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The Music of England has a long history. The United Kingdom, like most European countries, underwent a roots revival in the last half of the 20th century. English music has been an instrumental and leading part of this phenomenon, which peaked at the end of the 1960s and into the 1970s.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... A History of Western Music Seventh Edition by J. Peter Burkholder, Donald J. Grout, and Claude V. Palisca (affectioned called Grout) is one of several popular books used to teach Music History in North America. ... World map exhibiting the location of Europe. ... A roots revival (folk revival) is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. ...

History

Little survives of the early music of England, by which is meant the music that was used by the people before the establishment of musical notation in the medieval period. Some of what survives of folk music must have had its origins in this period, although the melodies played by morris dancers and other traditional groups can also be from a later period. Hand-written musical notation by J.S. Bach: beginning of the Prelude from the Suite for Lute in G minor BWV 995 (transcription of Cello Suite No. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and for the common people. ... A Morris dance is a form of folk dance. ...

Some of the earliest music to remain is either church music, or else is in the form of carols or ballads dating from the 16th century or earlier. Troubadours carried an international courtly style across western Europe. It was common in times before copyright for melodies to be interchangeable, and the same melodies will often have been used (with differing words) for secular and religious purposes. Melodies like that of the Sussex Carol or Greensleeves will have had a long history of eclectic use over the centuries. Christian music is music created by or adapted for the Christian church. ... A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with church worship, and often with a dance-like or popular character. ... A ballad is a story in song, usually a narrative song or poem. ... A troubadour composing lyrics, Germany c. ... Sussex Carol is a Christmas carol popular in Britain. ... My Lady Greensleeves as depicted in an 1864 painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. ...

During the 15th century, a vigorous tradition of polyphony developed in England, as exemplified in the music of composers such as Leonel Power, John Dunstable and Robert Fayrfax. The music of this school was famous on the continent, and occasionally rivaled the music of the contemporary Burgundian school in expressiveness and renown; indeed Dunstable is recognized as one of the strongest influences on the early development of the music of the Burgundians. Unfortunately, however, the vast majority of English music manuscripts from this period were destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries carried out by Henry VIII in the late 1530s; only a few isolated survivals remain, including the Old Hall Manuscript, the Eton Choirbook, the Winchester Troper, and a handful of scattered sources from the continent. Polyphony is a musical texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony). ... Leonel Power (1370 to 1385 – June 5, 1445) was an English composer of the late Medieval and early Renaissance eras. ... John Dunstable or Dunstaple (c. ... Robert Fayrfax (1464-1521) was an English composer for Henry VIII. He was born in Deeping Gate, Lincolnshire, on April 23, 1464. ... Composer Guillaume Dufay (left) and Gilles Binchois (right), Martin le Franc, Champion des Dames The Burgundian School is a term used to denote a group of composers active in the 15th century in what is now eastern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, centered on the court of the Dukes of... The Dissolution of the Monasteries, referred to by Roman Catholic writers as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the formal process during the English Reformation by which King Henry VIII confiscated the property of the monastic institutions in England between 1538 and 1541. ... Silver groat of Henry VIII, minted ca. ... The Old Hall Manuscript (sometimes Old Hall MS) (British Library, Add. ... The Eton Choirbook (Eton College MS. 178) (also known as the Eton Manuscript) is a richly illuminated 15th century manuscript collection of English sacred music. ... The oldest large collection of organum style pieces, consists of two 11th century English manuscripts used at Winchester Cathedral. ...

16th to 17th centuries

With the growth in wealth and leisure-time for the noble classes, tastes in music began to diverge sharply. While in the early part of the period it is possible for tavern songs like Pastime with Good Companie to be attributed (apocryphally) to King Henry VIII, by the middle 16th Century there were distinct styles of music enjoyed by the differing social classes. Renaissance influences made the acquisition of musical knowledge an almost essential attribute for the nobleman and woman, and ability to play an instrument became an almost mandatory social grace. Raphael was famous for depicting illustrious figures of the Classical past with the features of his Renaissance contemporaries. ...

