Hi there,

Could anyone tell if the tunes used in the sets of English Dances by Malcolm Arnold belong to any folk "tune families"?

Wikiwotsit says . . "inspired by, although not based upon, country folk tunes and dances" but several of them feel as if they've always been around. Is this because the style is part of the English psyche or is it because they've been used to represent 'Englishness' so often over the last 60+ years that they have become almost "traditional"?

I'm interested in them all but especially No 3 in Set 2 (Grazioso) which starts at about 4.20 in here . . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeL_vhMpIgA


All the best,
Harry