Hi, With reference to the variable spelling of names, there is a (possibly relevant) example of this in Roxby's "Lay of the Redewater Minstrel" published in 1809 at Newcastle.
In a footnote on p.26 in relation to Elishaw he writes: "Here was the rendezvous of the "vagrant train" of faa's, tinklers, &c. The celebrated Wull Allen frequently sojourned here, in the progress of his fishing and otter-hunting expeditions; and here often resounded the drones of his no less celebrated son, Jamie Allan, the Northumberland piper." It is believed that Roxby was a frequent visitor to Elishaw and personally knew the people of whom he wrote. It is interesting to see, in the same footnote, the different spelling of the surname of father and son. It is also possible, perhaps, that the use of the name 'Wull' reflects a phonetic spelling of the actual pronunciation used by man himself. Richard >----Original Message---- >From: phi...@gruar.clara.net >Date: 12/03/2009 19:30 >To: <nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu> >Subj: [NSP] Re: J Allen (and Rants) > >Irrespective of the origin and age of the tune, surely - as anyone who has >done any research into family history knows - the spelling of names in the >18th and early 19th century was subject to almost infinite variation (and >how many spellings are there for Shakespeare??) > >so - when James, Jem, Jemy, Jemmy, Jamie, Jim, Jimmy, Jimmie, Allen, Allan, >Alan gave his name orally to someone who then wrote it down, the clerk may >have (aurally?) heard the name correctly and used any number of spellings to >write it down. I suppose the question hangs on what spelling Allen himself >used when (and if) he wrote it. A couple of generations before him, his >family certainly wouldn't have been literate, and would neither know nor >care about the spelling. The way it is spelt in the published "Life" is >probably just a snapshot of one time in the name's life. More relevant may >be how Allen's family said it - what accent, and did they use a more or less >"Scottish" pronunciation? Does it matter, or is it a question of rival >nationalisms either side the Border? > >Just a thought from Philip (often mispelled Phillip - preferably not Phil, >and certainly not Pip if you don't mind) Gruar - whose not very distant >ancestor, a tenant farmer on the Highland Line at the time J. Allen was >around, was spelt at different times Gruar, Gruer, Grewar and Growar. > >Now - Rants. I can theorise endlessly about the precise relative length of >paired quavers in baroque music, but I'm not a particularly good piper, and >don't live in the centre of "The Tradition". For the benefit of those >reading this who live completely outside it, could experts please confirm if >I'm right that in "Rant" playing the quavers are very *slightly* uneven, but >not as "dotted" as in a hornpipe, and giving a "heavier" feel than in a >reel, >because in a reel you feel two minim (half-note) beats in a bar - each beat >made of four equal quavers (quarter-notes). In Rants and Hornpipes it's >definitely four crotchet (quarter note) beats to the bar, each beat normally >consisting of two uneven quavers, but in a hornpipe the first quaver is >strongly accented and lengthened, and the second one is very light and >short. The rant gives much more equal weight to the two quavers. Is this >easier to understand than tomato soup and gobstoppers, or am I talking >through my hat? > >Oh, and welcome to the list Anthony, it's great to have your contributions. > >Philip > > > > >To get on or off this list see list information at >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > Fancy a job? - http://www.tiscali.co.uk/jobs/ __________________________________________