The Renaissance influence also internationalized courtly music in terms of both instruments and content, the lute, dulcimer and early forms of the harpsichord were played, ballads and madrigals were sung. The pavane and galliard were danced. Henry Purcell became court composer to King Charles II and wrote incidental music to plays and events. The lute is a plucked string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back. ... A diatonic hammered dulcimer made by Masterworks The hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. ... Harpsichord in the Flemish style A harpsichord is any of a family of European keyboard instruments, including the large instrument currently called a harpsichord, but also the smaller virginals, the muselar virginals and the spinet. ... A madrigal is a setting for 3–6 voices of a secular text, often in Italian. ... The pavane is a processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century, whether named from an origin in Padua (padovano), from Sanskrit meaning wind, or from the stately sweep of a ladys train likened to a peacocks tail. ... The galliard (gaillarde, in French) was a form of Renaissance dance and music popular all over Europe in the 16th century. ... Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (IPA: [1]; September 10 (?) [2], 1659–November 21, 1695), a Baroque composer, is generally considered to be one of Englands greatest composers—indeed, he has often been called Englands finest native composer. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ...

For other classes instruments like pipe, tabor, bagpipe shawm, hurdygurdy and crumhorn accompanied folk music and community dance. The fiddle gradually grew in popularity. Differing regional styles of folk music developed, in geographically separated areas such as Northumbria, London and the West Country. Tabor, or tabret, refers to a portable snare drum. ... A bagpipe performer in Amsterdam. ... Woman playing a bass shawm, (Tobias Stimmer ca. ... Drawing of a hurdy gurdy A hurdy gurdy (alternately, hurdy-gurdy) is a stringed musical instrument. ... Various Crumhorns The crumhorn is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... The term fiddle refers to a violin when used in folk music. ...

English Madrigal School

Main article: English Madrigal School The brief but intense flowering of the musical madrigal in England, mostly from 1588 to 1627, along with the composers who produced them, is known as the English Madrigal School. ...

From about 1588 to 1627, a group of composers known as the English Madrigal School became well-known in England and abroad. These madrigalists composed light a cappella songs for three to six voices, based on Italian models. The School began when Nicholas Yonge published Musica transalpina in 1588, using poetic forms like the sonnet and inspired by the work of Alfonso Ferrabosco, an Italian composer in Elizabeth I's court. A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ... Nicholas Yonge (c. ... Francesco Petrarca or Petrarch, one of the best-known of the early Italian sonnet writers For the Saab automobile, see Saab Sonett, for the Japanese communications company see So-net. ... Alfonso Ferrabosco (Alfonso Ferrabosco (I); his son, Alfonso Ferrabosco (II) was also a composer) (baptized January 18, 1543 – August 12, 1588) was an Italian composer. ... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England, Queen of France (in name only), and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ...

18th century

As courtly music grew more elaborate and internationalised, with composers such as Handel and Mozart, writing operas, oratorios and symphonic works, an English musician called John Gay produced The Beggar's Opera, a revolutionary popular opera which used English folk forms. HANDEL was the code-name for the UKs National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) was one of the most significant and influential of all composers of Western classical music. ... John Gay John Gay (30 June 1685 - 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist. ... Painting based on The Beggars Opera, Scene V, William Hogarth, c. ...

19th century

With the Industrial Revolution came a parallel revolution in English popular music as people moved from stable agrarian communities into the growing industrial centres with the rise of the brass band in the North of England. Folk Music went through a rapid series of transformations as different regional idioms came together and reformed themselves into the first universally acceptable and commercial popular music. This change began first in the alehouses and later in what became known as the music hall. Music hall became the dominant form of English popular music for over a century from its birth in the 1850s. While folk music continued to enjoy popularity in the countryside, it was replaced for the majority by the new forms. Michael Balfe wrote opera, and Sir Arthur Sullivan wrote oratorios, orchestral works, a series of highly popular comic operas (with W. S. Gilbert), and numerous hymns and songs. At the end of the century, musical comedy and songs from musicals became popular, especially those of Lionel Monckton and Sidney Jones. A brass band a musical group consisting mostly or entirely of brass instruments, often with a percussion section. ... Music Hall is a form of British theatrical entertainment which reached its peak of popularity between 1850 and 1960. ... Michael William Balfe (May 15, 1808 - October 20, 1870), was an Irish composer, best known today for his opera The Bohemian Girl. ... Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (May 13, 1842–November 22, 1900) was a British composer best known for his operatic collaborations with librettist William S. Gilbert. ... Sir William Schwenck Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (November 18, 1836 – May 29, 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist and illustrator best known for the fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan. ... Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theater combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... Lionel Monckton (December 18, 1861 - September 15, 1924) was a British writer and composer of musical theatre. ... Sidney Jones was a composer most famous for producing the scores for several musical comedies in the last Victorian period. ...

