: The manuscript was hand-written by William Vickers between 1770 and 1772 . While little is known about Vickers himself, the collection is believed to have been compiled in or near Newcastle upon Tyne .
Here is the economic reality. For the last fifty years, if you wanted to play from the Vickers manuscript, you had two expensive options: : The manuscript was hand-written by William Vickers
: It includes jigs, reels, rants, common-time hornpipes, and triple-time hornpipes . For the last fifty years, if you wanted
, formally known as the William Vickers Collection of Dance Tunes AD 1770 , is one of the most significant English fiddle manuscripts in existence . Compiled between 1770 and 1772, likely in Newcastle upon Tyne, this vast collection provides a rare window into the repertoire of an 18th-century musician. Northumberland is famous for its variations of the hornpipe
Northumberland is famous for its variations of the hornpipe. The Vickers collection contains early variants of tunes that later became staples of the traditional repertoire, allowing researchers to trace how melodies evolved over centuries. 3. Cross-Border Musical Exchange
Do not let this frustrate you. Consider it a puzzle. Many modern free transcriptions (available on thesession.org) have solved these riddles for you. Always cross-reference the free typeset version with the original manuscript scan to catch transcription errors.
The history of English traditional music is a tapestry woven from regional identities. Few threads are as vibrant or historically significant as The Great Northern Tunebook , universally known to folk musicians and historians as the William Vickers collection. Compiled in the year 1770, this remarkable manuscript offers an unprecedented window into the musical landscape of Northeast England during the late 18th century.
