Talk:Sicilian Mariners (Lord I hear) (Anonymous)

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Tim

Attempted to send you, via email, a message which included, the following:

Can you provide more details about the source--Rippon's Tunebook--from which you took reproduced "Sicilian Mariners"? Is this the same volume as Rippon's "Selection of Hymns from the best Authors"? If so, what edition are you referencing? If not, compiler and date would be useful.

ns

Rippon's hymnbook contained the words. " A Selection of Hymns from the best authors including a great number of originals intended as an appendix to Dr. Watt's Psalms and Hymns by John Rippon DD." First published in 1787. By the end of the century there had been 9 editions. Copyright was apparently then 14 years - so he interspersed more hymns in it and created the "enlarged edition". By 1827 there had been 200,000 copies issued and copyright had been extended to 28 years . So yet another fresh edition was produced. But when he died in 1836, publishers were free to issue their own version of the 1800 edition... So I've got a 1833 27th edition and an 1845 "pirate" version.

As far as the tunes are concerned, a separate "A Selection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes from the best authors in three and four parts adapted principally to Dr Watts's Hymns and Psalms and to Dr. Rippon's Selection of Hymns containing in a greater variety than any other volume extant the most approved compositions which are used in London and throughout England; Also many original tunes never before printed, the whole forming a publication of above three hundred tunes, odes etc by John Rippon DD." First published 1792. I've got the thirteenth edition c.1825 (according to the Hymn Tune Index). My guess is the original plates were reused with more stuff being added at the back as new editions were issued. I believe that the main editor of the music was Thomas Walker - who issued his own "Walker's Companion to Dr. Rippon's Tune Book " (I've got the tenth edition 1831). In the preface to that he states : "The universal acceptance which Dr. Rippon's Seletion of Tunes has met with from the public, is fully evinced by the general circulation it has obtained ; and by the many thousands of copies which have been sold; this is highly grateful to the Editor (i.e. Walker !), particularly as it was a juvenile performance, a first attempt; and although years have rolled on, and experience has, in some degree, matured his judgement, yet he can say, that the same reasons which induced him to select the Tunes, still remain in force for preserving the body of the work entire as it is. To meet the taste of the public, Supplement has been added to Supplement, until the book has grown almost too large for the pocket..."

Hope that helps, Tim


It does satisfy my curiosity, but it seems to me that it would be appropriate to make a clearer note in the edition page to clarify exactly what the tune comes from, and perhaps that the tune originates someplace other than the tune book, and the harmony is novel to that source.

ns


Feel free to edit / paste as you wish. And if you can shed any light on the "Sicilian Evening Service" that Rippon's Tunebook attributes it to, please do so.

Tim