Morpeth Rant

Morpeth Rant is a Northumbrian country dances that was collected (first written into books of dance music?) by Maud Karpeles, a close associate of both Cecil Sharp and Douglas Kennedy. It is danced with vigorous polka stepping. The tunes for Morpeth Rant are: Morpeth Rant, North Road, Willie Brewed a Peck of Malt, and the A.1. Hornpipe.

Duration: 3 min. 11 sec.

The recording here is by Jack Armstrong and his Northumbrian Barnstormers and is part of the Society’s

Kenneth C. Savory Collection.

Morpeth Rant:  Robertson Athole Coll. (1884) 300 (Bf); Matthew SCD Music (1954), 26 (from the Wighton coll.); Köhler Violin Rep. 48 (G).

North Road:  [NB: not the same as Willie Hunter’s “Da Nort Rodd” in Anderson & Georgeson Da Mirrie Dancers, 31.] [mf/ s ms f rf/ m d dt, dm/ r t, t,le, t,d/ rd d etc.] This is called in some sources The Girl with the Blue Dress On [U.S. title?]

Willie Brewed a Peck of Malt:  Tune is the modern set of that of Burns’ convivial song of 1789: originally in SMM III (1790), 301 (# 291) (+ m.). 4×4 lines + cho. to the Masterton tune, which has been excessively changed in later years. [This version in Manson (1853), I.161.] G. F. Graham Wood’s Songs of Scotland (1850), II.80 (+ m.); and many other collections.

A.1. Hornpipe:  The title probably has a double meaning: A1, of course, means ‘first class’ but it was also the name of a major, north-south highway in England, before motorways were built and ‘M’ numbers were introduced to designate them—M1, etc. Otherwise we have no information on the tune itself.]