The Morpeth Rant

reel

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on January 8th 2003 by sven.

This tune has been added to 144 tunebooks.

Also known as Abram Wood's Hornpipe, Morpeth Rant, Morpeth's Hornpipe, Ivy Leaf Hornpipe, Jim Clark's Hornpipe, Clark's Hornpipe And The New Sailor's Hornpipe, Morpeth’s Rant, Pibddawns Abram Wood, Pibddawns Morfudd.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A North Country Barn Dance by The Morpeth Ranters
• Dwndwr - The Great Noise by Crasdant
• Ellen Valley Band by Ellen Valley Band
• English Fiddle Tunes by Pete Cooper
• Hardcore English: 50 Tunes From Manuscript, Recorded And Aural Sources by Various Artists
• Harthope Burn by Joe Hutton, Willy Taylor & Will Atkinson
• No Distance / Gan Achar by Steven Hawson
• Northumberland Collection by Kathryn Tickell Band
• Proper Job: Melodeon Playing From Dartmoor by Bob Cann
• Ranting And Reeling: Dance Music Of The North Of England by Various Artists
• The Miller's Jig by Magnetic North
• The Road Out Of Town by The Itinerant Band
• The Wild Hills O'Wannie: The Small Pipes Of Northumbria by Various Artists
• Traditional Tunes by Alistair Anderson
• Upstream by The Bismarks

X: 1
T: Morpeth Rant, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|:A|d2AG FDFA|BGBd cAce|d2f2 gfed|c2e2 e2Ac|
d2AG FDFA|BGBd cAce|d2f2 gfec|A2d2 d3:|
|:A|dfaf dfaf|gfef g2ef|gfed cABc|defg f2A2|
dfaf dfaf|gfef g2ef|gfed cABc|d2f2 d3:|

Here is a Welsh version in G ("The Morpheth Rant") of this old tune. Note that the Welsh version is played as a hornpipe, but the distinction between hornpipes and reels is sometimes vague.
K:G
DF|G2DC B,G,B,D|ECEG FDFA|BGcA dBAG|FGAB cBAG|
G2DC B,G,B,D|ECEG FDFA|BGcA BGAF|G2G2 G2:|
|:df|gdBG FAce|dBAG GFED|cAcA BGBG|F2D2 D2GF|
ECEG cBAG|FDFA dcBA|dgfg ecAc|B2G2 G2:||

trevor

# Posted on January 8th 2003 by Trevor Jennings

The Morpeth Rant

This is a truly great tune and originated in Northumberland sometime before 1800. It is not a reel, but a rant.The rant is the National Dance of Northumbria and has specific footwork. There is actually a longways dance called the Morpeth Rant, though we believe that there were originally a whole collection of dances referered to by this name. Certainly if you go through the manuscripts, you find several versions of the tune. Matt Seattle has produced a book (called the Morpeth Rant) where he looks at the various source versions of the tune. Up here, players distinguish between versions of the tune as listed (Morpeth Rant or New Morpeth Rant) and the version which owes much to the fiddling of New Pearson (Old Morpeth Rant). Kathryn Tickle plays both but perhaps too fast for dancing.

The definitive version, for me, is on a recording by Alastair Anderson, Willy Atkinson and others called Good Old Boys and made at Whitby Festival. It is slower than a reel and less dotted than a hornpipe but swings nicely and goes like a train. I would strongly advise players to try and listen to Northumbrian players ranting before getting too fixed in the way they play it.
Noel Jackson
Angels of the North

# Posted on January 13th 2003 by noelbats

Here is a setting from Willy Taylor, Joe Hutton and Willy Atkinson.
K: D
|:(3ABc|d2AG FDFA|BGBd cAce|dfaf gfed|cdec Agfe|
d2AG FDFA|BGBd cAce|dfaf gfec|A2d2 d2:|
|:A2|dfaf dfaf|gfga g2g2|gfed cdeg|fefg f2f2|
dfaf dfaf|gfga g2g2|gfed ceag|f2d2 d2:|

# Posted on March 29th 2004 by Dr. Dow

Here is a setting of the "Old Morpeth Rant" that Noel mentioned:
K: G
|:DF|G2DB, G,B,DB,|G,CEC G,B,DG|B2AB cBAG|F2A2 AcBA|
G2DB, G,B,DB,|G,CEC G,B,DG|B2AB cBAG|D2G2 G2:|
|:Bd|gfed B2GB|cBAG F2D2|E2CE cBAG|F2D2 D2GF|
E2CE cBAG|F2DF dcBA|Ggfg ecAF|A2G2 G2:|

# Posted on April 5th 2004 by Dr. Dow

For more settings of the Old Morpeth Rant, go here http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/7198.

# Posted on May 14th 2007 by Dr. Dow

From folknortheast.com (a Northumbrian folk music site)

The tune Morpeth Rant is well known and has many other names, including Morpeth's Hornpipe, Ivy Leaf Hornpipe, Jim Clark's Hornpipe, Clark's Hornpipe and The New Sailor's Hornpipe. This English tune is also well known in the Scottish, Irish and New England repertoires. The melody was composed by William Shield, a Northumbrian musician of the 18th century (the town of Morpeth has long been an important market town in Northumberland). The dance associated with this tune, which shares the same name, has been performed for over almost two centuries. One version is also used as a morris dance tune. The title appears in Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes ("The Northern Minstrel's Budget"), which he published c. 1800. Older versions of the tune are generally in B Flat, sometimes G, and have a wider range in the 'B' part than the version usually played nowadays.

# Posted on June 12th 2011 by plagueship