Annotation:Wednesday Night

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WEDNESDAY NIGHT (Nôs Fercher). Welsh, English; Reel. England; Shropshire, Lincoln, Yorkshire. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Matt Seattle notes the first strain resembles the French bourree "Alfred Pommier." The melody was first published in the London periodicals of John Hinton (Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure, 1759) and R. Baldwin (London Magazine, or Gentleman’s Monthly Intelligencer, 1763). It was also published by Charles and Samuel Thompson (200 Favourite Country Dances, London, 1765) and Straight & Skillern (Two Hundred and Four Favourite Country Dances, vol. 1, London, 1775). Despite these early English printings, the tune has been claimed as Welsh and can be found under the title “Nôs Fercher.” It appears in the J. Lloyd Williams MS 53, a small volume that belonged to John Williams, Llanfachraeth, Anglesey, in 1833, although the tunes may have been noted at the end of the 18th century. No Welsh printings survive that are earlier than the English publications. The melody can also be found in the music manuscripts of Joshua Jackson (1763-1839), a fiddler from North Yorkshire, William Clarke (Lincoln, 1770), and John Moore (referenced below). Lincoln fiddler William Clark (Lincoln) entered a version in his 1770 music copybook that is note-for-note the same as that printed by the Thompsons.

Source for notated version: a c. 1837-1840 MS by Shropshire musician John Moore [Ashman].

Printed sources: Ashman (The Ironbridge Hornpipe), 1991; No. 35b, p. 11. Callaghan (Hardcore English), 2007; p. 54. Straight and Skillern (Two Hundred and Four Favourite Country Dances, vol. 1), c. 1775; No. 192, p. 96. Thompson (Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 2), 1765; No. 46.

Recorded sources: Sain SCD, Ar Log – “Ar Log IV, V” (2002. Originally recorded 1988). Sain 1468M, Ar Log - "Ar Log V" (1988). Sain SCD 2908, Crasdant – “Nos Sadwrn Bock/Not Yet Saturday” (2001. Appears as “Nôs Fercher”).

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