There is not much information about Morris tunes to be gathered from
books. Chappell, for instance, in his "Popular Music of the Olden Time,"
I., pp. 125 and 130, gives but two Morris dance-tunes, "The Staines
Morris Tune" and "Trip and Go"; while Mr. Edward Naylor, in the appendix
to his "Shakespeare and Music," only prints the same number--"An English
Morris, 1650" (a variant of Chappell's "Staines Morris Tune"), and an
Italian Moresca by Claudio Monteverde, 1608. In Grove's "Dictionary of
Music" (old ed.), II., p. 369, three Morris tunes are recorded: Arbeau's
"Morris Off," a Yorkshire melody founded on that of "The Literary
Dustman," and a Cheshire Morris to words beginning:--
Morris Dance is a very pretty tune,
I can dance in my new shoon;
In an interesting and most instructive paper on "Morris-dancing in
Oxfordshire," read by Mr. Percy Manning before the Folk-Lore Society, and
printed in their "Transactions" for December, 1897, five tunes are given:
"Green Garters," "Constant Billy," "Willow Tree," "Maid of the Mill," and
"Bob and Joan." Mr. Manning also quotes the names only of the following
Morris dances and songs: "Handsome John," "Highland Mary," "Green
Sleeves," "Trunk Hose," "Cockey Brown," "The Old Road," "Moll o' the
Whad," "The Cuckoo," "The Cuckoo's Nest," "White Jock," and "Hey Morris."
The first three of these, as well as the tunes previously mentioned, were
sung or danced by the men of Bampton; the remainder by the Morris men of
Field Assarts.
Our own investigations enable us to add very materially to existing
knowledge of this branch of the subject. We have noted down between
twenty and thirty Morris tunes, and have collected the names of several
others, which no doubt we shall eventually acquire as well. The list
given below consists almost entirely of tunes which are still in constant
use by Morris-men in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, and
Derbyshire.
The figures in brackets record the number of times we have collected the
same tune, or variants of it, from different Morris sides.
Laudnum Bunches.
Bean Setting.
Constant Billy (3).
Blue-Eyed Stranger.
The Rigs o' Marlow (2).
Old Mother Oxford.
The old Woman tossed up in a blanket (2).
Jockie to the Fair.
Rodney.
How d'ye do?
Trunkles (4).
Country Gardens.
Brighton Camp (The Girl I've left behind me) (2).
Shepherd's Hey (3).
Bluff King Hal.
We won't go home till morning.
Princess Royal (2).
Heel and Toe.
Morris Off.
Green Sleeves.
Hey Morris.
The Cuckoo's Nest.
Swag and Boney.
The Gallant Hussars.
The British Grenadiers.
The Vicar of Bray.
The Sherborne Jig.
Belle Isle's March.
Two Derbyshire tunes ("This is it, and That is it.")
It must be remembered that our investigations have up to the present been
confined within a limited area, and that we have not yet attempted to
deal with the northern counties of England. The experience, however, that
we have already acquired is enough to prove that there are a much larger
number of traditional Morris tunes still to be found in country districts
than most people would imagine. Unfortunately, many Morris sides have
been disbanded within the last two or three decades, and our field of
work is therefore becoming more and more restricted; for it is difficult,
and in many cases impossible, to acquire accurate information unless the
Morris side is actually in being. We intend, however, to continue our
inquiries without pause, in order that we may collect all the existing
tunes and other information upon this most interesting subject before it
is too late.
We append some notes on the tunes which we are publishing in connection
with this volume, with the exception of "Bean Setting," "Trunkles," and
"Laudnum Bunches," about which we know nothing.