The Old Morpeth Rant reel

This old version of the Morpeth Rant has many different settings of its own, but they’re all characterised by having a different B-part to the new, more common Morpeth Rant https://thesession.org/tunes/1310. The B-part of all settings of the Old Morpeth Rant has a bit in bars 5-6 that goes something like |ECEG cBAG|FDFA dcBA|.

The version Nathe2005 has submitted is the one played on track 2 of Kathryn Tickell’s “Northumberland Collection”. Listen to a sample clip here: http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1081420/a/Northumberland+Collection.htm.

Here’s a version Trevor gave us:

X: 1
T: Morpeth Rant
S: Trevor Jennings
N: Welsh hornpipe setting
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: Gmaj
DF|G2DC B,G,B,D|ECEG FDFA|BGcA dBAG|FGAB cBAG|
G2DC B,G,B,D|ECEG FDFA|BGcA BGAF|G2G2 G2:|
|:df|gdBG FAce|dBAG GFED|cAcA BGBG|F2D2 D2GF|
ECEG cBAG|FDFA dcBA|dgfg ecAc|B2G2 G2:|

Some ones I collected from net sources:

X: 1
T: Morpeth Rant
S: Robert Petrie’s Second Collection of Strathspey Reels and Country Dances (1795/6, p.17)
S: MacDonald – 3rd Collection of Strathspey Reels (c.1792)
N: Ornamentation etc. edited out
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: rant
K: Gmaj
(3DEF|G2DC B,G,B,D|ECEG FDFA|BGcA dBAG|FGAB A2GF|
G2DC B,G,B,D|ECEG FDFA|Bedc BAGF|G2G2 G2:|
|:ef|gdBG FAce|dBAG F2ED|cAcA BGBG|FGAF D2D=F|
ECEG cBAG|FDFA dcBA|Bgfe dcBA|G2G2 G2:|

Another similar version:

X: 1
T: Morpeth Rant
S: J. Moore (Tyneside,1841, p.33)
N: Ornamentation etc. edited out
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: rant
K: Gmaj
DF|G2DC B,G,B,D|ECEG FDFA|BGcA dBAG|F2A2 AcBA|
G2DC B,G,B,D|ECEG FDFA|BGcA dBAG|D2G2 G2:|
|:df|gdBG FAce|dBAG GFED|cecA BdBG|F2D2 D2GF|
ECEG cBAG|FDFA dcBA|Bgfe dcBA|B2G2 G2:|

And another:

X: 1
T: Morpeth Rant
S: John Bell (c.1812)
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: rant
K: Gmaj
F|G2DC B,G,B,D|ECEG FDFA|BGcA dBAG|F2A2 A2BA|
G2DC B,G,B,D|ECEG FDFA|BGcA dBAG|D2G2 G2:|
|:df|gdBG EGce|dBAG GFED|cecA BdBG|F2D2 D2GF|
ECEG cBAG|FDFA dcBA|Bgfe dcBA|B2G2 G2:|

X: 1
T: Morpeth Rant
S: John Robson (1874)
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: rant
K: Gmaj
(3DEF|G2DC B,G,B,D|ECEG FDFA|BGBG cBAG|F2A2 A2DF|
G2DC B,G,B,D|ECEG FDFA|BGBd cBAF|D2G2 G2:|
|:(3def|gdBG DFAB|cBcA GFED|cdcA BcBG|F2D2 D2GF|
ECEG cBAG|FDFA dcBA|Bgfg ecBA|B2G2 G2:|

I got the next one from Pete Loud’s book:

X: 1
T: Morpeth Rant
S: Tom Hughes,Borders
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: rant
K: Gmaj
BA|G2DD B,2DG|ECEE DB,DF|G2AB cBAG|F2A2 AcBA|
G2DD B,2DG|ECEE DB,DF|G2AB cBAF|D2G2 G2:|
|:ef|gfed B2GB|cBAG F2DF|ECEB cBAG|F2D2 D2F2|
ECEB cBAG|FDFA dcBA|Ggfg edBG|A2G2 G2:|

The original key seems to have been Bbmaj, and some of the older manuscripts have it in that key.

X: 1
T: Morpeth Rant
S: Anonymous MS (1800-1840)
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: rant
K: Bbmaj
(3FGA|B2FE DB,DF|GEGB AFAc|B2gf edcB|A2c2 c2dc|
B2FE DB,DF|GEGB AFAc|Bbag fedc|B2B2 B2:|
|:(3fga|bfdB BAGF|fdec BAGF|egec dfdB|A2c2 c2 (3FGA|
BEGB edcB|AFAc fedc|Bbag fedc|B2B2 B2:|

Here’s another Bb version with an extra bit in the middle:

X: 1
T: Morpeth Rant
S: Anonymous MS (Late 18thC, Yorkshire)
N: Ornamentation & double stops edited out
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: rant
K: Bbmaj
B2FE DB,DF|GEGB AFAc|dBec fdcB|ABcd c2BA|
B2FE DB,DF|GEGB AFAc|dBcc dBcA|B2B2 B2BA:|
BdGd BdGd|ceGe ceGc|AcFc AcFc|BdFd BdFd|
BdGd BdGd|ceGe ceGe|Aedc BGAF|G2D2 G,3b/a/||
bfdB Acfg|fdcB Acfg|edcB ABcd|A2F2- F2GA|
BFG_A GBcd|eGcB AGFE|Dgfe dcBA|B2B2 B2BA||

Here’s a version I found in C major:

X: 1
T: Morpeth Rant
S: William Thomas Green (1831)
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: rant
K: Cmaj
ed|c2GF ECEG|AFAc BGBd|ecfd gedc|B2d2 dfed|
c2GF ECEG|AFAc BGBd|ecfd gedc|G2cc c2:|
|:(3gab|c’gec fafd|egec B2AG|fafd egec|B2GG G2cB|
AFAc fedc|BGBd gfed|ec’ba gfed|c2cc c2:|

My personal preference is for the J. Moore setting.

You need to remember that the Morpeth Rant was a dance which had several tunes. The ones we have remaining are a bare rump of the original gamut.
Noel