The Preston City mazurka

"Hard Times" - Charles Dickens (about Preston)

This tune can also be played starting in the key of A:

K:A
|:C>B|A2 A>E A>c|A2 A>E A>c|e2 e>d c>d|B3 c B>G|

A version of this tune can be found in Peter Kennedy’s work - "Traditional Dance Music of Britain and Ireland: Slip Jigs and Waltzes", page 42, tune 159, ISBN 1-899512-51-9

These 3-part mazurkas lend themselves well to accompanying the dance known as the ‘Mazurka-Waltz’, with waltzing the third part… See also "Mick Hoy’s Recipe for Boiled Cabbage".

This is so good! I live 30min drive from Preston, and visit 2/3 times a week. The title is very appropriate since Preston has recently become a city. They’re so proud of the fact that there is now a huge board up proclaiming: "Preston- Britain’s newest city".

Sorry, I’d forgotten to give a take on this straight, and as usual, with some slight additional possibilities…

X: 2
T: Preston City, The
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz or straight mazurka
K: Gmaj
|: Gc BA |\
G2 GD GB | G2 GD GB | d2 dc Bc | A2 AB AF |
D2 FD FA | D2 FD FA | d2 dc BA |[1 B2 :|[2 G2 ||
|: DB GB |\
d2 dB Gg | e2 c2 A2 | F2 FA dc | B2 GB d^c |
dG Bd gf | e2 c2 A2 | FA dc BA | G2 :|
K: CMaj
|: gf ed |\
c2 cG EG | c2 cG EG | ed cB AG | F2 FD ^cd |
d2 dB GB | d2 dB GB | gf ed cB | c2 :|

"A lot of Catholics and a good part of them are Irish"

Polish too, if they are playing mazurkas!

Know the town well (though not the ‘city’). Have siblings there.

Weejie, it only qualified as a ‘city’ recently, a few years back. Their big celebration arrives next year, the Guild 2012…

http://www.preston.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/guild-2012/

You should try to make it over. There’s always a welcome for a decent musician, or a questionable one with a sense of humour… 😉

"Weejie, it only qualified as a ‘city’ recently, a few years back."

Exactly. I only know it from the days before it became a city.

My sense of humour is as questionable as my playing abilities.

Also variously titled - "Traditional Dance Music of Britain and Ireland: Slip Jigs & Waltzes" - and further sub-titled - "200 Traditional airs with chords"
Collected & edited by Peter Kennedy
Dave Mallinson Publications, 1999
http://www.mally.com/

Page 42 - tune #159: "The Preston" - in A & D

Sadly this collection seems to no longer be in print, though Mally has some of the others in the series in clearance for £2.95 -
http://www.mally.com/results.asp?CategoryID=33

Peter has ‘mazurkas’ scattered throughout his collecting but not always tagged as such, sometimes named for the dance or steps used rather than the tune form, such as ‘polka-mazurka’. The rhythmic structure for this melody suggests ‘mazurka’. While I was in contact with Peter up till his death, trying to see his work footnoted and sources given, I never managed to find out more about this tune, though I had spent time trying to chase that up for the comments here, amongst other things like offering my time for free to help pull Peter’s transcriptions and sources together, bless him… I suspect I also had or have, amongst many of Peter’s recordings we used to have on tape, audio for this, but unfortunately not on hand…

I’ll add Peter’s transcription for this later, for comparison’s sake, including transposed down to G & C. If anyone else knows more, such as another source, transcription or audio, please share that with us.

I added this shortly after Preston achieved status as a ‘city’…

Yes, Peter’s transcription is quite a bit different from this one, isn’t it? I’ll let you post it, ceolachan. 🙂

Thanks eb, I had hesitated previously as the book was still in circulation and for sale when I first contributed this to the site. Here’s Peter’s transcription ~

X: 3
T: Preston City, The
S: Peter Kennedy - "The Fiddler’s Tune-Book: Slip Jigs & Waltzes", Page 42, tune #159
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz or straight mazurka
K: Amaj
|: E2 |\
A2 AE Ac | A2 AE Ac | A2 AE Ac | d4 B2 |
G2 GE GB | G2 GE GB | GB ed cB | A4 :|
|: E2 |\
e2 ec Aa | f2 d2 B2 | G2 GB ed | c2 A2 E2 |
e2 ec Aa | f2 d2 B2 | G2 GB eG | A4 :|
K: DMaj
|: A2 |\
d2 dA FA | d4 A2 | fe dc BA | G4 E2 |
e2 ec Ac | e4 A2 | ag fe dc | d4 :|