CUNINGHAME MANUSCRIPTS?

[IAN SALTER]

I've received the following email from a friend; can anyone help?

Hi Ian,

I wonder if I can enlist your help again? One of the now sadly neglected players from the early 20th century is John (Jack) Cuninghame. Though interested in him and having completed a fairly thorough bio some time ago it occurred to me when listening to one of his recordings that we are approaching a shadow line where his manuscripts if they survive, could just vanish for good. I have compiled a list from various sources:

Stunt One*
Stunt Two
Fly Around*
Myfanwie
Patrol March Past
Wainalong Rag
Duckbuy March
Marmie Rag
Somerset March
Keynotes Club March
Minuet


None of Cuninghame’s above compositions are catalogued at the British Library. I doubt most or any were published commercially. Recordings exist for those marked with an asterisk, and Richard has shared the manuscript of Somerset March on the Ning website and Joel has shared Keynotes Club March from what looks to be an old  issue of BMG.

If the manuscripts survive they will be in the paper collection of Richard or other elder banjoists. Delicate subject, but these folks will not be around forever. It would be a tragedy if Cuninghame’s compositions were lost in the sunami of clearing and admin that usually follows a death.

I don’t have contact details. Would you be willing to contact and delicately encourage that anyone with copies share these on the Ning website asap?

As you can see this is not a selfish request, it comes from genuine concern to avoid a loss of creativity.

Best wishes

[Richard William Ineson]

I'll take a look at the pile of paper later today, I may have something. I seem to remember that Cunninghame composed the famous WW1 song 'Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag'.

[IAN SALTER]

Thank you Richard.

[Richard William Ineson]

I've just been looking through a few likely piles, I found 'The Somerset March' about which you reminded me and I also discovered that 'The Fly Round' was publishedin 2015 by the ABF in their Morley's Bath Folio Volume 1 where the composition is attributed to Morley but the accompanying notes state, "The Fly-Round is taken from a unison duet played by Bailey Snr. and John P. Cuninghame". If I remember correctly, Pat Doyle was in correspondence with JPC's son Gary Cuninghame, who provided the Ms. for 'Myfanwy' which I think was published in Pat's magazine, 'The Banjo'. I seem to remember that Pat intended to publish more of JPC's works but I do not remember if this actually happened. I also do not know where the Cuninghame MSS are at present, I don't have any in my collection. As to the passage of time and 'the sunami of clearing following a death', I'm 78 years old, 79 in January so well settled into my seat in the 'departure lounge'. Joel also touched on this subject earlier this year and I am thinking about what to do with my mound of mouldering paper and the few bits of worthwhile banjo memorabilia which I possess, my two daughters are certain to just throw it all in a skip when the time comes unless I make other arrangements. A knotty problem, as there is no public collection (museum, university, library etc.) which looks after things like this and very few modern banjoist have any interest in old banjo sheet music other than as a heating material. Time is running out and a decision must be reached.

[Jody Stecher]

"Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag" is usually attributed to two brothers, George Henry Powell (words) and Felix Powell (music).  If Cunninghame was the actual composer, it would seem odd that he chose two names as a pseudonym, although there is a precedent in the  double name "Barney & Seymour", a pseudonym for Theron Bennett, in the publication of St Louis Tickle. The Powells appear to have been actual people. Here's a BBC story on them:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-25968407

Richard William Ineson said:

I'll take a look at the pile of paper later today, I may have something. I seem to remember that Cunninghame composed the famous WW1 song 'Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag'.

[Shawn McSweeny]

There are a few more recordings of JPC performing his own compositions  :  Easy Stunt Two, Minuet, Marmie Rag, Somerset March and Wainalong Rag. No score is known for some of these.  If your friend has a talent for record transcription Ian, perhaps he'd like to have a go at one of them. 

[Jody Stecher]

Good idea.  

Shawn McSweeny said:

There are a few more recordings of JPC performing his own compositions  :  Easy Stunt Two, Minuet, Marmie Rag, Somerset March and Wainalong Rag. No score is known for some of these.  If your friend has a talent for record transcription Ian, perhaps he'd like to have a go at one of them. 

[Richard William Ineson]

I had my doubts about this story myself, it came from JPC's daughter in law if I remember correctly. It might be 20 or so years ago when Pat Doyle was in touch with Gary Cuninghame that I first heard about it. There was another story about JPC ceasing to play the banjo after he heard Segovia play the guitar which might be true, but someone else said that JPC got arthritis in his hands.

