Annotation:Galley Slave (The)

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GALLEY SLAVE, THE. English, Air (4/4 time). C Major (Litten/Huntington): D Major (Miller). Standard tuning (fiddle). One part. "The Galley Slave" appears frequently in American musicians' manuscript collections and copybooks of the late 18th and early nineteenth century (for a list see EASMES [1]). It appears to be the name of an air (also called, in at least one American musician's manuscript, "American Captive In Algiers, or The Galley Slave") from a theater production.

Source for notated version: the 1800-1802 music manuscript copybook of ship's fiddler William Litten. Litten was a member of the British East India fleet, although little is known about him. His music manuscript was brought to Martha's Vineyard island by Allen Coffin (b. 1788) when he himself returned from voyages, although how and when he acquired the ms. is unknown. [Huntington].

Printed sources: Huntington (William Litten's Tune Book), 1977; p. 41. Miller (Fiddler's Throne), 2004; No. 368, p. 217 (includes harmony part by Miller).

Recorded sources:

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