The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #147035   Message #3406667
Posted By: Rozza
18-Sep-12 - 07:44 AM
Thread Name: Folklore: Country Dance Tunes
Subject: RE: Folklore: Country Dance Tunes
You might not have come across this note about the Winterton (Lincs) band.


Winterton had a West Gallery band, previous historians of our church wrote of them
thus:-
Before the installation of the organ, the Choir & Orchestra occupied the gallery erected at the west- end of the Church in 1754. The instruments in use were a flute, bass fiddle, bassoon & clarinet. A collection of these instrument is assembled in a case on the west wall of the nave, with notes on their origin, & some of the music scores used. About this period (1832) the instrumentalists were Messrs. T Wilson, G Nassau, L Phillipson, W Tock & P Jolly. The vocal members were Messrs T Robinson, S Pearson, & R Michaelwaite, who was one of the churchwardens. It is said that he used to announce the number of the hymns insuch a faltering voice that he was scarcely audible. After several complaints, a noticeboard was affixed to the
centre of the gallery        
There is an account in Credland's Almanac of this unique choir. One of the violin performers took exception to the way in which the conductor looked at him whenever a mistake was made. He threatened to give the conductor a switch with his bow if he dared to turn round again, thereby giving the congregation the impression that he alone was responsible for the mistake. It may be said that their unsatisfactory conduct & irregular attendance encouraged John Barratt, one of the churchwardens (1832) to decide upon a change, & to call upon Mr Godfrey
Robinson to help him in collecting funds for an organ        
...in 1840 Messrs Beeforth & Corbett of Hull were instructed to build an organ        
Its' action was hand worked. The story is told how a young man named George Drax "a bit of a character", having been asked by Mr Robinson to blow for him expected the instrument to operate by the same process as the wind instruments & was looking for "t'ole to blow into".
(This is quoted in a guide book produced in 1989, itself heavily reliant on work by A Ecclestone MA.)

Sadly, I can't find the original article in "Credland's Almanac" despite a lengthy search.