a great deal -
including dozens of splendid tunes which still live in my head, if not on
paper. 

When I was learning the pipes in 1974/75 with Joe at Alnwick Pipers Society,
it was clear that he could also 'read the dots' when necessary. George
Mitchell of the Cheviot Ranters was a very competent (and beautifully neat)
amanuensis for other members of the band, and it's evident from some of the
old sheets of manuscript I have that Willy Miller (fiddle player) could also
jot down a tune when necessary.

There are a few wonderful hand-written manuscripts from north Northumberland
from the early and mid nineteenth century which indicate that some ordinary
folk were competent music readers and writers. William Dobson of West
Thirston (a joiner and fishing rod maker) filled his manuscript book with
favourite tunes for the fiddle, including second parts for some melodies,
beautifully written over a period of at least thirty years. The inclusion of
about 20 hymn and metrical psalm tunes notated in up to four parts in a West
Gallery style (tune often in the tenor line) indicates that he had some
connection with a non-conformist chapel. 

William Darling of Bamburgh (c. 1810) also kept a manuscript book. His own
attempts at composition are sometimes rudimentary - bar lines in the wrong
place, note lengths not always accurate etc - but he clearly understood the
basic principles of notation, as did John Readshaw and George Wallace, just
over the border into Cumbria.

So there's definitely evidence of people being able to read/notate music in
north Northumberland, as well as plenty of examples of those who play (or
played) by ear. 


Best wishes
Margaret 

PS As Anthony pointed out in a different thread, the school song of the
former Duchess's Grammar School in Alnwick was Chevy Chase, the first and
last verses of which we sang at every prize giving. If the duchess took too
long to process through the hall and reach the platform, we were instructed
to sing the first verse again - nobody thought of teaching us the remaining
90+!!



From: Anthony Robb [mailto:anth...@robbpipes.com] 
Sent: 02 November 2009 09:32
To: nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu; Paul Gretton
Subject: Re: [NSP] Re: [BULK] Re: [nsp] file

 

Dear Paul

As Philip G. points out, some good points but hardly germane. I think I made
it clear that I was speaking very particularly, in fact here is the quote
from my original email refering to the region I was focussing on, "the
outlying districts of north Northumberland".

I was talking about the people I lived amongst and were the traditional
players of north Northumberland, i.e. the people at the heart of the
discussion. None of the 20th century "musical heavyweights" from that region
were dots readers and had all learnt by ear as had their predecessors. It
was not a general statement; it was a particular one of importance to those
discussing the music of Northumberland in terms of notated music and drawing
conclusions from it.
Cheers

Anthony
--- On Sun, 1/11/09, Paul Gretton  wrote:


From: Paul Gretton 
Subject: [NSP] Re: [BULK] Re: [nsp] file
To: nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu
Date: Sunday, 1 November, 2009, 6:20 PM

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
 

 




__ NOD32 4565 (20091102) Information __

This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.
http://www.eset.com







[NSP] Re: Tune title spelling

2009-08-18 Thread Margaret Watchorn
"APPELBOLATEN"  should be Äppelbolåten, though my Swedish publications (and
friends!) all call the tune "Gånglåt från Äppelbo" - which simply means
'Walking tune from Äppelbo'. It's a tune from Dalarna, usually associated
with a fiddle player called Ärtbergs Kalle (1826-1917)

Margaret

-Original Message-
From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On Behalf
Of Dave S
Sent: 18 August 2009 21:20
To: julia@nspipes.co.uk; nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu
Subject: [NSP] Re: Tune title spelling


   Hi Julia,
   here's one ---

  [1]Tune Req: Ganglat Fran Mockfjard

   Gaerdebylaaten appears in this book on the same page as another popular
   Swedish Tune Aeppelbolaaten (Appelbolaten). I also have Nick Barber's
   "English Choice" .
   Julia Say wrote:

Can anyone tell me where the letters with dots over and suchlike
should go in the tune title "APPELBOLATEN" (it's Swedish).

I have it handwritten, twice and differently, from various sources,
and I don't trust either rendition.

Thanks
Julia



--

To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] Re: this list is safer now

2009-06-09 Thread Margaret Watchorn
If anyone would like to learn some tunes linked to North Northumberland,
Andy and I are running four workshops and linked concerts over the summer
months in various venues along the Northumberland coast. Learn the tunes in
the workshop and join in playing them in the evening concert if you feel
brave enough! We'll be including some tunes from old fiddle sources (William
Dobson of Thirston; William Darling of Bamburgh and the Farnes; John
Readshaw of Alston). The workshops are for concert pitch (or as near as you
can get!) instruments so G pipes are welcome. Contact us offlist at
i...@pipesandfiddle.co.uk for details.

We'll be learning by ear, but will also have the 'dots' to take away - how's
that for a compromise?

Margaret 




To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html


[NSP] Re: Joe Hutton question

2009-04-30 Thread Margaret Watchorn

I remember learning Coupar Angus March and Loch Ruan from Joe at Alnwick 
Pipers' Society meetings in the late 70s/early 80s. As far as I know, Bill Todd 
was an accordion player who played at some point with Bill Douglas's Scottish 
Dance Band. 

Andy and I recorded Coupar Angus March a few years ago, but I'm not aware of 
'dots' for either tune being published; we do have photocopies of handwritten 
versions of them both from Joe.

Hope this helps

Margaret 

Andrew and Margaret Watchorn


--
This message was sent on behalf of i...@pipesandfiddle.co.uk at 
openSubscriber.com
http://www.opensubscriber.com/message/nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu/12044281.html






To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html