A Collection of Tunes with Variations

A Favorite Collection of Tune with Variations Adapted for the Northumberland Small Pipes, Violin or Flute  (1805)  John Peacock

[ Frontispiece ]

A FAVORITE COLLECTION OF

TUNES WITH VARIATIONS

Adapted for the

NORTHUMBERLAND SMALL PIPES

Violin or Flute

PELLICCIONI . FORNOVO . BG . ITALIA

2009

1-URTEXT from: “Peacock’s Collection of Tunes - Northumberland Small Pipes - SOC. ANT. N.C.”. First time printed by W. Wright at his music shop, High Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne - c. 1800 - 1805. 2-The Universal Clef . Bathsheba Grossmann . (Bathsheba Sculpture LLC) 3-Valerio M. Pelliccioni (Copyist and Engraver of the present edition)

[ Foreword ]

Foreword

The 20th century traditional music revival in the British Isles was a complex phenomenon which involved more than just the simple rediscovery and promotion of neglected music and song. The viewpoints of key individuals influenced the scope and direction of the revival, and shaped perceptions of the sources of the revived music and how it might be regarded.

However, when considering Peacock’s Tunes, we can always return the words of his contemporary, Thomas Bewick, who wrote, “... with his old tunes, his lilts, his pauses and his variations, I was always excessively pleased”. Bewick’s words are a contemporary statement about Peacocks playing yet remain as relevant today as when he wrote them - the tunes of John Peacock can still give excessive pleasure.

Little is known of the man himself and even the nature of his connection with William Wright and the book that is now often called “Peacock’s Tunes” is uncertain. It is sufficient to state here that Peacock was known in his lifetime as a supremely skilled and musical piper, that he helped to develop the keyed chanter, and that he made a significant contribution to the book published by William Wright. He was part of a piping lineage that included William Cant, ‘Old’ Will Lamshaw and William Green, and in turn he taught Robert Bewick. Compositions by him for this instrument are still played, and his variations embody the traditional manner in which pipers ornamented their melodies. Despite his musical prowess he probably died in poverty but the book now known as “Peacock’s Tunes” remains central to Northumbrian piping lore. It is an important legacy.

Despite the impressive frontispiece in the original publication, which is from the workshop of Thomas Bewick, examination of an original copy reveals that the quality of music printing is no match for Bewick’s work. Working through printing ambiguities, owners annotations and subsequent editorial amendments can be confusing, and reading a facsimile of an 18th century document is not easy for players accustomed to modern notation. This edition, based on a photographic facsimile of an original copy, offers an authentic text in modern notation with all unavoidable editorial choices clearly marked. The text is supplemented with details from the Theme Code Index to help put the tunes into an historical and musical context.

Reading this urtext alongside previous editions and commentaries enables the reader or player to explore Wrights tune book and Peacock’s music by starting at a similar point of understanding as somebody purchasing a copy from Mr. Wright at his music shop in High Bridge and that is both instructive and worthwhile.

Richard Heard

[ Introduction ]

Introduction

This is the Urtext edition of "A Favorite Collection of Tunes with Variations adapted for the Northumberland Small Pipes, Violin or Flute"

The first edition was published at the beginning of the nineteenth century and there are now only three of the originals known to exist. One belongs to the Society of Antiquaries and is kept in the Bagpipe Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne; the second is in the British Museum, and the third is in the Central Library of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Modern interest in Peacock was re-invigorated by the facsimile edition of 1980 published by the Northumbrian Piping Society on the initiative of Colin Ross, and by the contemporary recordings of "The Cut and Dry Band" in which he played with Alistair Anderson, Jim Hall and Anthony and Carole Robb.

The extensive research by Matt Seattle has been significant in promoting informed interest in the tunes, and the commentary which appears on the Folk Archive Resource North East FARNE website is largely his work. Papers in the NPS Magazine by Iain Bain and Les Jessop offer significant insights into Peacock and his world. Historical information and comments on the tunes appear in "Pea-

cock's Tunes", the 1999 Northumbrian Pipers Society edition edited and newly typeset by Barry and Julia Say, who also acknowledge their debt to Iain Bain, Les Jessop, Colin Ross and Matt Seattle.

This Urtext is intended to supplement the earlier editions, and the reader is urged to consult them in parallel with this urtext edition.

Two digitalized (scanned) editions are now available on the Internet: the first is on the Folk Archive Resource North East FARNE Website, and has been used as the master source for this Urtext. A second edition exists at www.piob.info; this is a facsimile (photographed) edition and has been used as a second source of information.

"Peacock's Tunes" contains fifty tunes in all. Eight at least are Lowland Scottish, showing how early songs from over the Border have become popular south of the Cheviots; two are Highland, three are English, one Irish. Some of the remaining thirty-six are perhaps not Northumbrian, but most of them certainly are.

