Forty pieces of original music
by Shirrefs, Andrew
Full title: Forty pieces of original music, most humbly inscribed to the Right Honorable David Earl of Buchan by His Lordship's most obedt. & very humble sert. the composer Anw. Shirrefs.
Publisher: Aberdeen: Andrew Shirrefs
Printer: Aberdeen: Printed for ... the composer; engraved by Johnson of Edinburgh
Date: [1787-88]
Description:
No instruments are mentioned on the titlepage, but GB-Gu catalogue notes, 'For pianoforte or flute and pianoforte or voice and pianoforte.'
Notes:
The first tune, 'The Fraser's Quick Step' includes irrational rhythms (most probably with typos), and 'The Marquis of Huntly's March' has a quite inept 2nd violin part.
The tunes seem rather dull, and the basslines are mostly four-beat with either repeated notes or alternating 3rds, occasionally making little harmonic sense or with obvious mistakes.
'The mounting of the Air Balloon' jig presumably commemorates James Tytler's first air ballon flight in Edinburgh in 1784.
There are a few curiosities: 'Drumnagour', marked Pianissimo, doesn't always add up rhythmically, 'Shivas House' has another inept second violin part, and there are three songs at the end of the book, also available separately for 6d.each.
RISM: S3358
Gore: S5
Link: British Library
Biographical info: Shirrefs was born in Aberdeen c.1750, and died London 1807. He gained a Masters degree from Aberdeen. He was first a stationer in Aberdeen, going on to edit music, and was also co-editor of the Aberdeen Chronicle (inception advertised 1787), and published the Caledonian Magazine, or Aberdeen Repository, semi-annual, 1788-1790. By then he had moved to Edinburgh and described himself as a printer. He composed songs, poems, and a pastoral ballad opera, Jamie and Bess, which his friend Robert Mackintosh conducted in Edinburgh. Shirrefs moved to London in 1798. (Walker; Grove; Baptie)
- GB-A
- Aberdeen University Library
- GB-Bu
- Birmingham University Library
- GB-Cu
- Cambridge University Library
- GB-DRu
- University Library, Durham
- GB-DUcl
- Dundee Central Library (Wighton Collection)
- GB-En
- National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
- GB-Ep
- Edinburgh City Library
- GB-Eu
- Edinburgh University Library
- GB-Gm
- Mitchell Library, Glasgow
- GB-Grc
- Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow
- GB-Gu
- University of Glasgow Library
- GB-Lam
- Royal Academy of Music, London
- GB-Lbl
- British Library, London
- GB-Lcm
- Royal College of Music, London
- GB-Lcs
- Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Cecil Sharp House, London
- GB-Mp
- Manchester Public Library
- GB-Mr
- Manchester University Library
- GB-NTu
- Newcastle University Library
- GB-Ob
- Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
- GB-P
- A K Bell Library, Perth
- GB-SA
- Saint Andrews University Library
- GB-SHE
- Sheffield University Library
- IRL-Dn
- National Library of Ireland, Dublin
- IRL-Dtc
- Trinity College Dublin
GB-Gu Ca12-x.12
GB-En Mus.E.l.67 (lacking pp.2-3)
GB-Lbl g.149.(9.)
GB-Ob F.142
GB-P Be39
Digitised items
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