"The Great Northern Tune Book: William Vickers’ Collection of Dance Tunes, 1770"
Edited by Dr. Matt Seattle (published by Northumbrian Pipers’ Society, 2008/2019).
It contains:
To give you a taste of the gold within the Great Northern Tunebook, here are six standout tunes that are impossible to find elsewhere in such raw form:
The user query specifically requests information on free access. As a manuscript created in 1770, the work is in the public domain. It is not under copyright restriction.
Why do dancers obsess over this book? Because Vickers was meticulous about labeling.
For each tune, he often wrote the specific type of dance it accompanied. You will find entries marked "Allemande," "Minuet," "Jig," or "Rant." This makes the Vickers collection of dance tunes an essential primary source for:
Unlike the famously prim Playford’s Dancing Master (which was published for the urban middle class), Vickers' book includes "rough" tunes—drunken wedding marches, shepherd’s calls, and modal melodies that sit uncomfortably in major or minor keys. These are the sounds of the tavern, not the ballroom.
The manuscript is a vast repository of 18th-century popular music. Its contents can be categorized into three main areas: "The Great Northern Tune Book: William Vickers’ Collection
The Great Northern Tunebook: William Vickers' Collection of Dance Tunes, c.1770 is a treasure of 18th-century dance music. Thanks to the open-access decision by Matt Seattle and the Northumbrian Pipers’ Society, a fully edited, scholarly version is freely available to all. This resource is invaluable for folk musicians, dancers, ethnomusicologists, and anyone interested in historical popular music of the British Isles.
End of Report
It was a brisk winter evening in 1770, and the snowflakes gently fell onto the bustling streets of Newcastle upon Tyne. Inside a cozy tavern, a young musician named William Vickers sat by the fire, his fingers deftly dancing across the strings of his fiddle. He was a collector of tunes, and his passion was to gather the most lively and enchanting dance melodies from the North of England.
As he played, the patrons of the tavern couldn't help but tap their feet to the rhythm. William's music was a reflection of the region's rich cultural heritage, with influences from Scottish, English, and Irish folk traditions. He had spent years traveling throughout the countryside, attending ceilidhs and dance gatherings, and jotting down the tunes that caught his ear.
William's collection, known as "The Great Northern Tunebook," was growing to be one of the most extensive and impressive repositories of dance tunes in the land. He carefully transcribed each tune by hand, often adding his own notes and annotations about the melody, its origins, and the type of dance it was intended for.
As the night wore on, a group of traveling musicians arrived at the tavern, seeking refuge from the cold. They were a lively bunch, and soon they were swapping stories and tunes with William. One of them, a grizzled old fiddler from the Scottish Highlands, began to play a lively reel. William's eyes lit up, and he quickly scribbled down the melody in his notebook.
The old fiddler noticed William's interest and smiled. "Ah, ye'll be the one collectin' the tunes o' the North, laddie?" he said. William nodded eagerly, and the old fiddler began to share tales of his own musical journeys. As they talked, William learned that the reel was known as "The Glasgow Highlanders," and it had been composed by a Scottish musician who had served in the British army. It contains:
Inspired by the encounter, William spent the rest of the night playing and transcribing tunes with his new friends. As the evening drew to a close, he packed up his fiddle and notebook, feeling grateful for the chance to add to his collection.
Years would pass, and William's "Great Northern Tunebook" would become a legendary resource for musicians and dancers throughout the region. And though the original manuscript would eventually be lost to time, its contents would live on, influencing generations of musicians to come.
But on that cold winter's night in 1770, William Vickers knew that he was onto something special. He had a vision of preserving the musical traditions of the North, and sharing them with the world. And as he drifted off to sleep, his mind was already racing with plans for his next musical adventure.
The William Vickers manuscript , popularly known as The Great Northern Tune Book
, is a significant 18th-century collection of approximately 580 dance tunes from North East England. Compiled around 1770, it serves as a primary source for traditional Northumbrian pipe and fiddle music. Accessing the Collection
While the original physical manuscript is held by the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne and is not open for public viewing, several digital and modern options exist:
Free Digital Scans: Digital images of the original manuscript can be viewed online via the Folk Archive Resource North East (FARNE). To find it, "search by person" and select "Vickers, William". To give you a taste of the gold
Modern Published Edition: Edited by Matt Seattle, the most comprehensive version is published jointly by the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) and the Northumbrian Pipers' Society (NPS). Transcriptions & ABC Notation:
Many individual tunes are available for free in ABC notation on sites like the Traditional Tune Archive and The Session.
The Village Music Project also provides digital transcriptions of historic manuscripts, including the Vickers collection. Key Features of the Tunebook
Repertoire: It contains a diverse mix of jigs, reels, rants, and hornpipes (both common and triple time).
Cultural Significance: The collection includes early versions of famous tunes such as "The Keel Row", "Bobby Shaftoe", and "Green Sleeves" (titled "The Basket of Oysters" in the manuscript).
History: It belonged to pipemaker John Baty in the 19th century before being donated to the Society of Antiquaries. WTB Wm Vickers Great Northern Tunebook - The Session
Because Vickers’ handwriting can be difficult to decipher, several enthusiasts and scholars have created modern typeset versions (often in ABC notation or PDF format) which are freely circulated within the folk music community. These are superior for musicians who wish to play the tunes rather than study the penmanship.