20th century

First half

A statue of Sir Edward Elgar; a famed Romantic composer who wrote several English and British orcestral patriotic anthems.

Edward Elgar was a dominant classical composer of the early part of the century. English tastes also tended towards light classical composers such as Edward German, Albert Ketelbey and Eric Coates, whose music was spread by the new medium of Radio. Operetta and musical comedy were very popular forms in this period, and leading English composers included Monckton, Jones, Ivor Novello, Noel Coward, and Noel Gay. Download high resolution version (509x1354, 1563 KB)Statue of Edward Elgar in Worcester File links The following pages link to this file: Edward Elgar Categories: Images with unknown source ... Download high resolution version (509x1354, 1563 KB)Statue of Edward Elgar in Worcester File links The following pages link to this file: Edward Elgar Categories: Images with unknown source ... Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, Bt OM GCVO (June 2, 1857 – February 23, 1934) was a British composer, born in the small Worcestershire village of Broadheath to William Elgar, a piano tuner and music dealer, and his wife Ann. ... The era of Romantic music is defined as the period of European classical music that runs roughly from the early 1800s to the first decade of the 20th century, as well as music written according to the norms and styles of that period. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... Sir Edward Elgar Sir Edward Elgar, 1st Baronet, OM, GCVO (2 June 1857 â€“ 23 February 1934) was an English Romantic composer. ... Sir Edward German (17 February 1862 - 11 November 1936) was a musician and composer. ... Albert William Ket lbey (9 August 1875 - 26 November 1959) was a composer and musician from Aston, Birmingham, England, born to George Ketelbey [sic - no accent], an engraver, and Sarah Aston. ... Eric Coates (August 27, 1886 – December 21, 1957) was an English composer of light music and a viola player. ... Ivor Novello David Ivor Davies (January 15, 1893 – March 6, 1951), better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the early 20th century. ... Noel Coward Sir Noel Peirce Coward (December 16, 1899 – March 26, 1973) was an English actor, playwright, and composer of popular music. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

Radio also played a part in the increasing popularity of big band dance music, popularised by the orchestras of Geraldo, Ambrose, Henry Hall and Billy Cotton, and singers like Al Bowlly, and Jack Buchanan. A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from 1935 until the late 1940s. ... Geraldo is a personal name, which might refer to: Geraldo, a British bandleader Geraldo Rivera (b. ... Saint Ambrose, (Latin: Sanctus Ambrosius, Ambrosius episcopus Mediolanensis; Italian: SantAmbrogio) (c. ... Henry Hall can refer to:- Henry Hall (bandleader) (1898-1989), a British bandleader Henry Hall (Egyptologist) (1873-1930), a British Egyptologist Henry Hall (footballer), who played for St. ... William Edward Cotton (May 6, 1899 – March 25, 1969), better known as Billy Cotton, was a British band leader and entertainer, one of the few whose orchestra survived the dance band era. ... Albert Allick Al Bowlly (January 7, 1890/1899(?)–April 17, 1941) was a popular singer in the United Kingdom during the 1930s, making more than 1,000 recordings between 1927 and 1941. ... Jack Buchanan (April 2, 1891 - October 20, 1957) was a British actor and singer. ...

Popular singers in the music hall idiom included, Marie Lloyd, Vesta Tilley, George Formby, Flanagan and Allen and Gracie Fields. With the advent of World War II, the taste for a more reflective and romantic style of music was led by singers like Anne Shelton and Vera Lynn. Matilda Alice Victoria Wood (February 12, 1870 - October 7, 1922), was a British music-hall singer . ... Vesta Tilly (May 13, 1864 – September 16, 1952) was an English male impersonator. ... George Formby (May 26, 1904 – March 6, 1961) was an English singer and comedian who became a major star of both cinema and music hall. ... Flanagan and Allen were a popular Wartime singing and comedy double-act, comprosing Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen. ... Dame Gracie Fields, DBE (9 January 1898–27 September 1979), born Grace Stansfield, was an English singer and comedian who became one of the greatest stars of both cinema and music hall. ... Anne Shelton (November 10, 1923 - July 31, 1994) was a popular United Kingdom vocalist who is widely remembered for providing inspirational songs for soldiers both on radio broadcasts and in person at British military bases during World War II. Born Patricia Sibley in Dulwich, London, she had a No. ... Dame Vera Lynn, DBE (born March 20, 1917) is an English singer whose career flourished during World War II, when she was nicknamed The Forces Sweetheart. She is best known for the popular songs Well Meet Again, written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles, and The White Cliffs of...

