MITTELL,Wm

WILLIAM MITTELL MANUSCRIPT 1799 Kent, England.

Transcribed into ABC and introduction by Chris Partington for the Village Music Project.

The manuscript is referred to as "WM" in tune title catalogue number.

It contains the following inscriptions:-

"A Collection Of Hornpipes, Reels, Country Dances etc. For Violin, German Flute. Progressive for practice. W. Mittell."

"William Mittell, His Book. 1799."

"Being a collection of dancing tunes for the flute, violin or oboy with figures to each tune as performed overleaf."

This Manuscript was found in a Hastings bookshop in 1991, by Barry Dransfield, in whose private collection it remains. (Though it is since believed to have gone missing).

It consists of 147 numbered dance tunes, written in a capable hand, some with dance instructions below the tune.

There are few evident musical errors. Some of the tunes seem to have been copied from elsewhere.

In 1993 the late Dave Roberts, ex-Blowzabella and Banjax, put together 87 of the tunes into a book : " William Mittell His Book Etc " ISBN 1 898512 00 0 Price £7.50 (at time of writing this) Pub. Timespan Music Publications, East Timewell Cottage, Morebath, Tiverton, Devon WE16 9BY

A Photocopy of the MS is deposited at the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library in Cecil Sharp House.

My copy was kindly provided by Keith Leech, of Hastings, also of Banjax.

Introduction by Chris Partington, VMP

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