Fwiw: Stealthy nautical music was a percussion instrumental, click two rocks together.

Johnson gives nothing on Blackbeard however, the chapters on Capts. Roberts and Spriggs give some clues to the music on merchant and pirate. No secular titles and, no surprise, unless the latter went down fighting, he switched to the psalms:

"It was a melancholly Requeft to the Man, but muft be comply'd with, and he was obliged, as they grew drunk, to fit quietly, and hear them fing French and Spanifh Songs out of his Dutch Prayer-Books, with other Prophanefs, that he (tho' a Dutch Man) ftood amazed at." (Cpt. Roberts, p.258)

"Thus he preach'd himfelf into an Approbation of what he at firft abhorr'd; and being daily regal'd with Mufick, Drinking, and the Gaiety and Diverfions of his Companions, thefe deprav'd Propenfities were quickly edg'd and ftrengthen'd, to the extinguifhing of Fear and Confcience." (p.272)

"...the Note was changed among moft of them, and from vain infolent jefting, they became ferious and devout, begging for good Books, and joyning in publick Prayers, and finging of Pfalms, twice at leaft every Day." (p.277)

"The four firft of thefe Prifoners, it was evident to the Court, ferved as Mufick on Board the Pyrate, were forced lately from the feveral Merchant Ships they belonged to; and that they had, during this Confinement, an uneafy Life of it, having fometimes their Fiddles, and often their Heads broke, only for excufing themfelves, or faying they were tired, when any Fellow took it in his Head to demand a tune." (p.296)

"James White, whofe Bufinefs was Mufick, and was on the Poop of the Pyrate Ship in Time of Action with the Swallow,..." (p.302)

"Scudamore...and defired , at the Gallows, they would have Patience with him, to fing the firft Part of the thirty firft Pfalm; which he did by himfelf throughout." (p.328)

"Armftrong ...In the End, he defir'd they would join with him in finging two or three latter Verfes of the 140th Pfalm; and that being concluded, he was, at the firing of a Gun, tric'd up at the Fore-Yard-Arm." (p.329)



"In their Voyage to the Weft Indies thefe Pyrates took a Portuguefe Bark, wherein they got valuable Plunder, but not contented with that alone, they laid they would have a little Game with the Men, and fo ordered them a Sweat, more for the Brutes Diverfion, than the poor Men's Healths; which Operation is performed after this Manner; they ftick up lighted Candles circularly round the Mizon-Maft, between Decks, within which the Patients one at a Time enter; without the Candles, the Pyrates poft themfelves, as many as can ftand, forming another Circle, and armed with Penknives, Tucks, Forks, Compaffes, &c. and as he runs round and round, the Mufick playing at the fame Time, they prick him with thofe Inftruments; this ufually lafts for 10 or 12 Minutes, which is as long as the miferable Man can fupport h'mfelf." (Cpt. Spriggs, p.412)

(Johnson, Capt. C., A General History of the Pyrates, 2nd ed, London, 1724)

Also, un-sourced in old notes: December 1715, Nassau based sloops Eagle (Welles) and Beersheba (Jennings) raided the Bahama Wrecks salvage camps on Hutchinson Island, FL., landing 150 armed men, divided into three squads, each with a drum and flag.