Jody Stecher said:

"Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag" is usually attributed to two brothers, George Henry Powell (words) and Felix Powell (music).  If Cunninghame was the actual composer, it would seem odd that he chose two names as a pseudonym, although there is a precedent in the  double name "Barney & Seymour", a pseudonym for Theron Bennett, in the publication of St Louis Tickle. The Powells appear to have been actual people. Here's a BBC story on them:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-25968407

Richard William Ineson said:

I'll take a look at the pile of paper later today, I may have something. I seem to remember that Cunninghame composed the famous WW1 song 'Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag'.

[Joel Hooks]

Does anyone know how many issues Pat put out?  I have 80 that I have found so far, is that all of them?

[IAN SALTER]

My friend has asked me to pass on his thanks to you all for your replies and to post the following information, which was prompted by Shawn mentioning 'Wainalong Rag',

 "The title Wainalong Rag leapt out at me, as Wain-A-Long Road is the name of the road in Salisbury that my wife's mother lived on for over 30 years. I know of no other reference. Realising that Joe Morley lived for a time in Salisbury and that he was regularly visited from Bath by Tarrant Bailey Sr and Cuninghame, I thought I'd look into a possible connection. The 1921 Census has Joe Morley, 'Banjoist', boarding at 31 London Road, Salisbury. These days a modern dual carriageway has been built and London Road is the NE exit from a roundabout directly outside the rear of my mother-in-law 's property. There are pre-1930's houses along that road but not close enough to be conclusive proof of a link. I then made a closer contextual study of the census entries and found that number 31 was two doors away from a resident listed as a 'licenced victualler' whose workplace was 'at home'- a pub. I know from my own visits that there has only ever been one pub in the immediate vicinity, the Wyndham Arms, a large, late Victorian red brick property in a terrace of Victorian townhouses. Cross-referencing the victualler's name with contemporary local documentary sources, revealed that indeed he was the landlord of what was in 1921 still referred to by it's original title, The Wyndham Hotel. What was formally 31 London Road on the extended old road, is now called Estcourt Road, parallel to the modern dual carriageway. Joe Morley was lodging two doors away from the Wyndham Hotel and slap bang opposite the rear bedroom window of my mother-in-law's  property that I've stayed in all these years. Wain-A-Long Road is within banjo hearing distance, directly opposite Morley's Salisbury home.

No doubt whatsoever that Cuninghame's tune title derives from his visits to Morley's lodgings between 1916 and c.1924.

[Richard William Ineson]

A fascinating discovery relating to the, in many ways. 'mysterious' Joe Morley, thanks for sharing this morsel of 'Morleybilia' with us.

IAN SALTER said:

My friend has asked me to pass on his thanks to you all for your replies and to post the following information, which was prompted by Shawn mentioning 'Wainalong Rag',

 "The title Wainalong Rag leapt out at me, as Wain-A-Long Road is the name of the road in Salisbury that my wife's mother lived on for over 30 years. I know of no other reference. Realising that Joe Morley lived for a time in Salisbury and that he was regularly visited from Bath by Tarrant Bailey Sr and Cuninghame, I thought I'd look into a possible connection. The 1921 Census has Joe Morley, 'Banjoist', boarding at 31 London Road, Salisbury. These days a modern dual carriageway has been built and London Road is the NE exit from a roundabout directly outside the rear of my mother-in-law 's property. There are pre-1930's houses along that road but not close enough to be conclusive proof of a link. I then made a closer contextual study of the census entries and found that number 31 was two doors away from a resident listed as a 'licenced victualler' whose workplace was 'at home'- a pub. I know from my own visits that there has only ever been one pub in the immediate vicinity, the Wyndham Arms, a large, late Victorian red brick property in a terrace of Victorian townhouses. Cross-referencing the victualler's name with contemporary local documentary sources, revealed that indeed he was the landlord of what was in 1921 still referred to by it's original title, The Wyndham Hotel. What was formally 31 London Road on the extended old road, is now called Estcourt Road, parallel to the modern dual carriageway. Joe Morley was lodging two doors away from the Wyndham Hotel and slap bang opposite the rear bedroom window of my mother-in-law's  property that I've stayed in all these years. Wain-A-Long Road is within banjo hearing distance, directly opposite Morley's Salisbury home.

No doubt whatsoever that Cuninghame's tune title derives from his visits to Morley's lodgings between 1916 and c.1924.

[Richard William Ineson]

I think that there may have been a few more, perhaps 90 or so. My copies are up in the loft and my wife won't let me climb the ladder. I'll wait until she's gone shopping and see if I can get to them.

Joel Hooks said:

Does anyone know how many issues Pat put out?  I have 80 that I have found so far, is that all of them?

[IAN SALTER]

Shawn, if the recordings that you mentioned are available and can be posted here, my friend is keen to have a go at transcribing them.

He has sent me some photos related to the Salisbury information; I'm having a bit of trouble transferring them at the moment.