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| [[File:sylph.jpg|300px|thumb|left|link=|Priscilla Horton(1818 – 1895), was a popular English singer and actress, known for her role as Ariel in W. C. Macready's production of The Tempest in 1838 and "fairy" burlesques at Covent Garden Theatre.]] | | [[File:sylph.jpg|300px|thumb|left|link=|Priscilla Horton(1818 – 1895), was a popular English singer and actress, known for her role as Ariel in W. C. Macready's production of The Tempest in 1838 and "fairy" burlesques at Covent Garden Theatre.]] |
| A sylph was a kind of fairy; winged, kindly disposed to humans, often depicted as tiny cherubs. The title, however, is probably derived from a pantomime called '''The Sylphs; or, Harlequin’s Gambols''', staged at Covent Garden in 1774. The music for the production was by John Abraham Fisher (1744-1806), an English violinist and composer who began his career playing in London theatre orchestras, but who rose quickly to lead the Covent Garden orchestra (from c. 1769-1778). He wrote for the theatre, composed violin pieces, six symphonies and an oratorio, and also penned popular pleasure-garden songs. For a time he led the Vauxhall Garden orchestra.
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| The melody appears in a number of 19th century English musician’s manuscripts under titles such as “The Self” (Joshua Gibbons,a miss-hearing of 'Sylph'), “The Sylph” (John Clare, John Moore), “The Cylph Dance,” etc., in a variety of keys. Moore gives the alternate title “[[Plymouth Lasses]].” The jig also appears in the music manuscripts of Lionel Winship (Wark, Northumberland, 1833), Rev. Robert Harrison (Brampton, Cumbria, 1820), John Rook (Cumbria, 1840), John Moore (Tyneside, 1841), the Hardy family (Dorset), William Calvert (Leyburn, north Yorkshire, 1812), John Baty (Bethel, Northumberland, 1840-60), Thomas Lambert (Ferrybridge, Yorkshire) and C.J. Surtees (Northumberland). In America the tune was published in '''Willig’s Collection of Popular Country Dances, No. 3''' (Philadelphia, Pa., 1812), and dance instructions were given in a few other publications.
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