North West Morris

[Dan Worrall]

I've come by some recordings of the Royton morris side made in 1979, where they are playing for, on different occasions, a boy's side and a men's side. There are two Anglo concertina players (Ellis Marshall and Norman Coleman) playing along with snare and bass drums...quite a wall of sound. In each of six different appearances, they play a long processional medley comprised of about 5 or 6 tunes. Because they always play the same medley in these recordings, I am thinking they might be part of a very standard repertoire for NW morris, at least of the Royton (or Oldham) variety. I am trying to find the names of those tunes...anyone have any ideas where I can search for North West Morris sheet music?

 

The lead tune sounds a LOT like Oh Susannah. Then there are several short tunes in quick succession, one of which is Brighton Camp/The Girl I left Behind Me. Then there is a slow, capers-like tune at the very end. I have seen it written (American Morris Newsletter of 1986 has a reprinted EFDSS piece on NW morris) that Lancashire dancers typically start with "Long Morris," then a medley of tunes, and then a slowdown tune of "Cross Morris." I have no music for those, so I cannot compare them with what I am hearing from this Royton group.

 

I know you cannot tell me what I am listening to, since you cannot hear it....I'm just looking for printed sources of NW morris tunes to compare these with....any ideas out there?

 

Cheers, and thanks,

Dan

[Christian Husmann]

Hello Dan,

 

I´ve got this tune book and you might find in there what you are looking for.

 

Greetings

Christian

 

I've come by some recordings of the Royton morris side made in 1979, where they are playing for, on different occasions, a boy's side and a men's side. There are two Anglo concertina players (Ellis Marshall and Norman Coleman) playing along with snare and bass drums...quite a wall of sound. In each of six different appearances, they play a long processional medley comprised of about 5 or 6 tunes. Because they always play the same medley in these recordings, I am thinking they might be part of a very standard repertoire for NW morris, at least of the Royton (or Oldham) variety. I am trying to find the names of those tunes...anyone have any ideas where I can search for North West Morris sheet music?

 

The lead tune sounds a LOT like Oh Susannah. Then there are several short tunes in quick succession, one of which is Brighton Camp/The Girl I left Behind Me. Then there is a slow, capers-like tune at the very end. I have seen it written (American Morris Newsletter of 1986 has a reprinted EFDSS piece on NW morris) that Lancashire dancers typically start with "Long Morris," then a medley of tunes, and then a slowdown tune of "Cross Morris." I have no music for those, so I cannot compare them with what I am hearing from this Royton group.

 

I know you cannot tell me what I am listening to, since you cannot hear it....I'm just looking for printed sources of NW morris tunes to compare these with....any ideas out there?

 

Cheers, and thanks,

Dan

[Steve Mansfield]

Because they always play the same medley in these recordings, I am thinking they might be part of a very standard repertoire for NW morris, at least of the Royton (or Oldham) variety.

 

Dan

 

Apologies if most, if not all, of the following is an exercise in stating-the-flipping-obvious ...

 

Without being able to hear what you can hear, I would guess that what you are hearing is multiple performances of the same processional dance.

 

My, no doubt over-simplistic, understanding of the original C19th - early C20th processions was that the dancers would dance to whatever the town band knew that was in the right rhythm - hence the popularity of well-known songs and tunes like Oh Susanah.

 

Revival NW sides usually (with exceptions) have regular musicians as part of the side, however, rather than relying on picking up musicians on the day, and so the music and dance would be more frequently rehearsed in tandem.

 

The band-leader will at some point have devised a set of tunes which works with the dance, and taught it to the other musicians in advance: everybody knows the tunes and the order of the tunes, and on the day of the procession it's then just a matter of shouting 'change' to segue into the next tune without hesitation or deviation. (Repetition, however, is common.)

 

In time, in my experience, that whole set of discreet tunes becomes known as a single unit called, perhaps, 'The Processional'. The band-leader calls 'Processional' and everyone knows what they're going to be playing for the next 20 minutes.

 

And finally, as time ticks by, that set may then itself have become 'standard repertoire', in that other revival teams learn the Royton processional dance and also learn the set of tunes that went with it - which is, I suspect, rather putting your original proposition the other way round. There's a whole discussion there about the fascinating way that individual artistic judgements become 'The Tradition', which is for another day.

 

The good news is that I've played for a version of the Royton processional in my time, and (at home) have a copy of the abcs of a set of tunes that fits your description quite accurately. I'll post them to this thread later and you can see if there's any crossover between your 1979 recording and what I was playing for another side (The Rumworth Morris of Bolton) 20 years later.

[Alan Day]

In recent years Roger Edwards Anglo player was a leading light in North West Morris ,He was Bagman of the near professional Garstang Morris Men (great favourites at Sidmouth). Many of the sessions I attended included a lot of the tunes he used to play for the side,greatly assisted by the superb playing of Martin Ellison on melodion. Somewhere I have these sessions recorded. Great fun.

