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Cecil Sharp House

Vaughan Williams Memorial Library

Historical Dance Tune Books

The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (VWML) contains many rare and unique items of literature, both printed and in manuscript, including a large collection of historic dance books and manuscript tune books. This gallery brings together a selection of these digitised items from across our library and archive collections.

The VWML is indebted to Robin Seifert for his kind assistance digitising the manuscript collections.

The development of this gallery has been funded by the Islington Folk Club and Paul Cooper.

Anonymous MS Tunebook c1830

Wright's Compleat Collection vol 1

Yarker's 1797 Tunebook

The Treasures of Terpischore by T. Wilson (1809)

An Analysis of Country Dancing by T. Wilson (1808)

W. G.'s Violin Tunebook

Rutherford's compleat vol 2

Rutherford's compleat vol 1

Rutherford's selected

Preston's 1800

Skene's 1838 Tunebook 1

Urbani and Listons 1800

Thompson's 1782

Thompson's 1780

Thompson's 1779

Thompson's 1778

Thompson's 1776

Thompson's 1774

Thompson's 1767

Thompson's 1765

Thompson's 1762

Straight's 1784

Straight's 1783

Straight's 1779

Straight & Skillern's Minuets for the year 1777

Skillern's 1799

Skillern's 1782

Skillern's 1781

Skillern's 1780

Skene's 1838 Tunebook 2

Preston's 1799

Preston's 1798

Preston's 1796

Preston's 1794

Preston's 1793

Old Reels and Dance Tunes and Old Yorkshire Tunes

Johnson volume 8

John Moore book 3

John Moore book 2

John Moore book 1

Malchair

Longman's XXIV New Cotillons

Robert Harrison

Henry Huntlea's 1884 Tunebook

Companion to the Reticule

Button and Whitaker's 1818 (Le Sylphe)

Button and Whitaker's 1810

Kitty Bridge's 1745 Notebook

Button and Whitaker's 1809

Bray 1699

Anonymous Tunebook

Anonymous Tunebook

Anonymous MS Tunebook c1850

Anonymous 19th Century Tunebook