A source for English and French folk music

Over the past couple of years, I have collected many tunes, mostly English and French, from a number of wonderful players. This website is a constantly evolving 21st century manuscript in the spirit of the great tune books of the past. If you happen to know the composer of a specific tune, please let me know, so that they can be credited. In the event of anyone being unhappy about their own music being shared in this way, I will, of course, remove relevant items. I hope you enjoy playing them!

Matt

Live dates

Boldwood are playing a Meltdown Ceilidh at Clair Hall, Haywards Heath, West Sussex on Saturday 13th February . For more details, visit the Meltdown Site.

Daniel, Kate and I are also playing some French things together as Trio Alto. We’re doing a bal at Horsley Village Hall near Stroud, Gloucestershire on Saturday 27th March.

Hope to see you at one – or both – of these.

In the meantime, work on the next album continues to progress…

Happy New Year

A Happy New Year to all. Lots of additions over the next couple of days – I have been busy learning and transcribing tunes over the past few weeks. Here’s Flaxley Green Dance, a jig from Abbots Bromley learnt from the debut album by Hannah James and Sam Sweeney. Also from that album are a couple of jigs from William Winter’s Quantocks Tune Book –  Catches and Glees and Comical Thought.  Major O’Flacherty is from the Ashover MS 1762-1775 from Derbyshire. Herbert the Sherbet is written by Martin Ellison of the Ran Tan Band, learnt from Emma Reid in Bezzas mode. Fingal’s is a polka written by Cliff Stapleton. Adieu ma Belle was learnt from Trevor Upham some time ago – I like it in C, and play it with Miroirs by Gilles Chabenat.

Boldwood recording

Very exciting recording session for the next Boldwood album today. Can’t give details yet, but we sat in the pub afterwards in stunned silence!

Boldwood at Towersey

We had a great time at Towersey this weekend – thanks to all who came along to ceilidhs, concerts and workshops.

If you went to the fiddle workshop, we played Bagpipers, Childegrove and a 3/8 Bourree (I need to check the title with Daniel).

The 18th century tunes workshop included Nancy Dawson’s Fancy, Burlington Quay, The Miller of Perth and The Shepherd and the Shepherdess.

Hamish Currie filmed the band playing Nancy Dawson’s Fancy and Burlington Quay in the concert tent – click here if you want to watch it on Youtube. There’s also a clip of The Shepherd and the Shepherdess filmed by Michael at the same concert.

Boldwood at Broadstairs

Thanks to all who came to the workshops and ceilidhs at Broadstairs recently. For those who wanted the dots for the tunes taught in the 18th century workshop, they were:

Bagpipers and Nancy Dawson’s Fancy

The Miller of Perth and Barham Down

The Lovely Nymph

We are playing at Towersey Festival at the end of the month, and at Bath Folk Club on 11th September. Hopefully see you there!

Gilles Chabenat

A selection of tunes by hurdy-gurdy maestro Gilles Chabenat. These are all from the album ‘Musique Pour Vielle a Roue – Bleu Nuit’:

Le Magicien, Organdi, En Route, Le Beau Voyage, Bergerie, Le Cheminon, Chasse Pain, La Mante, Baudimic, Adele, Le Bel Oiseau, Florinda, Zam Zam (this is a killer tune – I have transcribed the first two sections so far – if anyone is particularly keen to have the rest, let me know…), Miroirs.

Branles

A Branle (or bransle, pronounced brawl) is a 16th century French dance style. Thoinot Arbeau’s Orchesographie is worth tracking down if you want to learn more: 

Branle de Charlotte from Arbeau (the tune)

Here is a quicktime video link to Branle de Charlotte being performed as part of a project at the Library of Congress demonstrating different dance styles throughout the ages.

Quarter branles found in 1551 Susato manuscript

Champagne Branle learnt from Andy Letcher (part of a set with Jo Freya’s De Montford, as played by the Whirly Band on May morning in Oxford – see Bourrees)

Horse’s Branle from Arbeau’s Orchesographie. In the final section, many people play an F natural, rather than an F sharp. There does not seem to be a definitive answer . Please let me know if you have any evidence to support either.

Scottish Bransle from Arbeau’s Orchesographie. B music is repeated four times in total in some versions.

Polkas

La Monte a Peine written by Frederic Paris

Polka de Gustave Ythier from Trio Violon album

Polka de Meilhac from Trio Violon album

Panic Polka written by Andy Cutting

Jon’s Polka written by Jon Swayne

Tunbridge Beauties and Galloway Girth are from the Sussex Tune Book and were recorded by Boldwood

The Shepherd and the Shepherdess from an unpublished manuscript in the Vaughan Williams Library

Nancy Dawson’s Fancy from Thompson’s Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, 1765

Burlington Quay learnt from Dave Shepherd via Becky Price

Bagpipers is a tune played by Boldwood – not sure where Becky found this one

Fingal’s written by Cliff Stapleton

Playford tunes

Although there are plenty of websites giving you access to Playford’s Dancing Master, and an excellent edition of the Complete Country Dance Tunes, here are a few that I have played with others in the past couple of years.

Maiden Lane

The Indian Queen

Jamaica

Argiers

All in a Garden Green

Mundesse

Nonesuch

Parson’s Farewell

Paul’s Wharf

Staines Morris

Hunsdon House

Nobody’s Jig

Hare’s Maggot (this is the English Acoustic Collective arrangement as found on their album ‘Ghosts’)

And here’s Hare’s Maggot in a version nearer to the original found in Playford

Mr Isaac’s Maggot

Mount Hills (the Playford 1701 edition has this in D; this arrangement by Andy Letcher is in C)

The Glory of the West

Michaelmas Eve

Wallom Green

Childegrove

Slip Jigs

Drink the Worts and Spill the Beer from William Gunn’s Caledonian Respository, Glasgow 1848

Sir Roger de Coverley

The Peacock Followed the Hen from the William Vickers manuscript of 1770

Mad Moll from Playford 1698 edition (originally in A minor)

Somerset from Michael Raven’s 1000 English Country Dance Tunes

Fill the Tankard from the Browne collection (Lake District 1800)

Four Bare Legs Together from the William Vickers manuscript of 1770