Willliam and Nancy  - Anglo Concertina - Stephen Rowley
Channel: Anglo Concertina
Date: 2022-10-19

William and Nancy is a well known tune amongst people who dance Cotswold morris.  The dance from Bledington in Gloucestershire is popular  across the morris diaspora.

For centuries the principal (only) music for morris was the pipe and tabor.  When in the late C19th the availability of taborers declined, many sides found fiddlers to step in to the role.  The fiddle was a poor substitute and lacked the rhythmic capabilities of the tabor.  Some sides were lucky to find a concertina player.  The anglo is very well suited to the role with its ability to punch out the rhythm that the dancers wanted to hear, and the nimble player could precisely time the beats to mark the footfall of the dancer in a manner previously provided by the pipe and tabor.

Here it is played in C on a C/G Anglo Concertina
Lachenal type by Dawkins, c.1880.  20 button.

C is a very good key when playing for morris on the anglo - the optimum balance of speed, action, weight of instrument, and volume.

This video is not a dance track, however, you could use the technique presented here to play for dance.

This video has been produced to help people learning the anglo in its native, diatonic style.  

if you are interested in learning this style, please subscribe to this channel and visit my website for lessons.
www.artension.com

Stephen Rowley