FTX-118 - FLEE AS A BIRD

CONCERTINAS IN DURHAM AND YORKSHIRE

30 tunes on the English concertina recorded in Durham including Tyneside Clog-dances & Hornpipes, including some by James Hill, Jigs & Reels, Country Dances & Highlands, Polka Mazurka & Spanish Fandango. Peter Kennedy recorded SAM FAWCETT of West Birk Hatt Farm, at Baldersdale, near Bishop Auckland in 1953 and GORDON CUTTY at Kelloe, near Ferryhill, outside Durham the following year. Sam hadn't played for dances for over 50 years, whereas Gordon was still playing in a local Old Time Dance band. Sam was a neighbour of Hannah Hauxwell at Low Birk Hatt, Baldersdale, whose life story was featured on TV by Barry Cockcroft and who also put together her two books, "Seasons of my Life" and "Daughter of the Dales". Peter's photograph of him playing the concertina appears on page 31` in "The Complete Story"(publ by Arrow Books 1992)

Gordon Cutty of Durham:-

1. BLAYDON FEAST (talk before) - 0'33"

2. THE DEMON HORNPIPE (talk bef) - 0'59"

3. THE HIGH LEVEL HORNPIPE (James Hill) - 0'58"

4. THE NEW HIGH LEVEL (talk bef) - 0'59"

5. THE DONCASTER HORNPIPE - 0'39"

6. THE LEASINGTHORNE - 0'50"

7. THE SOUTH HETTON HORNPIPE - 0'52"

8. THE CONTEST HORNPIPE (talk bef) - 0'53"

9. THE SPENNYMOOR HORNPIPE (talk bef) - 0'48"

10. THE BOTTLE BANK (James Hill) (talk bef) - 0'51"

11. THE SHORT GRASS (jig) (talk bef) - 0'43"

12. FLEE AS A BIRD (Clog Dance) (talk bef) - 1'32"

Sam Fawcett of Baldersdale:-

13. JIG - played by Sam Fawcett 0'44"

14. Sam talks about himself, playing for dances 55 years ago, the various types, starting to play when his father was out, Saturday dances, sheepshearings, at neighbours, no lazy dancing, description of THE NINEPINS Quadrille to the tune of SIR ROGER DE COVERLEY & the Couple Dance, THE SPANISH FANDANGO - 2'52"

15. BILL HALL'S QUICKSTEPS - 1'11"

16. THE TRIUMPH (Country Dance) - 1'18"

17. Description of an old man's endurance and forfeit dance (to the tune of GREENSLEEVES) in which any number of men, an even number was required, join hands in a circle and each, in turn, claps and kicks his leg over his neighbour's shoulder, then repeating to disengage, continuing the movement while getting lower and lower to the ground (Cecil Sharp collected a version danced by only three men in Wyresdale) - 0'51"

18. Description of dance: CLAP HANDS (4 or 8-hand Reel) - 0'28"

19. CLAP HANDS tune (Lord Nelson's Hornpipe) - 0'26"

20. KEEL ROW & CASTLES IN THE AIR (Highland Scottisches) - 1'48"

21. THE LIVERPOOL & STEAMBOAT HORNPIPES - 1'57"

22. THE SQUARE EIGHT (Bill Hall's tunes followed by HIGHLAND LADDIE with drone effect) - 2'13"

23. SIR ROGER DE COVERLEY (Triple time Jig) - 1'00"

24. THE HIGHLAND FLING - 1'00"

25. POLKA MAZURKA (Hymn tune: Jewels from the Crown) - 1'06"

26. SPANISH FANDANGO (Couple Dance: also known elsewhere as THE OFFICER'S POLKA) - 1'07"

Tracks #1-12: GORDON CUTTY (English concertina) rec by Peter Kennedy, Kelloe, nr Durham 1954 and #13-26 SAM FAWCETT (Anglo concertina) rec by Peter Kennedy, Baldersdale, nr Bishop Auckland in 1953. Edited by Peter Kennedy and first published on Folktrax Cassettes 1975.

GORDON CUTTY, of Kelloe, aged 54 when recorded, was a miner still working as a surface labourer at East Hetton Colliery. He learned the concertina from his father, Edward Cutty, also a miner, who used to play for his own amusement, for occasional dances as well as for step-dancing by local miners. All the family were musical and some members had emigrated to America and played there in concertina bands. Gordon was still playing locally in a band for old-fashioned dances. They had started with just a fiddle, but had recently added piano, drums and trumpet. With the exception of the Bb hornpipes composed by the celebrated Newcastle fiddler, James Hill, Gordon played local hornpipes composed by William Graham of South Hetton, a friend of his father and a well-known local violinist and composer.

SAM FAWCETT, aged 74, of West Birk Hatt, Baldersdale, Cotherstone, did not have electricity, so the recording was made using a somewhat unsteady farm generator at the home of H.Beadle, Foul Syke Farm, Baldersdale. Sam's family originally came from Swaledale in West Yorkshire where he had, in his youth, some fifty-five years previous, played for local dances. Besides giving Peter some interesting variations of Reels, Quadrilles, Country and Couple Dances, of special interest was his recalling of the Swaledale "Greensleeves" ("Old Men's Dance") dance. Sam at West Birk Hatt was a neighbour of Hannah Hauxwell at Low Birk Hatt, Baldersdale, whose life story was featured on TV by Barry Cockcroft and who also put together her two books, "Seasons of my Life" and "Daughter of the Dales". Peter's photograph of him playing the concertina appears on page 31` in "The Complete Story"(publ by Arrow Books 1992)

The English Concertina, invented and patented by Charles Wheatstone, is fully chromatic, each button producing the same note in both directions. Gordon used to sit by the radio and join in whenever he could, something that would not be easy with an Anglo-German concertina which is limited to certain musical keys. The Anglo- German, on the other hand, like a mouth-organ, is diatonic, having two notes to each button, one on the squeeze-in or push, and the other on the pull. The instrument is limited by having only two keys with only a few extra chromatic choices. The English instrument provides an easy opportunity for making use of chordal accompaniment, as, for example, with the final notes of the tune.

The Anglo-German Concertina, being more of an instinctive instrument, tends to be played "by ear" for the more rhythmical and robust type of music, whereas the English is well-suited to those who can sight-read and want to play a more chromatic music for listening or concert pieces. However, in the case of this recording, the items selected were all traditional dance tunes.