The fifties

From the premiere of Peter Grimes in 1945 until his death in 1976, Benjamin Britten was recognised as the pre-eminent English composer of classical music and especially opera. Another towering figure in the classical world was Sir Michael Tippett. Peter Grimes is an opera by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto adapted by Montagu Slater from George Crabbes poem The Borough. ... Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH (November 22, 1913 Lowestoft, Suffolk - December 4, 1976 Aldeburgh, Suffolk) was a British composer, conductor, and pianist. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... Sir Michael Kemp Tippett, O.M. (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998) was one of the foremost English composers of the 20th century. ...

A significant factor in the early growth of folk clubs was Topic Records. A.L. Lloyd wrote many of the sleeve notes for the records for the next 20 years and sang on several of their albums. Ewan MacColl toured widely in England, and recorded many of the Child Ballads. Collets records in London was the best shop to find folk records and magazines. From the mid-fifties skiffle and Rock and Roll songs began to be home-produced by English performers. Folk clubs (as distinct from American folk-music nightclubs) were primarily an urban phenomenon of 1960s and 1970s Britain. ... Topic Records began as an offshoot of the UK Communist Party in 1939. ... A. L. Bert Lloyd (1908-1982) was a British folksinger and collector of folk songs, and as such was a key figure in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. ... Ewan MacColl (25 January 1915 - 22 October 1989) was an English folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer. ... The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child. ... Doghouse Skiffle Group Skiffle is a type of folk music with a jazz and blues influence, usually using homemade or improvised instruments such as the washboard, tea chest bass, kazoo, cigar-box fiddle, musical saw, comb and paper, and so forth, as well as more conventional instruments such as acoustic... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

The modern period

In the 60s and 70s, England was in a state of social upheaval as a counterculture developed, from which came an explosion of American blues-derived musical innovation as well as a revival of English folk music, inspired by pioneering artists like the Copper Family. There was mixing between the two groups, with bands like Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span pioneering a folk-rock fusion. Nic Jones, Davy Graham, Roy Harper, Ralph McTell, June Tabor, Shirley Collins, John Renbourn and John Kirkpatrick were among those who balanced innovation with tradition, and criticized the worst excesses of folk-rock. When Martin Carthy "plugged in" in 1971, the English traditional scene erupted in an uproar of criticism. Ashley Hutchings and Dave Pegg had been earlier innovators of the fusion, and Hutchings helped propel Fairport Convention into the star position of the English folk-rock scene, starting with the album "What We Did On Our Holidays". Arguably the most successful of the [folk-rock]genre is [Steeleye Span]a band fronted by [Maddy Prior]and which continues to perform some 36 years after forming. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Shahrukh is a bona vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of the blue notes and a repetitive pattern that typically follows a twelve-bar structure. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Steeleye Span are a British folk-rock band, formed in 1970 and who remain active in 2006. ... Folk rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. ... Nic Jones (full name Nicholas Paul Jones) was born in 1947 in the English town of Orpington, Kent. ... Davey Graham (originally Davy Graham, b. ... Roy Harper (born 12 June 1941), is an English singer-songwriter / guitarist who specialises in folk music. ... Ralph McTell (born Ralph May in Farnborough, England, 3 December 1944) is an English singer/songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk scene since the 1960s. ... June Tabor (born 1947) is an English folk singer. ... Shirley and Dolly Collinss 1974 album Love, Death and the Lady Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE (born 5 July 1935, Hastings, Sussex, England) was a significant contributor to the English folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s. ... John Renbourn is a British guitarist and songwriter. ... John Kirkpatrick is an English player of free reed instruments In London John Kirkpatrick was born in 1947 in Chiswick, West London. ... Martin Carthy (born May 21, 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring later artists such as Bob Dylan and Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days of the folk... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Ashley Hutchings (born January 26, 1945) is a folk musician. ... Dave Pegg was born on 2 November 1947 in Birmingham, England. ...