Dan if you would like to contact Roger I can write to him for you.

Al

[Dan Worrall]

Many thanks for all the replies.

 

Christian, I looked up the book with your link...looks just what I need, I'll look around the local library for an interlibrary loan. The list of tunes for the NW morris is very helpful---and there amongst them was Oh Susannah, which I thought was what I had heard on the tape. The old minstrel shows strike again!

 

Steve, thanks for the explanation. As I said, I knew one couldn't answer what tunes I was listening to, rather I just need some pointers to source material. Your abcs will be very helpful. I'm planning to note-for-note transcribe their playing of the first and last tune of the set as part of a study I am doing of older playing styles and techniques on the Anglo around the world--both of those players go back to the 1920s with the Royton morris. I'm hoping one of your abcs will match the last one (the first I think we can now say is Oh Susannah). If I don't have a match of the last tune, perhaps I can email the sheet music to you to have a look at---you will likely be able to recognize it, given your experience with NW morris.

 

Alan, thanks for the offer to contact Roger Edwards; I think I'll first see how I do with Steve's help. This query is for information on a part of my Anglo history book project. The transcriptions I am nearly finished making of early 20th C. (pre-revival) English, Irish, Australian, Boer and other South African players (about 30 of them) may have a bit to add to the discussion thread you started here three years ago, on the origins of the 'English' style of Anglo playing. Still hoping to have the book out later this year.

 

Cheers,

Dan

[Jim Besser]

I know you cannot tell me what I am listening to, since you cannot hear it....I'm just looking for printed sources of NW morris tunes to compare these with....any ideas out there?

 

Cheers, and thanks,

Dan

 

THe Malley book covers most of the most common tunes.

 

My impression, too, is that NW teams used a wide range of music. Brighton Camp is one of the most common tunes; the groups I've played for use it in several dances. The side I play for does a fairly common (in the US ) dance using 5 tunes; I've seen other groups doing the same dance with 5 completely different tunes.

 

I haven't heard O Susannah played for NW MOrris, but the Hicks with Sticks in Shepherdstown, W. Va do a border dance to the tune.

[marshall]

I have been idly searching for recordings of Ellis Marshall for some time and would love to hear these recordings. As I mentioned to you previously I remember seeing Ellis Marshall play many years ago -sadly he is no relation!

 

Original sources of tunes I can think of are:

 

The Lancashire Rush-Cart and Morris-Dance - Anne Gilchrist JEFDSS 1927 which includes:

Long Morris, Moston Rushcart, Clegg Lane, My Love My Love, Lord Harry the Swell, Prestwich Wakes, Cross Morris, Ninety Five, Coconut Dance, Southport Morris and Maypole tune.

 

The Lancashire and Cheshire Morris Dances - John Graham which includes:

Long Morris, Cross Morris, Three Cans morris, All's for the Best and Richmond Hill, Nancy Dawson, The Boatmen's dance, The Tight Little Island, The Girl I Left Behind Me, The Rose Tree and British Grenadiers, Garryowen, With a Hundered Pipers, Ninety Five, A Wild Morris

 

I also have a copy of some music (from Roy Dommett I believe) which include smany of the above plus Oh Sushannah, DooDah, and Aiken Drum.

 

Many of these are in Mally's book.

 

I'm sure the tune "cotton Stockings" might be a good candidate too, but I can't find my copy of the music at the moment, but you can get it with JC's ABC Tune Finder.

 

Chas

 

I've come by some recordings of the Royton morris side made in 1979, where they are playing for, on different occasions, a boy's side and a men's side. There are two Anglo concertina players (Ellis Marshall and Norman Coleman) playing along with snare and bass drums...quite a wall of sound. In each of six different appearances, they play a long processional medley comprised of about 5 or 6 tunes. Because they always play the same medley in these recordings, I am thinking they might be part of a very standard repertoire for NW morris, at least of the Royton (or Oldham) variety. I am trying to find the names of those tunes...anyone have any ideas where I can search for North West Morris sheet music?

 

The lead tune sounds a LOT like Oh Susannah. Then there are several short tunes in quick succession, one of which is Brighton Camp/The Girl I left Behind Me. Then there is a slow, capers-like tune at the very end. I have seen it written (American Morris Newsletter of 1986 has a reprinted EFDSS piece on NW morris) that Lancashire dancers typically start with "Long Morris," then a medley of tunes, and then a slowdown tune of "Cross Morris." I have no music for those, so I cannot compare them with what I am hearing from this Royton group.

 

I know you cannot tell me what I am listening to, since you cannot hear it....I'm just looking for printed sources of NW morris tunes to compare these with....any ideas out there?

 

Cheers, and thanks,

Dan

[David Barnert]

THe Malley book covers most of the most common tunes.

I have transcribed the whole of Mally's North West Morris Book into abc. For copyright reasons, I won't post it here, but I have sent the files to Dan.

[John Wild]

I know you cannot tell me what I am listening to, since you cannot hear it....I'm just looking for printed sources of NW morris tunes to compare these with....any ideas out there?

 

Cheers, and thanks,

Dan

 

THe Malley book covers most of the most common tunes.

 

My impression, too, is that NW teams used a wide range of music. Brighton Camp is one of the most common tunes; the groups I've played for use it in several dances. The side I play for does a fairly common (in the US ) dance using 5 tunes; I've seen other groups doing the same dance with 5 completely different tunes.

 

I haven't heard O Susannah played for NW MOrris, but the Hicks with Sticks in Shepherdstown, W. Va do a border dance to the tune.

 

Kettle Bridge Clogs use a wide range of tunes for their dances:

 

Aiken Drum

Rosin the Bow

Mucking O’ Geordie’s Byre

79th Highlanders’ farewell to Gibraltar

Merrily danced the Quaker’s wife

Cock of the North

100 Pipers

Bonnie Dundee

Blaydon Races

Salmon tails

One Bar jig

Rig-A-Jig

British Grenadiers

Huntsman’s Chorus

Rule Britannia

Lambeth Walk

Maggie in the Wood

Spaghetti Junction

Marching through Georgia

Golden Slippers

Albion Tune

Captain Webb

Rogues’ March

Major Mackie’s Jig

Lemonville Jig

Grandfathers Tune

Walter Bulwer’s

The Manx tune

Woodland Flowers

Derby Kelly

Bibitty Bobbity Boo

Lily the Pink

Nellie the Elephant

The Runaway Train

The New Rigged ship

The Mallard No.1

Trip to Cheltenham

Yellow rose of Texas

Camptown Races

Garry Owen

Young May Moon

Lincolnshire Poacher

The Mist on the Bog

Harper’s frolic

Three Sea Captains

Linen Hall

 

 

- John Wild

[Dan Worrall]

Thanks, John, that is a great list of tunes....a little minstrels, a little Irish, a lot of English...very much a typical popular mix from the last century.

And thanks David for the abc's; I'll now be able to look through Mally's for the right tune title. When I find it, I'll post the correctly titled transcription on this thread. Ellis Marshall and his friend Norman Coleman played more in the Scan Tester style than most morris players of today would.

And Marshall, I'll write to Ellis Marshall's grandson Tony, who provided me the tapes, to see if he would consider donating them to the EFDSS Library or to the ICA for their website, so that they are preserved for everyone....there are so very few examples of early 20th C Anglo players in England.

 

Cheers, and thanks to all of you

 

Dan

[Mark Davies]

Thanks, John, that is a great list of tunes....a little minstrels, a little Irish, a lot of English...very much a typical popular mix from the last century.

And thanks David for the abc's; I'll now be able to look through Mally's for the right tune title. When I find it, I'll post the correctly titled transcription on this thread. Ellis Marshall and his friend Norman Coleman played more in the Scan Tester style than most morris players of today would.

And Marshall, I'll write to Ellis Marshall's grandson Tony, who provided me the tapes, to see if he would consider donating them to the EFDSS Library or to the ICA for their website, so that they are preserved for everyone....there are so very few examples of early 20th C Anglo players in England.

 

Cheers, and thanks to all of you

 

Dan

Derek Schofield's article in the English Dance & Song magazine from the late 1970's on the traditional anglo concertina player Caleb Walker(Manley Morris) gives a good idea of the tunes that Caleb played and learn't from Bob McDermott one of the original Royton Dancers who conducted the Manley Dancers from 1934 and also in the 1950's from Fred Kilroy.I was taught by Caleb Walker and still play a Bb/F Crabb concertina that he gave me that was given to him by Bob McDermott.I played for the Manley Dancers together with up to six others concertina players from 1976 until they ceased to dance due to old age.Manley is in Cheshire which is actually in the North West of England.Manley together with the Loftus Sword Dancers won the International Trophy at the Llangollen International Eistedfod on two occasions and always strove to maintain the highest standards both in their dance and their music.

 

Dan,I'll scan the draft of Derek Schofiled's article and email it to you

[Dan Worrall]

Derek Schofield's article in the English Dance & Song magazine from the late 1970's on the traditional anglo concertina player Caleb Walker(Manley Morris) gives a good idea of the tunes that Caleb played and learn't from Bob McDermott one of the original Royton Dancers who conducted the Manley Dancers from 1934 and also in the 1950's from Fred Kilroy.I was taught by Caleb Walker and still play a Bb/F Crabb concertina that he gave me that was given to him by Bob McDermott.I played for the Manley Dancers together with up to six others concertina players from 1976 until they ceased to dance due to old age.Manley is in Cheshire which is actually in the North West of England.Manley together with the Loftus Sword Dancers won the International Trophy at the Llangollen International Eistedfod on two occasions and always strove to maintain the highest standards both in their dance and their music.

