Research and Articles

Hooch: Cornish Dance Tunes for Brass and Reeds

Introduction

In 2002 a Cornish tune book appeared on the market, featuring 68 favourite Cornish Celtic session and dance tunes, compiled by mandolin and bouzouki player Neil Davey. The book was long-awaited as musicians throughout Cornwall and beyond had been anxious for the opportunity to learn the tunes, particularly as the new book came complete with 2 CDs so that the music could be learned by ear. The Cornish music revival of the last 30 years has seen very few resource materials actually published and the eagerly-anticipated Fooch! has been variously described as "A revolution", "Bordering on genius!" and "Great value!"

Hooch Book and CD

The vision for Hooch, compiled by Cumpas (Cornish Music and Dance Projects) is very much that it can be used as a companion to the original Fooch which contained music written in concert pitch only.
Hooch for Brass and Reeds solves the problem faced by transposing instrumentalists when faced with a lack of written music in their own clefs. The current Cornish music scene is seeing the development of the repertoire on Brass and Reed instruments, tapping into the brass band tradition as well as the Celtic music scene. There is therefore an emerging need for the repertoire to be written down in a more accessible form for brass and reed players.

The 12 tunes

The twelve tunes represent only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the material which could have been included in the book. They were carefully selected, with several criteria in mind. Firstly, they had to be accessible to B flat and E flat musicians and, in many cases, singers; keys used were in line with those used in Fooch! Most of the tunes therefore are short, repetitive and simple to learn. A variety of tunes was also a priority; in each set, used for each of the three festivals, a balance was sought between different rhythms and flavours, so that the resulting arrangements would work well visually when accompanied by dancers. Also, in some cases, tunes from specific areas or towns were used in the appropriate settings, reflecting the strong sense of place inherent in the work of Cumpas as a whole. All the parts draw on initial ideas from the musicians taking part in creating the music. The pieces therefore have different flavours and show contrasting harmonic complexities, with the simplest arrangement to be found at the beginning of the book. Finally, it has to be said that, no matter how often we have heard these tunes throughout the project, whether on beginners' fiddles in a classroom, or echoing throughout the Eden Project on a hot summer's day as the Horners played encircled by dancers . . . wherever and however we have heard these tunes they remain among our favourites and we enjoy them all. If the music is not fun to play then we wouldn't want to be playing it ourselves, much less passing it on to others.

Using the book and CD

We hope that this will be the book for you if you are looking to play this music on E flat or B flat instruments. For schools the idea is that the busy teacher, looking for music that will serve a variety of purposes throughout the school calendar and with all levels of ability catered for, will breathe a sigh of relief that here are tried and tested materials, devised by working musicians to sound effective with minimum rehearsal. There is a pull-out for E flat instruments and the bass line is also in concert pitch for trombone players. The model used was designed to encourage learning by ear, or by heart, giving players valuable experience into a wide variety of ensemble playing. We were inspired by the way a group of singers might get together in the community, and informally sing together, more experienced voices leading the way and others picking up the tunes or harmonising, blurring the boundaries between audience and participant. If this music is new to you then this book will serve as an introduction to this up and coming genre of world music that is particular to Cornwall, but can be incorporated as source material and developed for all sorts of exciting collaborations with other styles. For brass and wind bands this selection gives a choice of material in addition to the few ever-present standard Cornish pieces. The tunes here would suit many occasions, particularly events in the Cornish cultural calendar. The CD includes the ensemble of the parts, recorded live at the festivals, and also individual lines for easy learning. It gives the flavour of the kind of performance we have in mind, being highly atmospheric rather than polished!

Cornish Music's Creative Crossroads

"In Cornwall we have found reference to the following instruments . . . in order of frequency of occurrence in the records . . . bass viol (cello), violin, flute, clarinet, bassoon, oboe, serpent, ophicleide, double-bass, cornet, bass-horn, fife, trombone and keyed bugle." Harry Woodhouse "Face the Music; Church and Chapel Bands in Cornwall," 1997

All over the world, brass and reed instruments have been used for military bands, often supplied with expensive instruments invested in for the pride of the country concerned. However it is fascinating to note that these instruments sometimes get picked up at a later date and used for creating a different style of music in the endlessly inventive way that seems characteristic of the way music evolves through the ages. For example, local musician Ian Marshall has a theory that the emergence of jazz has a connection with the preponderance of brass instruments left around at the end of the American civil war. So, in keeping with the Cornish tradition of fooch (to improvise, in the Cornish language), we hope that copies of this book will fuel reinvention wherever they end up. In the last century instruments left over from the church and chapel bands, hidden in peoples' spare rooms and attics, emerged to be played in orchestral ensembles throughout Cornwall. In the end they probably made their way back into some churches, played in concerts and recitals. We are proud that Cornwall has a long history of brass bands - long may they continue - but it may be that there are instruments lying around which are not being played; perhaps this book can help their owners breathe new life into them!

Because of the history of this music, much of which has survived the turmoil of the last few hundred years only in fragmented form, the present day sees an unprecedented creative opportunity. The closest relations to this music are the tunes of England and Brittany, our nearest neighbours, but the written notes here are only a map or a guide to a living and evolving tradition that has its own style but is open to interpretation in different ways. Much of community music making in Cornwall, as in many other rural areas, was in the past dominated by the military bands and church musicians and singers:

"Brethren and sistern, lev'us sing that grand old hymn, Graace is flowin' like a rever! Well, the band strick up the tune, and though we was cliged together like bricks, we joined in and made the plaace ring with music. The corneter and the fluter and the baass-violer went at it fer dear life, and the euphonium nearly blawed heself to rags." AK Hamilton Jenkins, "Cornwall and its People", 1932-1934

However these institutions are not the community focus they once were, but their musical legacies live on to be revisited and re-invented. Traditional music always has a relevance to the community and this book aims to bring people together to have a good time just as people in Cornwall always have done, boasting as we do an unusually high number of musical groups of all styles in our midst.

When you have a few tunes under your belt what we hope will happen is that you can link in with some other musicians and dancers in your area and experience the excitement of a Noze Looan.

Thanks

"Even today, you may come across the odd choir here and there singing in the streets to the accompaniment of a lone, but valiant clarinet. His notes may be a little sour, but he should be listened to with respect as the survivor of a once great and praiseworthy tradition of amateur church musicianship." Cyril Noall, "Cornish Magazine", 1964

We would in particular like to thank members of the fantastic working parties who met together to develop and pass on the ideas for the arrangements as well as perform and record the parts. They were Jim Carey, Tamsin Carter, Johnothon Carter, Sian Pilley, Will Coleman, Dave Rolfe and Rosie Fierek. Then of course thanks goes to all the Horners who joined in the sessions to make the tunes come alive. At the festival themselves there were even more "Crowders and Horners" including schoolchildren and singers - thanks to you too for helping to create such exciting events. The dancers who joined in were great fun and made the playing even more worthwhile!

Thanks too to Russell Clark at Falmouth College who worked very hard at recording the music in not always very congenial conditions! Also to Mike O'Connor at Lyngham House for his care and thoroughness in the transcription and setting of the written music.

Background support for this project has come from Miriam and Stuart at ACT, Mandy at Perfect Moment, Julie Seyler at Creative Kernow and Vanessa at CAM, whilst financially we have received support from Arts Council England, The Trevithick Day Committee, Education Action Zone, Creative Partnerships, Caradon Festival and the Performing Rights Society.

Finally we would like to thank our long suffering and patient husbands who have supported and helped us in many ways.

October 2003

"Cornish music is a distinctive part of Cornish culture and as such has links with a wider Celtic heritage."

"Dig where you stand"

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