Annotation:Bedfordshire March
X:1 T:Bedfordshire March, The M:C L:1/8 R:March B:Thompson - The Compleat Tutor for the Fife (1760, p. 31) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:G d2 d>d d2c2|B2 B>B B2A2|(G3 A/B/) (A3 B/c/)|B2 B>B B2 A>B| c2B2d2 cB|(c3d/e/) d2c2|(3BAB (3cBA G2 TA2|G>GG>G G4:| d2 A>A A2B2|A>GAc>B A2B2|c2B2 A2G2|A2 A>A A2 B>c| d2 Bc d2 ec|d2 Bc d2 ec|d>Bc>A (3BAG (3dcB|TB2 A>A A2D2| G2 (3GAB A2 (3ABc|B2 (3Bcd c2 (3cde|(3dgf (3gdc B2TA2|G2 G>G G4:|]
BEDFORDSHIRE MARCH. AKA and see "Jove in His Chair," "King of Prussia March," "Major Reed's March," "Odd Fellows' March (The)." English, March (4/4 time). England, Yorkshire. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The name Bedford is an Old English name derived from a man's name, Bedda, who was associated with a ford in a river (Matthews, 1972). The march can be found in several fife and oboe tutors and musicians' manuscripts of the latter 18th century, beginning with Longman, Lukey & Co. Compleat Instructions for the Fife (London 1770), Charles and Samuel Thompson's Compleat Tutor for the Fife (London, 1760 & 1770), Longman & Broderip's Entire New and Compleat Instructions for the Fife (London, 1780), and others.
The tune was used by Kane O'Hara in his burletta Midas (1764) as the melody for his opening air "Jove in His Chair", with "King of Prussia's March" as the indicated tune. It was entered into American Henry Livingston's copybook as "Major Reed's March," and was printed in the mid-19th century by Boston music publisher Elias Howe as "Odd Fellows' March (The)," associated with the social club of that name.
Source for notated version: a MS by fiddler Lawrence Leadley, 1827-1897 (Helperby, Yorkshire) [Merryweather & Seattle].
Printed sources: Merryweather & Seattle (The Fiddler of Helperby), 1994; No. 107, p. 60. Thompson (The Compleat Tutor for the Fife), 1760; p. 31.
Recorded sources: