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Frank Butler, Concertina Mini-Tunes


Pete Dunk

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I have a crudely printed booklet of 22 tunes edited and arranged for concertina by Frank Butler which was published in 1983, the printing reminds me very much of 1960s school handouts made from a stencil using a Gestetner duplicating machine.

 

I am unable to trace the company that reproduced the booklet and Frank Butler's famous tutor book is available as a free PDF download from Concertina.com.

 

I've started to transcribe the tunes to abc for my own use and I would really like to share them here on the forum. As I understand it Frank Butler's copyright as arranger stands for fifty years and I haven't been able to trace his family to seek permission. Does anyone here know anything about Frank Butler's family? He was, as I understand it, related to the concertina maker 'Jones'.

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Hi Pete.

 

My recollection is that this collection was published by the ICA with a newsletter. It was typed up in modern script and reissued as the music supplement in a later ICA newsletter. Again, my recollection only, but I think publication rights were donated to the ICA. I am just back from Whitby folk week. I will try to locate more detail ( and my copy) during the coming week.

 

- John W.

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The collection of tunes was originally published in The International Concertina Association newsletter number 330, dated September 1985. Newsletters then probably were produced on the type of duplicator you mentioned. ICA newsletters are now professionally printed under the name Concertina World.

The set of tunes was reproduced as the music supplement with Concertina World number 433, dated March 2006.

 

In the original issue, it was stated: "The ICA wish to thank Mr.Butler for his generosity in allowing us to publish this edition of mini-tunes. We hope it will bring pleasure and enjoyment to members all over the world."

So, my recollection that publication rights were donated to the ICA seems to be limited to that issue.

 

Perhaps a current committee member with more access to archive material can add further information.

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I have now received permission from the International Concertina Association to transcibe and share the booklet, many thanks to John Wild for his help in this matter. Here's the first tune, please note that the glissando in bar 12 is as written, but is ignored by ABC software during playback. A PDF and sound file can be found here.

 

X:1
T:Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair
C:Stephen Foster
C:Edited and arr. Frank Butler ©1983
B:Concertina Mini Tunes 1983
Z:Transcribed by Peter Dunk 2017
N:with the kind permission of The International Concertina Association
M:4/4
L:1/8
%%titlefont Helvetica 22
%%subtitlefont Helvetica 16
%%barnumbers 1
Q:1/4=90" Moderato"
K:F
!mf!d2|[cA]3 [AC] [bG][AF][GE][FD]|A2 CD F4 &C2 z2 C2B,2|\
[FA,]2GA [fd]2[dB]2|[cA][AF][GE][FD] [GB,]3 d|
%
[cA]3 [AC] [bG][AF][GE][FD]|[AC]2 CD [FA,]4|\
G=B cd ef Ad &z2 E2G2F2|[cE]2[=BG][bG][cE]4|
%
[GE][AF][GE][FD] [GE]2 [AF][GE]|[FD][EC][FD][AC] [cE]4|\
[dB][cA][dB][fd] c2 AG &z2z2 AF CB,|\
[FA,]2 [DB,]"Cadenza"C3 {DEFGABc} "_rit" [dB]|
%
[cA]3 [AC] [bG][AF][GE][FD]|A2 CD F4 &C2B,2 A,4|\
GA fd cd FG &B,2D2"_rall e dim"E2D2|[Ac]2 [AC][GB,] [FA,]4|]

Edited by Pete Dunk
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Pete

Thanks for this, good work.

Can you post a .wav or .mp3 file as well as a midi file? Most default midi players on computers these days are pretty awful and do not have concertina sound fonts.

I think that you have used Musescore with a concertina sound font before? If not, then I could do it for you and provide you with a sound file.

On another topic, I learned from this thread that there was a second EC tutor book that Frank Butler wrote: 'Concertina 2'. Did you learn any more about this and who to contact about making it more generally available?

Don.

 

Like this: https://www.dropbox.com/s/840ssy946klgyoo/1.%20Jeannie%20With%20the%20Light%20Brown%20Hair.mp3?dl=0

Edited by Don Taylor
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Hi Don,

 

Yes I can make mp3 files from the midi, including changing the midi voices and introducing stereo spread between those voices, watch this space. I've never seen the second Butler book but I believe The ICA have a copy and members can get sight of any of the music in the ICA collection.

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Thanks for this effort Pete. Will you make a single abc file available when you finish? If so I'll be happy to make a completed book (PDF) with a table of contents and cover.

 

Incidentally you might like to know your transcription won't work on either of the common iPad abc programs. Not because you are wrong but because they are incomplete in their capabilities!

Edited by cboody
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Hi Chuck,

 

Is this due to the use of '&' to generate the second voice? If so I've changed to %%staves (1 2) in later tunes. If it's just that iPad software can't handle multiple voices there's not much I can do about that, the simple work around is to load the iPad up with PDFs!

 

Yes, the complete abc file will be available when it is finished and I'll be able to scan the front cover to add to the effect. The original is in A5 format with several tunes taking up two sides so it will look better in A4.

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Here we go with tune number two, La Cinquantaine which is completely new to me. Once again a PDF and an mp3 sound file can be found here. I downloaded Don's mp3 of Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair and was so impressed by the quality of the midi voices that I copied that sound file over to the Box folder. So Don, if you feel like picking up the tunes and making mp3s of all of them I think the project would be greatly enhanced! Only a minor suggestion but one of the things I usually do when creating an mp3 is to copy the whole thing and paste it at the end so it plays twice through, just a thought!

 

X:2
T:Cinquantaine, La

C:Gabriel-Marie
C:Edited and arr. Frank Butler ©1983
B:Concertina Mini Tunes 1983
M:4/4
L:1/4
%%titlefont Helvetica 22
%%subtitlefont Helvetica 16
%%barnumbers 1
Z:Transcribed by Peter Dunk 2017
N:with the kind permission of The International Concertina Association
Q:1/4=120 " Moderato"
K:Em
EBBB &EGFE|B A/B/ c2 & D2E2|EBBB &EGFE|\
B A/B/ c2 & D2E2|e d/c/ BA &G F/E/ Gz|
%
G F/E/ FG & B,CDE|F3E & DCA,B,|B3z & DGDz|\
EBBB &EGFE|B A/B/ c2 & D2E2|
%
EBBB &EGFE|B A/B/ c2 & D2E2|e d/c/ BA &EFGA|\
G F/E/ FG & B,CDE|F3B & B,3B|
%
E3z|E[dB][dB][dB]|d c/d/ eB &BAGD|\
c3/ d/ e/d/c/B/ &E3/ z/G/z/A/z/|[AF]3 z|
%
D[cA][cA][cA]|c B/c/ dA & AGFC|B3/ c/ d/c/B/A/ & D3/z/F/z/G/z/|\
[GB,]3z|FBBF & D2D2|
%
G/A/G/F/ EG & D/z/B,/z/ G,z|FBBF & D2D2|\
G/A/G/F/ EG & D/z/B,/z/ G,z|.[FD][bD]2 .[GD]|.[FD][bD]2 .[GD]|
%
.[GD]z [b2-D2-]|[b2D2] zB|EBBB &EGFE|\
B A/B/ c2 & D2E2|EBBB &EGFE|
%
B A/B/ c2 & D2E2|e d/c/ BA &EFGA|G F/E/ FG & B,CDE|\
"_rall"F3B & CDB,A,|[EG,]3 z|]

 

Edited to credit the composer.

Edited by Pete Dunk
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Re. Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair:

Well done, altogether, and specifically for picking up the B natural in bar 8. This was missed in the 2006 resetting, and left as a B flat.

 

I'm very pleased I got it right! I didn't know there was a 2006 transcription, who did that then and where can I find a copy?

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Re. Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair:

Well done, altogether, and specifically for picking up the B natural in bar 8. This was missed in the 2006 resetting, and left as a B flat.

 

I'm very pleased I got it right! I didn't know there was a 2006 transcription, who did that then and where can I find a copy?

 

That was the reproduction in the music supplement with Concertina World number 433, dated March 2006, referred to earlier. I'm not certain but I believe it was Jon McNamara who did it. We can forgive a single note error in the scale of the task.

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So Don, if you feel like picking up the tunes and making mp3s of all of them I think the project would be greatly enhanced! Only a minor suggestion but one of the things I usually do when creating an mp3 is to copy the whole thing and paste it at the end so it plays twice through, just a thought!

 

Yes, I will do that and I will redo Jeannie as you suggest.

 

Did Frank ever make any recordings? If his arrangements are anything to go by he must have been a great musician.

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Hi Don,

 

I've already done Jeannie! I've no idea if there are any Frank Butler recordings out there but I'm certain that the ICA will know!

 

That was the reproduction in the music supplement with Concertina World number 433, dated March 2006, referred to earlier. I'm not certain but I believe it was Jon McNamara who did it. We can forgive a single note error in the scale of the task.

 

 

 

I wasn't being critical John I was simply unaware that the book had been transcribed before.

 

Next one up needs no introduction. ;)

 

X:3
T:Londonderry Air
C:Edited and arr. Frank Butler ©1983
B:Concertina Mini Tunes 1983
M:C
L:1/8
%%titlefont Helvetica 22
%%subtitlefont Helvetica 16
%%barnumbers 1
Z:Transcribed by Peter Dunk 2017
N:with the kind permission of The International Concertina Association
Q:1/4=80 " Sadly but not too slowly"
K:F
[EC][FD][GE]|[AF]3 [GD] ([AF][dF])[cA][AC]|\
(GF) D2 z FAB &B,A, B,A, B, F [EC]2|\
c3 d cAFA &A,F A2E2A,2|G4-G [EC][FD][GE] &B,2 F2 E z z2|
%
A3 G AdcA & F2E2D2F2|(GF)DC DEFG &B,2A,2B,2C2|\
A3 B AGFG &F2D2CB,DB,|F2F2 F cde &[CA,]2[DB,]2!<(![CA,] z [bG]2!<)!|
%
f3 e edcA &!mf![AF]4 !>(![AE]4 !>)!|cA F2- F cde &E2 D4 B2|\
f3 e edcA & CFAc cBAF|G4- G !tenuto!c!tenuto!c!tenuto!c &=B,FDF !<(!E C[AE]!<)![GE]|
%
!ff!L[afc]3 [gG] [gG][fF][dD][fF]|cA F2- F EFG & [EC]2 [D-A,-]2 [DA,] z_D2|\
AdcA GFDE &C2E2 B,A,B,G,|F2 F2 F &[CA,]2 B,D [CA,]|]

Edited by Pete Dunk
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