The seventies were probably the heydays for Folk Music Publications. The popularity of English folk declined in the later 1970s, however, losing ground to glam rock, disco, punk rock, heavy metal and lovers rock. In the mid-1980s a new rebirth began, this time fusing folk forms with energy and political aggression derived from punk rock. Leaders included The Men They Couldn't Hang, Oyster Band, Billy Bragg and The Pogues. Folk-dance music also became popular in the 80s, with the English Country Blues Band and Tiger Moth. Later in the decade, reggae influenced English country music due to the work of Edward II & the Red Hot Polkas, especially on their seminal Let's Polkasteady from 1987. In the 21st century, Oxford produced a young duo Spiers and Boden. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Glam rock (also known as glitter rock), was a style of rock and roll music popularised in the early 1970s. ... Discothèque redirects here. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that emerged as a defined musical style in the 1970s, having its roots in hard rock bands which, between 1969 and 1974,[1] took the rock music basis to create some aesthetic with a thick, heavy, guitar-and-drums-centered sound, characterised... For the Sade album, see Lovers Rock. ... The Men They Couldnt Hang (TMTCH) are a British rock band whose mixture of folk and punk is not dissimilar to that of The Pogues (in fact founder member Shanne Bradley was a member of Shane MacGowans first band The Nipple Erectors), although they have not enjoyed the... Oysterband (originally Oyster Band) is a British folk-rock band formed in Canterbury in around 1976. ... Stephen William Bragg (born December 20, 1957), known as Billy Bragg, is an English musician renowned for his blend of folk, punk-rock, and protest music, and his poetic lyrics dealing with political as well as romantic themes. ... The Pogues are a popular Irish-influenced band based in England. ... Dance music is a style of popular music commonly played in dance music nightclubs, radio stations and shows and raves. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Edward II (aka Edward II and the Red Hot Polkas) is a UK band which plays a fusion of reggae and folk music, to a very danceable effect. ... John Spiers and Jon Boden are an English folk duo. ...

Notable English bands of the 60s and 70s include The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Clash and The Sex Pistols. Rolling Stones redirects here. ... The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. ... For the bands 1969 self-titled debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Queen are a seminal English rock band, formed in 1970 in London by Brian May, Roger Taylor, and Freddie Mercury from the remains of Smile, with John Deacon completing the lineup the following year. ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for its psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... The Who are an English rock band who first came to prominence in the 1960s and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] rock bands of all time, in addition to being possibly the greatest live band ever. ... The Clash were an English punk rock band who were active from 1976 to 1986. ... The Sex Pistols in 1977. ...

Regional

Morris dancing

Morris dancing is an ancient form of music and dance, performed by men in distinctive clothing. Women have only recently been involved in morris dancing, which is done in teams. The practice is complex, and regulated by Morris Ring, the unofficial governing body of morris dancing. A Morris dance is a form of folk dance. ... For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ... Categories: ...

Broadside ballads

Broadside ballads were a form of popular music from the 16th century to the early 20th century England. They were purchased on streetcorners for a small amount and performed at home and at fairs and other gatherings. Printed lyrics of folk songs were extremely popular from the 16th century until the early 20th century. ... Popular music is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more of the mass media. ...

Sussex

Sussex's traditions are best known from mid-20th century performer Scan Tester and perhaps the biggest stars of the English revival's predecessors, the Copper Family. Shirley Collins is from Sussex and retains her local accent. Sussex is a traditional county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. ... Scan Tester (1887-1972) was an English musician from Chelwood Gate, Sussex. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Shirley and Dolly Collinss 1974 album Love, Death and the Lady Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE (born 5 July 1935, Hastings, Sussex, England) was a significant contributor to the English folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s. ...

Yorkshire

Yorkshire's Waterson family, especially Norma Waterson, are a long-running institution that incorporates influences from the area. Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Watersons was an English folk group from Hull in Yorkshire. ... Norma Waterson is a British musician, best-known as one of the original members of The Watersons, a premier British traditional group. ...

East Anglia

Though East Anglian folk has not played a major part in the British roots revival, two major singers have emerged from the area to help inspire it: Sam Larner and Harry Cox. More modern performers include Peter Bellamy's mid-1970s revival of Norfolk's folk traditions, especially pioneer Walter Pardon. Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... Harry Fred Cox (27 March 1885 - 6 May 1971), was a Norfolk farmworker and one of the most important singers of traditional English music of the twentieth century, on account of his large repertoire and fine singing style. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Norfolk (pronounced IPA: ) is a low-lying county in East Anglia in the east of southern England. ...

