A local folk musician has published a book of tunes inspired by local streets near her Midanbury home.

 

 

‘Midanbury Tunes’, by Jaquie Daniels, presents eight original folk tunes for ensemble playing written over the last decade, inspired by local roads including Witts Hill, Vanguard Road and Midanbury Lane.

There’s also the ‘Ferndene Hornpipe’, which you can hear below, and which is named after Jaquie’s own road, Ferndene Way.

 

She said she was inspired to compose them after joining the Southampton Folk Orchestra, which often plays tunes from the local area.

“I had written a tune a few years before – it was just something I’d come up with one day - and I had the idea of writing an arrangement for the folk orchestra.

“As some of the tunes we played were named after places I thought I would name it ‘Witts Hill’.

“And then I came up with another tune which I actually purposely wrote about Mousehole Lane and Vanguard Road. I called it ‘Down Mousehole and Up Vanguard’.”

“Some of them, like ‘High View Jig’, can be played as dance tunes,” she explained.

Jaquie with her book of Midanbury tunes

‘Down Midanbury Lane’ was performed most recently at Mayfest in Winchester, and Southampton Folk Orchestra has played previously at events including Music in the City and free community festival Beggars Fair in Romsey.

Jaquie said she’s mulling whether it might be possible to put on a concert of her very local tunes closer to their inspirational home. Nothing’s been arranged as yet, so watch this space.

Meanwhile the music book ‘Midanbury Tunes’ is available as a spiral bound volume to purchase from October Books in Portswood and from her website at https://www.jaquiedaniels.co.uk/ .