THE YORK WAITS
Sheet Music Editions
Over the years The York Waits have performed hundreds of pieces of their own arrangement. Where original
parts exist, preferred instrumentations are fitted by experimentation, but the needs of a group of York dancers,
Punke's Delight, led to first attempts to add period harmonies to the single line tunes associated with the dances
published by John Playford in his Dancing Master (1651-1728). One of the waits, Tim Bayley, took on the task
and followed his first successful Playford arrangements with many, many others using tunes from the late 15th
century (several of which can be heard on the CD Music From the Time of Richard III) to Christmas carols,
stripped of Victorian harmonies and reconstituted, and traditional French Noëls given parts for bagpipes, hurdygurdies,
flutes, recorders and even roudy shawms.
For many years I had the ambition to share these unique and successful arrangements with other musicians, and
once I had found a publisher for Dr Merryweather's Song-Booke I also had a publisher for our sheet music: the
Peacock Press at Ruxbury Publications.
I have tried to spread the appeal of these publications wider than their original instrumentations which may suit
The York Waits, but wouldn't otherwise be accessible to others who play, say strings or wind quintet, or are a
choir. Therefore, many of the instrumental arrangements come with a 'serving suggestion' plus words, and several
have alternative parts for clarinet, French horn or viola. I will add to these as new ideas emerge or customers
demand, so please don't avoid a piece just because we played it on shawms and saggbut. Recorders might be just
as good. The printing setup allows me to make adjustments and add parts whenever I am inspired. If you have
special requirements, please discuss them with me. So far we have two ranges of volumes:
The York Waits' Early Music Miscellany
e.g. A Saraband by Simon Ives in 5 parts for various renaissance ensembles or classic wind quintet (tested by the people I play with on the Isle of Skye who liked it so much they chose Saraband for the quintet's name). Several versions of the old German song Rompeltier, tracing its history. Collections of Tudor song tunes and dances and a selection from our Playford repertoire.
The York Waits' Christmas Collection
e.g. A collection of tunes from Piae Cantiones (1582), mostly familiar as English carols; Sore Afraid! a selection of French Noëls and other European carols telling the story of the angels appearing to the shepherds abiding in the fields and, in preparation, some 40 tunes and harmonised arrangements of old Christmas music for drone instruments (and others).
Click here for the full catalogue and ordering information
