Thomas Hardy tune book

Subject: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 09:00 AM

Can anyone tell me if Thomas Hardy's book(s) of country dance tunes has been published in its entirety anywhere? I've googled around and seen a lot of interesting things which contain some of his pieces, but haven't come across (or didn't recognise) anything that included the whole contents of the original source.

There are some enticing items on the Mellstock Band's website, but I want the complete collection of Hardy's tunes - all of them, as he knew them - if possible. I'll be very grateful for any pointers on this. Hope I haven't missed something obvious - that's happened before - but the great googleplex in the sky didn't take me there, using a variety of obvious search terms.

Thanks! Bonnie

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 05:28 PM

Give the Dorset County Museum a ring - they hold the originals and may be able to tell you if they were published entire.

Cecil Sharp House might also know.

The Thomas Hardy Society might know too. We certainly have a couple of them as sheet music but I don't know which ones or exactly where they are to a shelf (I could narrow it down to a single cupboard but after that you're on your own!).

LTS

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: greg stephens
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 02:57 AM

Try the Village Music Project website: they have an enomous collection of fiddle MSS online, they might have this.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Howard Jones
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 03:24 AM

I'm sure I used to have a photocopy of tunes from the Thomas Hardy collection. It goes without saying that I can no longer find it, but it suggests that they were once published somewhere.

If it was indeed published, and not just my memory playing tricks, then a copy should have been lodged with the British Library.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 04:43 AM

Matt Seattle's Dragonfly Music published a collection of 106 tunes called 'The Musical Heritage of Thomas Hardy, Volume 1' in 1990. It was edited by The Yetties (Roger Trim, Pete Shutler, Bonny Sartin, Mac McCulloch)and Matt.

ISBN 1 872277 03 9

It may be out of print, but you might pick up a copy on Amazon or Ebay.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Jack Campin
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 07:21 AM

Matt's book will almost certainly include complete details of the sources he used, i.e. where to find the manuscripts.

I see nothing on the Dorset Council site to suggest they have any tune MSS - the stuff they list is all about theatrical adaptations of the novels.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 07:22 AM

Used Book Search shows three copies, all in dollars so presumably in the States.

Good luck

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: SteveMansfield
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 07:24 AM

That last GUEST one @ 07:22 Mudcat Central Time was me, browser upgrade ate my cookie. Just search by the ISBN Valmai gave above.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 07:34 AM

Thanks so much for all the brilliant suggestions you guys :-)

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: bubblyrat
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 07:42 AM

If you are thinking of "The Hardy Manuscript" collection of tunes,such as ; Waltz in G ---The Seven Stars---Jacob or Enrico--The Pandene Dance---The Pandon of Tikeli...and other such delights, it is available to look at in Dorchester Museum. And it's NOT by Thomas Hardy, but is, rather, a collection put together by his grandfather !! ( The Hardy family were very musical !). And don't forget too ----the nearby hilltop "Hardy Monument" is nothing to do with Thomas Hardy either; it's a monument to Captain Hardy of HMS Victory fame ( "Kiss me, Hardy " etc. !!) So there !

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 08:10 AM

His granddaa... even better! Am I right that he was called Thomas too, and that he played viol (as distinct from cello...? or did he just call his cello a viol?)

You lot are fantastic -

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Rozza
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 02:40 PM

If you look at the EFDSS Tunebook "Hardcore English" by the late Barry Callaghan, it lists collections and publications of many manuscripts, including Hardy:

34 tunes were published in THE DORCHESTER HORNPIPE edited by Joan Brocklehurst in 1977
101 tunes were published in THE MUSICAL HERITAGE OF THOMAS HARDY Vol.1
by the Yetties in 1990 ISBN 1 872277 03 9

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: GUEST,Tim
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 05:23 PM

There is a pic of the tune book (presumably from Dorchester) in the article at

http://dorset.greatbritishlife.co.uk/article/thomas-hardys-musical-heritage-dorset-folk-songs-21326/

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 05:45 PM

According to this article: Pete Cooper - Notes on ENGLISH FIDDLE TUNES (Schott ED 12758), (see section The Hardy Fiddle Manuscripts) there are 2 mss - one (200+ tunes) given by James Hook to Thomas Hardy (the author)'s grandfather (also Thomas, cello) and one (97 tunes) compiled by his father (also Thomas, fiddle and viola). The article says that VWML holds copies of both.

Mick

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 08:32 PM

I have no memory of where I read this but Hardy was quoted as saying something like : he would rather hear" Soldier's Joy" a whole evening then any other group of tunes. Being that he loved Architecture you can see how he would be pulled to such a balanced tune where the B part was so good at bringing you around to the A again ..

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Mo the caller
Date: 15 Sep 10 - 03:13 PM

We went to a workshop with the Yetties at Whitby and they gave out photocopies of tunes.
The one I want to learn is Spanish Dance, but the photomachine produced (quite literally) the Dots - no lines. Playing (half by ear) was interesting. If anyone knows if it is online anywhere it would save a bit of work puzzling out the details.