"URTEXT" indicates that the edition in front of you is faithful to the original and that any alteration is unavoidable, and has been marked as such.

[ Editorial.annotations ]

Editorial annotations:

When the Copyist has made a choice, this has been marked with brackets "[ ]" or parenthesis "( )". For example in Frisky, where there is no time signature in the original edition, or in Meggy's Foot (8^th) and Over the Border (9^th) and 11(^th) where there is a rhythmic inconsistency.

Peacock's contemporaries (e.g. Thomas Bewick), who referred to Peacock's style as having "his lilts, his pauses, and his variations" [L.Jessop], suggested to the copyist that ornaments, dotted notes, slurs, staccatos and graces must be left unaltered in this Urtext because they are expressions of the author. Nevertheless, the trill signs have been subsituted with the inverted mordent. This ornament is sometimes called a transient shake because it is really only a part of the more elaborate grace known as the "perfect trill". [K.W.Gehrkens]

Evident mistakes, have been corrected and underlined with "analysis brackets" as shown in the following 34^th measure of Felton Lonning:

None of the annotations left on the MS by previous owners have been engraved to preserve, as far as possible, the original conditions. An exception has been made for Bobby Shaftoe because it seems to the copyist that the Bobby Shaftoe continuation at the end of page 20 of the original Soc. Ant. MS is rather an omission hastly corrected by the author/editor than a later owner annotation. The method of using a recall sign (at the end of the main six variations) is the same applied in I Saw my Love come Passing by Me on page 8 of the same MS. The same recall sign is reproduced in the 1980's facsimile edition where, however, the continuation is omitted. Finally the 7 ^th stave of Bobby Shaftoe engraved in the 1999 NPS edition is exactly the last strain of the Bobby Shaftoe continuation in the Soc. Ant. MS of course in "true" G and not in C Lydian). To emphasize the differences between the main variations and the continuation, this one has been engraved in small size, and the noteheads greyed. Although a debated point-of-view, the key-signature has been left unaltered because at the time the MS was published there were only three drones to accompany the keyless chanter so the original tuning of g, d and G is authentic for the smallpipes of that period.

A thematic catalogue list of theme code indexed Peacock's Tunes and incipit has been provided at the end of the tune book together with an alphabetical list of tunes indexed by page and Peacock's tunes numbering.

Theme code indexes have been found useful in writing commentaries, by providing titles for untitled tunes (if a tune is known but not its title, it can be found) and identifying composers.

[ Acknowledgement ]

Acknowledgements

This is always a very difficult part because so many people have helped in so many different ways. Nonetheless, there are those that should be recognized for the critical help they have provided.

I wish to thank the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne for the permission to publish; I would also want to express my sincere appreciation to the Folk Archive Resource North East (FARNE) for the freely and publicly available, digitalized copy of “Peacock’s Tunes”, easily accessible at their web site, full of precious historical and musicological commentaries.

I am indebted to Richard Heard and Francis Wood, who wrote the foreword to this Urtext , proofread the drafts, provided critical comments, many great ideas, and invaluable friendship.

My profound respect goes to the Northumbrian Pipers’ Society, in particular to Julia and Barry Say, for the 1999 Peacock’s Tunes edition.

It is a pleasure to pay tribute to Colin Ross, one of the world’s foremost maker of Northumberland smallpipes, actively involved in the promotion of the traditional music of North East England for nearly 60 years.

I convey special aknowledgment to Matt Seattle, for its contribution to the research of all alternative tune titles indicated in the theme code index of this Urtext ; he is the author of commentaries and suggested corrections on FARNE. This book couldn’t have been made with out him.

I’m deeply grateful to Bathsheba Grossman, the artist creator of the mathematical sculpture “Universal Clef ” that appears in the frontispiece. This sculpture is a sign of order and harmony for every note and instrument, voice and music. It is a single ribbon that follows itself through space, and due to its unobstructed length it rings like a bell, low and long. She kindly gaves me the permission to use it as logo.

This Urtext is the result of all their passions and talents.

Valerio

[ 9 ]

Tunes with Variations

ADAPTED FOR THE NORTHUMBERLAND SMALLPIPES

collected by John Peacock

X: 1 M: 2/4 L: 1/16 K: Gmaj "Frisky"dBgd edcB| ABcd cBAG|dBgd edcB| AcBA G2G2:| AcBd dcBA|Adce edcA|dBgd edcB|AcBA G2G2:|

X: 2 L: 1/8 M:C K: G "Welcome to the Town again"f|g2 dc B2 Gc|(3Bcd GB cAAf|g2 dc B2 Gc|(3Bcd Ac BGG:|| c2|BGdG eGdG|Bd e/d/c/B/ cAAc|BGdG eGdG|(3Bcd Ac BGGc| BGdG eGdG|Bd {e}dc/B/ cAAc|BdcB cdef|gdec BGG]]

2009 Pelliccioni . Fornovo . BG . Italia