Early american song tunes

[John Craton]

I am trying to locate a number of song tunes that were popular in America circa 1790. I have been able to find a few of the rarities I'm seeking, but others either are no longer extant or are eluding my efforts to locate them. I turn thus to this august group for assistance. If anyone has or knows where to find the music to the following song tunes (preferably in notation but tab would also do), please let me know. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

The Babes in the Woods
The Bird That Hears
The Birds of Indermay
Good Morning to Your Night-cap
Guardian Angels
How Happy a Life Does a Miller Possess
I Kiss'd and I Prattled
If 'Tis Joy to Wound a Lover
In Infancy
My Jockey is the Blythest Lad
The Same as the Last

[Jim M.]

Two great websites I use to look for old tunes are:

John Chambers Tune Finder (http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/cgi/abc/tunefind)

and

Fiddlers' Companion (http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc/)

Chambers' site can return tunes in a variety of formats. Fiddler's Companion has a lot of information about tunes and sometimes has the tune in ABC format. I've tracked tunes down in old books at a music library when I find the source at FC. If you're not familiar with ABC, there is a lot of free ABC software available. Also, Concertina.net has an ABC converter that will give you printable music online.

Here's what FC had on a couple of your tunes:

BABES IN THE WOODS [2]. Irish, Polka. D Major. Standard. AABB. Old Hat Music OH!02, "The Old Hat Dance Band" (1992. Learned from Kerry fiddle player Julia Clifford, who has lived in Norfolk for some years).
X:1
T:Babes in the Woods
M:2/4
L:1/16
Q:125
S:Castle Ceili Band
R:polka
Z:by m euritt
K:D
A2BA F2A2| d2e2f4|g4 f2e2|d2f2A4|
A2BA F2A2| d2e2f4|g4 f2e2|d4d4:|
e4e2d2|c2e2a4|e4e2f2|g2e2 c2A2|
e4e2d2|c2e2a4|g4 f2e2|d4d4:|
X:2
T:Babes in the Woods
M:2/4
D:Beginish
K:D
B2|: ABAg F2A2 | d2e2 f2ef | g2 gg f2e2 | d2f2 A2B2 |
ABAg F2A2 | d2e2 f2ef | g2 gg f2e2 |1 d6 B2 :|2 d6 cd ||
c2d2 e2f2 | g2gg g2g2 | f2ff f2a2 | e4 e2d2 |
c2d2 e2f2 | g2gg g2g2 | f2a2 g2e2 |1 d2dd d2cd :|2 d6 ||



GUARDIAN ANGELS. AKA - "Guardian Angels Watch Over Me." English, American; Air and Country Dance Tune (2/4 time). G Major. Standard. AB. From the Greenwood MSS., 1775-76. It was also published in Longman and Broderip's Entire New and Compleat Instructions for the Fife (London, 1780, pg. 21). "Guardian Angels (Watch Over Me)" was a popular song in the post-Revolutionary period in both Britain and America and was published in numerous instrumental collections and song sheets. As "Guardian Angel Now Protect Me" the title appears in a list compiled by Henry Robson of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes, published around the year 1800. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1964/1981; pg. 73.

[John Craton]

Thanks, Jim. Between the two sites and one other, I've at least found three on the list (Babes in the Woods, Good Morning to Your Nightcap, and If 'Tis Joy to Wound a Lover). Not sure how many of these songs may even be extant as I can only find them referenced by title in a few sources. These sites are definitely helpful, though, so I thank you for pointing me to them.

[Martin Jonas]

For folksongs (both lyrics and tunes), the best resource is the Digital Tradition, which can be found at the Mudcat Cafe (http://www.mudcat.org/). The DT itself is a database of around 9000 songs, with tunes to about a third of them, and much that is not in the database can be found in the site's discussion forum. If the search function yields nothin, just ask a question -- lots of knowledgeable folks there.

Martin

[mahogola]

I was wondering where I could find the music (and not just the lyrics) for "Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier". I heard it on the Liberty soundtrack (Mark O'Connor)and Heartland: An Apalachian Anthology (Meyer/O'Connor).

