Tag: John Playford

Stories of the Tunes – Duncan MacRae of Kintail’s Lament

Stories of the Tunes – Duncan MacRae of Kintail’s Lament

By Roderick Cannon In 1651 a small book was published in London by John Playford, entitled The English Dancing Master. It contained the tunes and instructions for 105 country dances, and it was evidently successful, as it was quickly followed by revised and enlarged editions. The last edition was the […]

The Rock and the Wee Pickle Tow as it appears in the Scots Guards collection, volume 1.

A new date for an old melody – A Rock and a Wee Pickle Tow

By Seán Donnelly A Rock and Wee Pickle Tow (or The Linlithgow March) is a tune that needs no introduction. Like Cock o’ the North, a descendant of Joan’s Placket is Torn, first published in 1685 but referred to from the 1660s onward, A Rock and a Wee Pickle Tow […]