Annotation:Musette (The)

Back to Musette (The)

---

MUSETTE, THE. AKA and see "Amorous Goddess (1) (The)." English, Reel. England, Northumberland. B Flat Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB'. Matt Seattle finds the tune as "Amorous Goddess (1) (The)" in Robert Bremner's Airs and Marches. A different country dance tune called "Amorous Goddess (2) (The)" was printed in London publisher John Johnson's Choice Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 4 (1748).

The Amorous Goddess was a stage play by organist and composer Samuel Howard (1710-1782), who produced both sacred and secular music; his incidental music to the Amorous Goddess was performed at Drury Lane, and published in 1744. The musette from the play was a popular tune and the vehicle for several songs. One is by poet James Mccaulay, and begins:

Shepherds of the lonely vale,
Listen to my mournful tale;
Vent the sigh of pensive woe,
Let the tear of sorrow flow.
Hills and dales, resound the strain,
All your beauties bloom in vain!
Vain is all your verdure gay,
Aided by the sweets of May.

Another song, printed in The Gentleman's Magazine (vol. XIV, 1744, p. 444) goes:

Soft invader of my soul,
Love, who can thy pow'r control?
All the haunt earth, air and sea,
Own thy force, and bow to thee.
All the dear enchanting day,
Celia steals my heart away,
All the tedious livelong night,
Celia swims before my sight.

Source for notated version: The 1770 music manuscript collection of Northumbrian musician William Vickers [1] [Seattle].

Printed sources: Seattle (Great Northern/William Vickers), 1987, Part 3; No. 464.

Recorded sources:

---