Annotation:Cobbler There Was (A)

Tune properties and standard notation

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COBBLER THERE WAS, A. AKA - "Talk:The Cobbler's End," "Talk:Derry Down," "Talk:Abbott of Canterbury," "Talk:Death and the Cobbler." English, Air. G Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). One part. The air was set by Richard Leveridge (1670-1758) to the words "A Cobbler There Was" and published by John Gay (1685-1732) in the third and later editions of The Beggar's Opera (1729), under the title "Ourselves, like the great, to secure a retreat." It also appears in Watts' Musical Miscellany (II, 1729) and in many ballad operas and song folios throughout the 18th century. Kidson (1922) identifies it as a "Derry down" air from the 17th century, which has been used for a number of songs through the ages; in fact, Claude Simpson notes that more than a hundred adaptations of the tune were contrived in the 18th century alone. In the 19th century it appears as "The Queer Little Man," "Dennis Bulgruddery" and others. The version printed by Howe (c. 1867) is a developed version the air printed by Gay.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Howe (1000 Jigs and Reels), c. 1867), p. 157. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; p. 68 (facsimile of Beggar's Opera).

Recorded sources:

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Tune properties and standard notation