 

Dan,I'll scan the draft of Derek Schofiled's article and email it to you

Mark,

 

Received, with many thanks! I see there that Caleb also played Oh Susannah (he called it Banjo on My Knee) and that they liked dancing to what he called the 'American Tunes'....mostly old minstrel tunes. They weren't alone in that; Kimber played an old minstrel tune or two with Headington, as did Jinky Wells with Bampton. But then you already know this.

 

Derek also mentions that Manley Morris used Nancy Dawson as the slow-down last tune of the medley, which is what is evident in the tape I have of Ellis Marshall. I'll see if that is the tune I am looking for, by using the abc's that Marshall sent me. What fun...transatlantic sleuthing!

 

That is a completely fascinating account of Caleb Walker, and very useful for my research. I owe you a pint for that, next time I come to Bradfield.

 

Best,

Dan

[David Barnert]

And thanks David for the abc's; I'll now be able to look through Mally's for the right tune title.

And I should say thank you to Perry Werner, who sent me my copy of Mally's years ago.

[Steve Mansfield]

Dan

 

I've now PMed you the abcs for Rumworth's music for the Royton Processional.

 

Sorry about the delay, was away for the weekend with Powderkegs being (yet again) forced to play music and drink beer in good company.

[Jim Besser]

Kettle Bridge Clogs use a wide range of tunes for their dances:

 

Aiken Drum

Rosin the Bow

Mucking O' Geordie's Byre

 

Great list of tunes, I'm going to snag some for our group.

I've used Bippety Boppety Boo a few times; the Mickey Mouse Club theme tune works well, too; amazing how many people sing along, when they figure out what it is.

Edited September 7, 2009 by Jim Besser

[Dan Worrall]

Okay, for those still following this, I looked through Mally's tunes and through the ones sent by Steve, and the paper sent by Mark...thanks, all. No matches. So I transcribed it....below. It is a strange one; it sounds a bit like a grab bag of ruffles and rhythms, scotched together...but they repeat it on dance after dance in 1978-1979, as the last tune in their schtick.

Sorry for the complex notation; I was trying to do a note-for-note, working on their playing technique. Not easy---the public performances are to the banging of a bunch of drums (and the shouts of orders from the lead dancer); the one solo recording of Marshall indoors has him not at his best....so this is the best I can do. Marshall and Coleman, old-timers both, are basically playing in octaves, the classic old way, with few chords and no oom-pahs. The piece is more inventive than it may seem, as they skillfully move from C to G row and back again....you'd have to hear the tape on that, but if you try to play this and have difficulty with parts, try switching rows. You don't need the third row for anything.

 

So...the question of the day, morrisers....does this bag of notes have a name?

 

Best, and thanks,

Dan

 

Edited September 8, 2009 by Dan Worrall

[Steve Mansfield]

So...the question of the day, morrisers....does this bag of notes have a name?

 

I know this as Cross Morris from another of the Rumworth dances. I can't remember the exact figures but it was something like ...

 

bars 1-6 the two lines of dancers would cross the set and cross back (two long strides for each crossing)

7-10 (faster tempo) the dancers would turn individually, twirling their slings (short woven coloured lengths of rope held in each hand)

11-14 (original tempo) crossing the set again

15-18 (faster tempo) twirling and turning again, finishing facing the top of the set with one foot raised.

 

The dancers would then wait, foot still raised, until the dance leader blew a whistle to signal the end of the dance. Marks would be awarded within the band to dancers who showed signs of wobbling.

 

HTH

Edited September 8, 2009 by Steve Mansfield

[Dan Worrall]

So...the question of the day, morrisers....does this bag of notes have a name?

 

I know this as Cross Morris from another of the Rumworth dances. I can't remember the exact figures but it was something like ...

 

bars 1-6 the two lines of dancers would cross the set and cross back (two long strides for each crossing)

7-10 (faster tempo) the dancers would turn individually, twirling their slings (short woven coloured lengths of rope held in each hand)

11-14 (original tempo) crossing the set again

15-18 (faster tempo) twirling and turning again, finishing facing the top of the set with one foot raised.

 

The dancers would then wait, foot still raised, until the dance leader blew a whistle to signal the end of the dance. Marks would be awarded within the band to dancers who showed signs of wobbling.

 

HTH

 

Many thanks, Steve; mystery solved. Your conclusion fits with some accounts I have read, that they finished with a 'Cross Morris.' Others finished with Nancy Dawson, so I couldn't just conclude that it was Cross Morris, of course. So...Cross Morris it is. Nice to have a title.