This tune is not the same as the Spanish Waltz, it's not in waltz time.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Jack Campin
Date: 15 Sep 10 - 05:21 PM

I was at the same one. I'd like to know that Spanish Dance, too.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Cool Beans
Date: 15 Sep 10 - 08:33 PM

Don't know if "Soldier's Joy" was his favorite tune but Thomas Hardy does devote a couple of affectionate paragraphs to it in "Far From the Madding Crowd" (Chapter 36). The passage starts out: "As to the merits of 'The Soldier's Joy' there cannot be, and never were, two opinions. It has been observed in the musical circles of Weatherbury that this melody, at the end of three-quarters of an hour of thunderous footing, still possesses more stimulative properties for the heel and toe than the majority of other dances at their first opening..."
(Copied from my posting of 23 September, 2000)

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Chris Partington
Date: 16 Sep 10 - 09:13 AM

Enter the title here:- http://abcnotation.com/search
and pick the one you want from the results.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Young Buchan
Date: 16 Sep 10 - 12:30 PM

At the risk of embarrassing her, or offending her competitors, probably the world's loeading authority on Hardy's musical references from the Folk point of view, is Caroline Jackson-Houlston at Oxford Brookes University. Might be worth dropping her a line.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Mo the caller
Date: 16 Sep 10 - 12:54 PM

Chris, that link said 'not found'

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Bettynh
Date: 16 Sep 10 - 01:13 PM

It seems the Yettis have a CD of The Musical Heritage of Thomas Hardy . There's no list of tunes, though. Amazon (US) lists the book mentioned above, but no sellers at present. It'd be worth checking occasionally, as things do turn up, or perhaps it's a more common item across the pond.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Jack Campin
Date: 16 Sep 10 - 01:31 PM

Chris's link worked fine for me. The tune is here:

Spanish Dance

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Tootler
Date: 16 Sep 10 - 02:59 PM

I was at the same Yetties W'shop at Whitby and didn't even get a copy of the tunes as they had run out. The guy next to me let me share his so I did see the no lines version. It was certainly interesting trying to read from this variant of standard notation.

Is it worth trying to contact the Yetties to see if they are aware of what has been published. I believe they have a website.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Mo the caller
Date: 16 Sep 10 - 04:34 PM

I didn't take my copy home with me as someone else sharing our flat had one.
Thanks Jack, your link did work.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Mo the caller
Date: 16 Sep 10 - 04:35 PM

And Chris' link works now - odd.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 16 Jul 11 - 05:01 AM

??????????

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 16 Jul 11 - 05:06 AM

It's spam - the clue is in the top line.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Crowhugger
Date: 16 Jul 11 - 07:03 AM

So kind of the spammers to refresh interesting threads.
:-)

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: JHW
Date: 16 Jul 11 - 07:15 AM

I wonder if anyone can point me to a melody for The Hangman's Song.
I heard this sung superbly at the Tiger early this year.

The Hangman's Song

From Thomas Hardy's Wessex Tales
'The Three Strangers'

'O my trade it is the rarest one,
Simple shepherds all -
My trade is a sight to see;
For my customers I tie, and take them up on high,
And waft 'em to a far countree!'

'My tools are but common ones,
Simple shepherds all -
My tools are no sight to see:
A little hempen string, and a post whereon to swing,
Are implements enough for me!'

'To-morrow is my working day,
Simple shepherds all -
To-morrow is a working day for me:
For the farmer's sheep is slain, and the lad who did it ta'en,
And on his soul may God ha' merc-y!'


Taken from the text of the story at http://www.fullbooks.com/Wessex-Tales1.html

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Max Johnson
Date: 02 Oct 11 - 06:08 AM

I read somewhere that Hardy's 'party piece' at local dances was to play 'The Full Rigged Ship' on his fiddle. He always the same tune and, delightfully, it was often difficult to get him to stop.

It definitely referred to his playing the fiddle, not the viol, but whoever wrote it might simply have assumed it was the ubiquitous fiddle, of course.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: GUEST,Frank Sellors
Date: 03 Oct 11 - 10:10 AM

I've got a copy of "The Musical Heritage of Thomas Hardy Volume One", published by Dragonfly Music, for sale if anyone is interested.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Will Fly
Date: 04 Oct 11 - 04:13 AM

I'll take you up on that, Frank - email me at:

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: GUEST,Tiggy
Date: 26 Oct 14 - 04:57 AM

Does anyone have a copy of the Thomas Hardy Tune books?

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: GUEST,CJB
Date: 26 Oct 14 - 05:31 AM

Bonnie's original post also seemed to indicate an interest in the style of Hardy's playing. With all due respect ABC notation, even the dots of the music m/s themselves, aren't going to indicate that. My suggestion is also to track down the inimitable Chris Bartram who studied and recorded the old style(s) of fiddle playing in the South of England. The fact that there were regional differences in style re: singing, playing music, even step dancing seems to get forgotten. These styles were as various as regional speech dialects.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 26 Oct 14 - 07:24 AM

Just grab a few Mellstock Band CDs - they are the experts, or contact Dave Townsend their leader who I'm sure would be happy to help.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 26 Oct 14 - 07:26 AM

He might even answer any email in Hardy period dress!

Mellstocks!

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 28 Nov 14 - 01:19 AM

I have been doing some searching, and it looks to me as if the closest we can come to a book of Hardy's music is this:

Wessex Tune Book
Folk Dances From A Manuscript Book Belonging To The Family Of Thomas Hardy; Arranged For Descant Recorder (or Oboe Or Violin) And Piano

Sherman, Elna

You would either have to buy it or obtain it from a library.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Jack Campin
Date: 28 Nov 14 - 06:28 AM

Betcha they just ripped off Matt Seattle's collection.

Subject: RE: Thomas Hardy tune book
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 28 Nov 14 - 07:19 AM

I have had a copy of that for about 40 years so I don't think it was ripped off from Matt Seattle!