Northumbrian folk

Northumbria, at the northern edge of England, bordering on Scotland across the Tweed River has the most vital traditional music of England, with a strong scene and some mainstream success. Many of the most popular traditional songs of today were written by legendary composers like Tommy Armstrong in the late 19th century. In contrast to a lot of England, Northumbria retains a strong Scots influence in the music. Section from Shepherds map of the British Isles about 802 AD showing the kingdom of Northumbria Northumbria is primarily the name of a petty kingdom of Angles which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, from two smaller kingdoms of Bernicia and Diera, and... This article is about the Tweed River in Australia. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Northumbria is known for its long history of border ballads, such as "The Ballad of Chevy Chase" and dances, including social ones like the Elsdon Reel and others, like rapper dancing and Northumbrian clog dancing, more typically seen in concert halls. The English/Scottish border has a long and bloody history of conquest and reconquest, raid and counter-raid. ... At least two English ballads known as The Ballad of Chevy Chase exist, but the nature of ballads mean that many more versions of this once popular song may not have survived. ... Rapper sword is a kind of sword dance. ...

Pipes

Northumbrian folk is most characterised by the use of Northumbrian smallpipes as well as a strong Celtic influence, and sounds very similar to Scottish music for natural reasons of proximity. Northumbrian pipes are small and elbow-driven and the music is traditionally very swift and rhythmic. Another distinct form of Northumbrian pipe is called the "half-long" or "border" pipe. Perhaps the most important of the old masters of the pipes is Billy Pigg. Drawing on these pioneers, popularizers like Louis Killen, The High Level Ranters and Bob Davenport brought Northumbrian folk to international audiences, while Jack the Lad, Hedgehog Pie and Lindisfarne used regional sources for folk-rock fusions. A bagpipe performer in Amsterdam. ... Celtic music is a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic peoples of Western Europe. ... Billy Pigg (1902 - 1968) was an English player of Northumbrian bagpipes Northumbrian Pipers Society The Northumbrian Pipers Society was formed in 1928 in Newcastle Upon Tyne to promote both types of Northumbrian bagpipes - the smallpipes and the somewhat rarer half-longs. ... Lindisfarne were a popular British folk/rock group of the 1970s, fronted by singer/songwriter Alan Hull. ...

Northumbrian pipe music has seen a recent revival due to the touring of artists like Kathryn Tickell, and uses in songs by artists such as Sting. Kathryn Tickell (b 1967) is an English player of the Northumbrian smallpipes and fiddle. ... For professional wrestler Steve Borden, see Sting (wrestler). ...

West Country

The West Country, particularly Devon, has one of the most prominent musical traditions in England. The West Country style is most easily characterised by its penchant for wet-tuned accordions whereas in most parts of southern England the melodeon is the preferred instrument. The West Country has produced many famous traditional singers such as Amy Birch and Sophie Legg and musicians such as Bob Cann of Dartmoor and Charlie Bate from Cornwall. This is the music and dance which travelled to the New World and gave rise to the American Line Dances.

In the 1970s the West Country became noted for its Scrumpy and Western music, invented by bands such as the Wurzels and the Yetties. Much of it fusing comical folk-style songs with affectionate parodies of more mainstream musical genres, delivered in the local West Country dialects. The West Country is an informal term for the area of south-western England encompasing the counties of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, and Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. ... Scrumpy and Western refers humorously to music from Englands West Country that fuses comical folk-style songs, often full of double entendre, with affectionate parodies of more mainstream musical genres, all delivered in the local accent. ... Adge Cutler and The Wurzels, renamed The Wurzels after Cutlers death, are a British Scrumpy and Western band. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

Sea shanties

Sea shanties are a form of work song traditionally sung by sailors working on the rigging of ships. There are several types, divided based on the type of work they set the rhythmic base for. For example: Sea shanties (singular shanty, also spelled chantey; derived from the French word chanter, to sing) were shipboard working songs. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

• short haul shanties: for quicks pulls over a short time
• capstan shanties: for repetitive, longer tasks that require a sustained rhythm
• halyard shanties: for heavier work that require more time between pulls to set up

See also

• English cadence

In conventional Western music theory, the English cadence is a musical device consisting of a distinctive form of approach to the authentic or perfect cadence. ...

References

• Irwin, Colin. "England's Changing Roots". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 64-82. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
• Mathieson, Kenny. "Wales, Isle of Man and England". 2001. In Mathieson, Kenny (Ed.), Celtic music, pp. 88-95. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-623-8