Goldby and Shepard Publications

[Joel Hooks]

I scanned up a few dozen pieces by this publisher this weekend.  Most are in C notation.  Despite some having racist titles (to be expected) these are very playable and entertaining.  Not too hard, not too easy.  Kinda in that just right place.

I did not think to add the publisher in the tags so you will have to dig through. There are a few small folios "Choice Selections for Banjo".  I'm hoping to come across the rest of the titles and folios in the stacks. 

Anyway, take a look.  At the very least it will be a good way to spend an evening playing through them. 

https://archive.org/details/@joel_hooks

[Trapdoor2]

I went thru your upload and downloaded a bunch of titles...as usual.

I saw one "club" title, "Flights of Fancy" and went thru the "A notation" to "C Notation" process. Some of these "club" pieces are kind of like having music written by a committee. In this case, I think the Piccolo, Banjeaurine, 2nd Banjo and Guitar were written by a couple of different people in different countries...communicating via telegraph. Then, the Solo Banjo part was written out by the publisher, without ever having seen the rest. ;-) The piece has 56 measures...and naturally, one of the parts has a repeat with two different endings, making it shorter (though the full count is still there). The "Solo Banjo" part only has 45 measures, no repeats, (double-bar lines willy nilly) and the sections are out of order. The order is the standard A-B-A-C-A (Fine), except for the Solo banjo part, which is written out A-B-C-A, no repeats, no DC, no Fine, no nothing. After a bit of juggling and some creative cut-n-paste, I think it works.

It isn't a particularly good piece, hardly worth the effort...but I think I have it sorted out. I'm currently adding a Cello Banjo part. I'll drop it all here when I get it finished.

I enjoy working on the "club" pieces, it is often interesting to see the interactions between the instruments. Sometimes though, I get more than I bargained for!

[Richard William Ineson]

Hi Trapdoor, I have  a couple of Cammeyer's (probaby mostly arranged and written out by Sheaff) pieces which have been orchestrated for several banjos and which probably date to around WW1. Would you be willing to transcribe them so that we can all hear what these sound like? If so I will scan them and either send them to you or put them on this page.

Trapdoor2 said:

I went thru your upload and downloaded a bunch of titles...as usual.

I saw one "club" title, "Flights of Fancy" and went thru the "A notation" to "C Notation" process. Some of these "club" pieces are kind of like having music written by a committee. In this case, I think the Piccolo, Banjeaurine, 2nd Banjo and Guitar were written by a couple of different people in different countries...communicating via telegraph. Then, the Solo Banjo part was written out by the publisher, without ever having seen the rest. ;-) The piece has 56 measures...and naturally, one of the parts has a repeat with two different endings, making it shorter (though the full count is still there). The "Solo Banjo" part only has 45 measures, no repeats, (double-bar lines willy nilly) and the sections are out of order. The order is the standard A-B-A-C-A (Fine), except for the Solo banjo part, which is written out A-B-C-A, no repeats, no DC, no Fine, no nothing. After a bit of juggling and some creative cut-n-paste, I think it works.

It isn't a particularly good piece, hardly worth the effort...but I think I have it sorted out. I'm currently adding a Cello Banjo part. I'll drop it all here when I get it finished.

I enjoy working on the "club" pieces, it is often interesting to see the interactions between the instruments. Sometimes though, I get more than I bargained for!

[Trapdoor2]

Hi Richard,

Absolutely! Please post them here and I'll get a start on them. We can't have enough of this stuff!

===Marc

Richard William Ineson said:

Hi Trapdoor, I have  a couple of Cammeyer's (probaby mostly arranged and written out by Sheaff) pieces which have been orchestrated for several banjos and which probably date to around WW1. Would you be willing to transcribe them so that we can all hear what these sound like? If so I will scan them and either send them to you or put them on this page.

[Richard William Ineson]

I have copied the score for Sammy on Parade and sent it to Ian who has put it in the music library. Let me know if you can convert it into an MP3 and I will send you the score for Sound of the Drums. It will be interesting to hear these Sheaff arrangements from yesteryear.

Trapdoor2 said:

Hi Richard,

Absolutely! Please post them here and I'll get a start on them. We can't have enough of this stuff!

===Marc

Richard William Ineson said:

Hi Trapdoor, I have  a couple of Cammeyer's (probaby mostly arranged and written out by Sheaff) pieces which have been orchestrated for several banjos and which probably date to around WW1. Would you be willing to transcribe them so that we can all hear what these sound like? If so I will scan them and either send them to you or put them on this page.

[Trapdoor2]

WOW!

13 instruments...that's a lot of banjos!

I will get on it...it will take a bit of time, of course. I've never encountered some of those banjos...and so I have no idea how they're tuned. "Piccolo Banjeaurine"? If that implies a 1/2 scale banjeaurine, it must be miniscule. There was a Bass Banjeaurine at the ABF rally a few years ago. I'm going to assume banjolin = mandolin and banjola = mandola in regards to tuning. Tenor Banjo is probably CGDA. I have no idea how the Contra Bass was tuned (other than an octave below the Bass)...I seem to recall the Essex one was 3 strings.

I'm looking forward to it...and to "Sound of the Drums"!

Thanks!

[Byron Thomas]

It seems like the "piccolo" instruments are tuned and octave higher. Can't help with the banjola though. The only version of which I know is the August Pollman version but that doesn't seem like Bernard meant that instrument. I could be wrong though. https://www.piccoloplace.org/props/1-big-EXT/1893_catalogue-12.jpg. I'm excited to see the fruits of your efforts Trapdoor2

[Trapdoor2]

Yah, I'm assuming the terminology is British rather than American. Probably has little to do with Stewart and more from Essex.