William Shield: A Lifelong Relationship with ‘National Airs’

Amélie Addison*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The English composer William Shield (1748-1829) owed much of his success to an affinity for folk music which led him to produce hundreds of arrangements of 'national airs', mostly within the scores of popular theatre productions. This article draws on Shield's own published scores and treatises, contemporary reviews of his works, and rare manuscript sources to explain how his early encounters with traditional tunes shaped his compositional approach throughout his career. It also explores why and how the most popular of Shield's composed melodies were so readily reabsorbed into the oral tradition that first inspired them.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)27-51
Number of pages25
JournalFolk Music Journal
Volume11
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Music
  • Folk music
  • History
  • Eighteenth Century
  • Theatre
  • Manuscripts
  • Northumberland

Cite this