Rook

[MandoSquirrel]

lead sheet with 2 verses in "Fake Book Of The World's Favorite Songs", from Hal Leonard Corp.; treble & bass clefs with 3 verses in America's All-Time Favorite Songs", published by Amsco. Both in A minor, both bought at Barnes & Noble.
Not sure where my copy of "The Real Book" is right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's in there, too.

[allenhopkins]

Found Birks (not "Birds") of Indermay at this source, (http://www.colonialdancing.org/Easmes/TOC/St021354.htm) which seems to have many colonial dance tunes. Couldn't access the actual music however -- got an error message. You may have better luck.
Here's (http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiSHULARN4;ttSHULARN4.html) a Digital Tradition link to words and music for Johnny's Gone For a Soldier, under the name Buttermilk Hill.

[Tom A]

"Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier" and other old American tunes can be found here. (http://www.contemplator.com/america/index.html)

[John Craton]

Found Birks (not "Birds") of Indermay at this source, (http://www.colonialdancing.org/Easmes/TOC/St021354.htm) which seems to have many colonial dance tunes. #Couldn't access the actual music however -- got an error message. #You may have better luck.
Thanks, Allen. I did find "The Birds of Indermay" on another site as "The Birks of Invermay." The Colonial Dancing site has had most of its pages offline for some time now — not sure what's going on with them. A few pages are still up, but most have disappeared.

The tunes I'm still trying to find are:

The Bird That Hears
Guardian Angels
How Happy a Life Does a Miller Possess
I Kiss'd and I Prattled
In Infancy
My Jockey is the Blythest Lad


Thanks to the Café, I've located all the rest. These remaining songs may no longer be around, but hopefully someone has come across them somewhere, perhaps with an alternate title. Thanks, all!

[John Craton]

I wish again to thank everyone who assisted me in finding as many of these tunes as appear to be extant, and I suppose now I can tell you why I was searching for them (though it probably will hold little interest to most). I am currently engaged in reconstructing an early American ballad opera from 1790, and the custom at the time was for the "composer" of the opera to write the libretto and then indicate the song tunes to be used for the musical portions by giving only the song titles. As the tunes were known popularly, the music usually was not written down for posterity. Subsequently some song tunes have become lost through the ages, and rebuilding the music is more of a research project than anything. I've completed the sections for which I have been able (with your kind help) to locate and have posted what is done to date on the web. If you have Scorch, you can view and listen to my paltry scribblings by clicking here (http://www.craton.net/music/reconciliation.htm).

For those with an interest in period songs, here are the ones used in Markoe’s opera that I have been able to locate and set (the other numbers are of my own excretions):

The Birks of Invermay = Why Sleeps the Thunder in the Skies?
The Old Woman Clothed in Grey = Since Falsehood Triumphantly Reigns
If ’Tis Joy to Wound a Lover = When Misfortune Sorely Presses
[and incorporated into the Finale]
The Babes in the Woods = Dear Grand-papa
Good Morning to Your Night-cap = If She May Be So Bold, Sir (the last one very freely adapted as none of the examples I found of the music really fit the words in the libretto)

The remaining selections have yet to be written and will require all new material since no other indicated titles seem to have survived, at least by the names given.

Thanks again, one and all!

[Hondo]

This might be of interest: http://digital.library.ucla.edu/apam/about.htm

[John Craton]

Just a quick update to let anyone interested know that I have completed the reconstruction of Markoe's opera The Reconciliation, in which I incorporated as many of the original song tunes as I could locate (again, with your kind help). I'd be particularly interested in knowing the thoughts of those with a more solid background in period music to see what you think of the numbers I had to create from scratch without original tunes to go by. I endeavored to keep the music as authentic as possible, but it remains to be seen how successful I was. Sadly, I did not include a mandolin in the score, but the instrument was not known in America at the time. Once again, I express my gratitude to all who offered assistance in this project.

The raw Scorch scores can be found at www.craton.net/music/reconciliation.htm (http://www.craton.net/music/reconciliation.htm).