The Seafaring Fiddler by Edward Huws Jones

Description

The Seafaring Fiddler by Edward Huws Jones  is an eclectic selection of sea shanties, ‘forebitters’, jigs, reels, hornpipes, songs and other melodies which were traditionally played as accompaniment to hard labour or times of recreation for sailors at sea.

Edward Huws Jones explains that “during the heyday of sail, the busiest sea-routes of all were the North Atlantic crossings, especially between Liverpool and the American cotton ports; it was the heady mixture of African-American and Irish music which gave birth to the mid-century flowering of the sea shanty. Meanwhile English-speaking vessels were sailing to the Cape, India, Australia and many other far-flung destinations, carrying a two-way traffic of song and dance.”

The 22 tunes in this collection can all be played as unaccompanied fiddle tunes, which is how they would have been played in the days of sail. But as in other books in the Fiddler series, the flexible format allows a wide variety of different combinations and ensembles. Suitable for intermediate and elementary standard performers.

For violin (2 violins) and piano, guitar ad lib. Complete edition with online audio

The Seafaring Fiddler – Contents:

• The sailors’ dance (H. Purcell)
• The Liverpool hornpipe
• The leaving of Liverpool
• We be three poor mariners (T. Ravenscroft)
• Spanish ladies
• South Australia
• Santy Anna
• The new-rigged ship
• The sloop John B
• Litten’s hornpipe
• The Greenland whale fishery
• Row well, ye mariners
• The shores of Botany Bay
• Hornpipe (A. Sullivan)
• The tipsy sailor
• Jack Tar
• Farewell, lovely Nancy
• Henry Martin
• The three sea captains
• Portsmouth (H. Playford)
• The quayside
• Don’t you see the ships a-coming?