Whilst practising in my Newcastle-upon-Tyne student digs, I became aware of a constant dripping noise. It was a hole in the ceiling. It became even louder once I placed an old washing up bowl underneath and the only way to continue practising was to treat the drip as if it were a metronome, resulting in this jig.

Fiddle: Robbie Sherratt
Concertina: Alex Wade
Guitar: Ian Stephenson
'Cello: Mark Carroll

Provenance Samples

Hole in the Ceiling (Sample)

I found 'Old Wooden Plough' in the Francis Collinson’s manuscript collection. It was written circa 1850 by North Staffordshire landowner, the late Sir T. Sneyd-Kynnersley, with the idea of it being sung at agricultural show dinners in the county.

Old Wooden Plough (Sample)

A derivative piece of 'The Gothic Symphony' written by Havergal Brian (1876-1972), an underestimated, working-class composer from the Potteries.
This section of the piece features Sam Partridge on bassoon, an instrument often found in West Gallery Bands, an influence which this album draws upon, in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Havergal (Sample)

The tunes ‘Sirkeij Bids Me’ and ‘The Colledge Hornpipe’ are from an early 18th century manuscript of dance tunes found in the archives of the Jerningham Staffords’ family.

Provenance (Samples)

Sirkeij Bids Me (Sample)

Historically, fiddle players used hornpipes to showcase their technique, often writing or improvising variations, so for the album, I decided to write a set of variations on the Staffordshire Hornpipe which was collected by Cecil Sharp & Ella Mary Leather from gypsy fiddler John Locke at Leominster, Herefordshire, on 27 Dec 1909.

The Staffordshire Hornpipe (Sample)

An early eighteenth century tune from the Jerningham Staffords’ family manuscript.

John ‘Jack’ Lattin (1711-1731), was a member of the Roman Catholic Lattin family of the estate of Morristown Lattin in County Kildare. Older accounts agree that Lattin wagered that he could dance from Morristown to Castle Browne, a distance of 8 miles. However, a day or two after completing his challenge, Lattin subsequently passed away.

Provenance

Jack Lattin (Sample)

A harrowing tale originally printed as a broadside ballad named ‘The Cruel Gamekeeper’. This along with others of a similar ilk was greatly successful leading to frequent reprints.

The song is known under various titles, names and locations, mostly in or close to Staffordshire. The particular version I used was collected by Cecil Sharp in 15th August 1906, from James Lockyer in Middlezoy, Somerset; titled ‘In Oxford Town’.

Oxford Murder (Sample)

From around 1700 to 1850 west gallery music was performed in English parish churches and nonconformist chapels. Early performances were a cappella, but in following years churches would pay for instruments, replacement strings and repairs, for local villagers to play. 

Many members of west gallery bands would also play jigs and reels in local pubs, sometimes on a Saturday night, making them unpopular with clergy the following morning.

One such example in Staffordshire is St. Lawrence’s Church in Ruston Spencer, nicknamed the ‘Chapel in the Wilderness’ due to its isolation, which owned, amongst others, a bass viol/’cello, bassoon, hautboy/oboe and a fiddle. 

A polska formulated from the tenor part of Uriah Davenport's setting of psalm 119. Davenport (circa 1690-1784) was a composer of psalmody, known for his book ‘The Psalm-Singer's Pocket Companion’, printed and published in London in 1758.

Chapel in the Wilderness(Samples)

The jig featured in this sample is 'The Flaxley Green Dance', which I found thanks to the EFDSS’s Full English Archive. It was sent to composer and collector Ralph Vaughan Williams in July 1911 by Richard Buckley, a self-taught organist, who reportedly heard it as a child from, fiddler, William (or Henry) Robinson, a wheelwright of Abbots Bromley. This is the same Buckley whom in June 1911 sent the old ‘Abbots Bromley Horn Dance’ tune to Cecil Sharp.

Mooted Jigs (Samples)

A composition I wrote whilst studying at Sibelius Academy, dedicated to my flatmate. The idea to incorporate compound rhythms within slip jigs came from a discussion with my friend, Danish accordionist Troels Strange Lorenzen, although the triplet polska feel has of course sneaked in.

Compliments to Doruk (Sample)

Living Tradition - "Robbie Sherratt's debut album is a tour de force in all aspects. Already in his brief, professional career, he has packed in many high-profile credits, making him a name to watch out for in the future."
"Provenance is a serious work and a sheer delight"
folking.com - "Robbie Sherratt comes from North Staffordshire, as his repertoire readily testifies."
fRoots - "Any listener picking up this album in search of traditional-styled fiddle playing will have his/her expectations confounded – but in a thoroughly stimulating way."