Playford, et al.

Subject: Playford, et al.
From: Vixen
Date: 04 May 99 - 05:20 PM

'DCats--

I have just returned from a prolonged and intrepid forum search--I'm seeking information/history behind the songs compiled in a collection a friend of mine referred to as "Playford."

The forum search timed out on Playford and playford, but when I searched on history, I got a flock of entries. I have gleaned from them the following titles I think would be appropriate:

Traditional Songs and Singers, Ossian's Folksongs and Ballads, Handfull of Pleasant Delights, and The British Broadside Ballad and Its Music.

Will any of these give me histories of the Playford tunes? Any ideas what or who Playford was and if it's a book where I might find it???

Any help is, as always, gratefully appreciated!!!

TIA

V

Subject: RE: Playford, et al.
From: The Shambles
Date: 04 May 99 - 06:14 PM

This will help BLUE CLICKY THINGY

Subject: RE: Playford, et al.
From: Bruce O.
Date: 04 May 99 - 08:02 PM

Simpson's 'The British Broadside Ballad and Its Music' will give the histories of some of them. The first edition of Playford's Dancing Master came out in 1651, but no earlier history is known for many of the tunes in it. This collection is given in ABC's someplace on the web. The one's in Simpson's book are given as ABC's on my website. Also on my website in file CNTYDAN1 are listed all of the tunes that appeared in what were finally 3 volumes of country dance tunes in the series that Playford started. www.erols.com/olsonw

Subject: RE: Playford, et al.
From: Bruce O.
Date: 05 May 99 - 11:16 AM

ABC's of the tunes in the first edition of the Dancing Master, 1651, are on the Ceolas website (in Mudcat's Links).

Subject: RE: Playford, et al.
From: Sapper_RE
Date: 05 May 99 - 02:27 PM

John Playford's "The English Dancing Master" was first published in 1651 and ran through 18 editions in 80 years. The final editions being edited by his son, Henry and John Young. The actual composition of each edition varies considerably over the full run of the publication, but the entire series contained over 500 tunes and dances. It is a marvelous repository of folk (or country) dancing somewhat akin to Tielman Sussato's Dancerie and Caroso's Il Ballarino collections. One problem is, that whilst these collections represent a great folk resource, they are somewhat unknown in general folk circles as they have been comandiered by the Early Music Fraternity on an intelectual basis. As I have a foot firmly in both camps I am trying to advise folkies in general about Playford. For anyone interested, I have four Playford albums, 2 x CD and 2 x Vinyl. These are as follows: The Broadside Band: "Country Dances" (LP) HARMONIA MUNDI; HM1109: "John Playford's Popular Tunes" AMON RA; CD-SAR28: "English Country Dances" SAYDISC; CD-SDL393. The 2nd LP is a French one, on the LE CHANT DU MONDE lable, ref. CM637, distributed by HARMONIA MUNDI. The group appears to be early/folk session players gathered for this one album. I have not tried looking up any Playford Websites, but would welcome any advice on these. If you hav'nt already, give it a try. The music is supurb! Bob.

Subject: RE: Playford, et al.
From: Bruce O.
Date: 05 May 99 - 03:27 PM

Reprints of the Dancing Master tunes have been made to the best of my knowledge only by those interested in folk music and folk dances. The same goes for the histories of the tunes.
Facsimile reprint of 1st edition by Margaret Dean-Smith, 1957. This give a listing of all the know editions and supplements of all 3 volumes. The historical notes there (on tunes in the 1st edition) are drawn from a 3 part article by Evelyn K. Wells in JEFDSS, 1937-9, with additional notes by Anne Geddes Gilchrist in the 1939 issue (and from Wm. Chappell's PMOT) This is probably still the best single source of information on the histories of the tunes, but for the tunes used for broadside ballads these are superceeded by C. M. Simpson's 'The British Broadside Ballad and Its Music'. The histories of "Jamica", "Fain I would", and "Sedany" are on my website. I first published these in the 'Folk Music Journal' of the EFDSS. Anne G. Gilchrist also had an article on the history of "Red House/ Where Shall Our Goodman Lie/ John Peel" in JEFDSS, 1941.

Tunes also reprinted (in facsimile) in Michael Ravens's 'One Thousand English Country Dances', 1984.
All the tunes that appeared in volume 1 and its supplements, to the 18th edition, c 1725, are given in Jeremy Barlow's 'The Complete Country Dance Tunes from Playford's Dancing Master', 1985.

There are Playford dance groups that dance little but the dances in Playford's collections.

Music groups that have issued LP's of tunes from Playford's collections are Telemon Society (I have 3), Pywackett (I have 2), and Le Chant Du Monde (I have 1). Others are found among other tunes on country dance band/orchestra recordings, such as the Canterbury Country Orchestra.

Subject: RE: Playford, et al.
From: MMario
Date: 05 May 99 - 03:41 PM

here are suppossed to be all of Plyford's Tunes from the English Dancing Master in ABC format....

there is some commentary with them....

BlueCLickyTHing

MMario

Subject: RE: Playford, et al.
From: Vixen
Date: 05 May 99 - 04:37 PM

Wow! This is starting to look like a cult thing!!! I've been playing these things for 15 years, off old xeroxes of hand-printed musical notation. I first heard them from a fiddler, but I play them on pennywhistle, recorder, or guitar, depending. Tim (my partner) plays fiddle, guitar, or hammered dulcimer, also depending. (Depending on mood and circumstances, that is!) Thanks for all the help! I've contacted some folks at the Playford site, and I'm on the trail of the info I want!!!!

M'Cats are THE BEST!!!!

FOREVER!!!!

V

Subject: RE: Playford, et al.
From: Bruce O.
Date: 05 May 99 - 04:49 PM

MMario, those are only the ones in the 1st edition. By the last (18th edition) of Vol. 1, there had been a total of 535 tunes. As noted before, all tunes in all editions are listed in the CNTYDAN1 file on my website.

Subject: RE: Playford, et al.
From: Hanny B
Date: 06 May 99 - 09:16 AM

Any English country dance group in the US will dance one or more of the Playford dances whenever they meet. The music and the figures are sublime! The popularity is credited to Cecil Sharp, who re-interpreted the dances in the early 1900s. John Playford was a printer in London. Little else is known about his music and dance involvement.

The best sources of notation of Playford tunes can be obtained from CDSS (Country Dance and Song Society) at www.cdss.org/ "English country dance tunes" by Peter Barnes has a wealth of them - but the source is not indicated, so one needs to know the title....... Hanny