Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
Description
Books and plays on this site by Playford:
If you would like to update and look after the description for this topic, email phil [at] gyford [dot] com
Wikipedia
John Playford (1623–1686/7) was a London bookseller, publisher, and member of the Stationers' Company, who published books on music theory, instruction books for several instruments, and psalters with tunes for singing in churches. He is perhaps best known today for his publication of The English Dancing Master in 1651.
Playford was born in Norwich. He served an apprenticeship with a publisher (John Benson) from 1639/40 to 1647, after which he opened a shop in the porch of Temple Church. A bookseller, publisher, and member of the Stationers' Company, Playford published books on music theory, instruction books for several instruments, and psalters with tunes for singing in churches. He is perhaps best known today for his publication of The English Dancing Master in 1651 (later editions were known as 'The Dancing Master'). The work contains both the music and instructions for English country dances. This came about after Playford was working as a (Civil) war correspondent and was captured by Cromwell's men and told that, if he valued his freedom (as a sympathiser with the King), he might consider a change of career. Although many of the tunes in the book are attributed to him today, he probably did not write any of them. Most were popular melodies that had existed for years. John Playford published several other collections of music, including:
- A Musicall Banquet (1651)
- Catch that Catch Can (1652)
- A Booke of New Lessons for Cithern (1652, revised 1666 as Musick's Delight on the Cithren)
- Musick's Recreation on the Lyra Viol (1652)
- A Breefe Introduction to the Skill of Musick (1654)
- Court Ayres (1655)
- Choice Musick to the Psalmes of David (1656)
- The Whole Book of Psalms (1661)
- The Musical Companion (1667) - songs and catches
- Apollo's Banquet for the Treble Violin (1669)
- Psalms and Hymns (1671) - psalm tunes in four parts
- Musick's Handmaid (1678) - songs for the harpsichord
- The Division Violin (1685) - a set of 26 tunes which start simply and build complex variations ("divisions") on the original melody. While many of the pieces were accessible to amateurs, several featured advanced techniques (for the time) like scordatura, fingered double stops, and large interval leaps across the strings.
Playford retired in 1684 and was succeeded in his publishing business by his son, Henry Playford. He died in London in late 1686 or early 1687.
[edit] References
- Randel, Don Michael, The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music (1996), Belknap Press. ISBN 0-674-37299-9.
- Temperley, Nicholas, "John Playford and the Metrical Psalms", Journal of the American Musicological Society 25 (1972): 331–78.
- Temperley, Nicholas, "John Playford and the Stationers' Company", Music and Letters 54 (1973): 203–12.
- Thompson, Robert, "Manuscript music in Purcell's London", Early Music 1995 XXIII(4):605-620; doi:10.1093/earlyj/XXIII.4.605
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Free scores by John Playford in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)
Annotations
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John Playford (1623-1686) was not only London’s foremost music publisher during the 17th century but also a prominent royalist.
This is a brief biography: http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/lod/vol3/playford_bib.html
This is a link to an on-line exhibition at the British Library marking the 350th anniversary in 2001 of the publication of Playford’s The English Dancing Master - the first printed collection of English country dances :
http://www.bl.uk/collections/playford.htmlOn his death the leading musician of his time, Henry Purcell, composed an elegy for him to a text by Nahum Tate:
http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/t/tate/z464.html -
Another bookseller, Joshua Kirton
http://www.pepysdiary.com/p/1539.php
At St. Paul’s Churchyard.
— L&M Companion volume
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A list of other booksellers:
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I was browsing the stacks at the Hogarth University music library the other day and I found a very interesting book of songs by Schubert’s brother Dietrich. I knew that he was a florist, but had no idea that he was also a composer! I walked to the circulation desk to take the book out when I noticed a puddle on the floor, and a leak in the ceiling. Could it have been a coincidence? The salt marshes are filled with a variety of creatures, but none is as variegated as that one over there!
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Roger’s link to The Dancing Master is now…
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The Dancing Master and Dance information see (SOME SPOILERS)…
http://www.cam.ac.uk/societies/round/dances/cdb/cdb2/cdb2_intro.htm
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from L&M Companion
Playford, John, the elder (1623-?86). The most productive music publisher of his day in England. His shop was in the Inner Temple. His “English Dancing Master” (1650) and his collections of songs and catches stayed in print for many years. His son Henry inherited his business. -
John Playford and The English Dancing Master - Introduction
http://www.bl.uk/collections/music/playford.htmlcomplete text on line in cludes the square dance
The Fryar and the Nun Longways for as many as will * * * * * * * ) ) ) ) ) ) )
_______________________________________________________________________________ Leade up men a D. turne round, We. goe up a D. and turn single: Wo. goe downe a D. and turne single, men down and turne S. _.:_ ________________________________________ the two uppermost men fall back and turne S. We. as much, changing over with your owne , men change, We. change at the same time, then each change places with his owne _._ Doe thus to all, the rest following _:_ ________________________________________ First and 2. man change places by both hands, We. as much, men ad We. meet side wayes, turn all the S. hand and goe halfe round, turne S. hands a crosse and goe half round, turne S. _:_
Up Tailes all Round for as many as willhttp://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~flip/contrib/dance/playford.html
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Illustration of a Playford Autograph Mss.
http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=2044