Johnny Cope (Dronefest)

Tootler · May 06, 2014, 08:38:56 AM

Johnny Cope was originally a song. It was written in celebration of the Jacobite victory at the battle of Prestonpans (near Dunbar) in 1745 and mocks the Government General, Sir John Cope alleging that he ran away so fast he brought the news of his own defeat to Newcastle (Not true but makes a good story

)

The tune was taken up by fiddlers in Southern Scotland and Northumberland and they wrote variations on the tune which were written down in manuscripts which circulated on both sides of the border and several of which survive. My version is taken from a mid 19th century manuscript which I found on a website comprising a collection of traditional Northumbrian music. I added two variations of my own to give the version I have recorded here. The tune and variations also found their way to Ireland where it is played in a more dotted style as a hornpipe rather than in straight quavers as I do here.

The tune is ideal for playing over a drone accompaniment and I play it on Tenor Recorder with the drone on a Shruti Box which is a "stripped down" form of Indian Harmonium (It has no keyboard and only plays a drone).

Johnny Cope (Traditional)

Performed by Geoff Walker on Tenor Recorder & Shruti Box drone
Recorded on Tascam DP-006, Mixed in Audacity

Greeny · May 06, 2014, 09:32:28 AM

I'm really interested in traditional British folk music, and I really like this. The combination of drone and recorder is beautiful. Seriously impressive recorder skills! You should add the vocal too :-)