Cornish Tunes
Cornish traditional music has its origins in the jobbing tunes of the past. Tunes that were used to lead feast day celebrations, the procession of combatants to Wresting tournaments, accompany dancing or simply street and pub entertainment. They were adapted from and to other genres and could become connected to and disconnected from songs and ballads. It is a living tradition and many new tunes have been added to Cornish session and dance tune repertoire in recent years but there remains a core that takes us back to the crowders (fiddlers) and horners of the 19th century and beyond.
The list below includes examples of both traditional and newly written Cornish tunes. The links will take you to entries on our sister site, the Cornish National Music Archive, which has audio and visual files as well as scores and backstory. The archive is a work in hand . If you have a tune you would like to include you can register as a contributor or contact the archive direct.
4/4 |
Hornpipe |
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4/4 |
March |
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An Marrak |
6/8 |
Jig |
2/4 |
Polka |
|
6/8 |
Jig |
|
4/4 |
Furry |
|
2/4 |
Polka |
|
4/4 |
Hornpipe |
|
4/4 |
Hornpipe |
|
Breakfast at Bryonys |
2/4 |
Polka |
4/4 |
Hornpipe |
|
3/4 |
Waltz |
|
4/4 |
Hornpipe |
|
4/4 |
Hornpipe |
|
2/4 |
Polka |
|
2/4 |
March |
|
3/4 |
Waltz |
|
2/4 |
March |
|
4/4 |
Hornpipe |
|
3/4 |
Waltz |
|
6/8 |
March |
|
3/4 |
Waltz |
|
4/4 |
Furry |
|
2/4 |
Polka |
|
6/8 |
Jig |
|
4/4 |
Reel / Scoot Dance |
|
4/4 |
March |
|
2/4 |
Polka |
|
4/4 |
Furry |
|
3/4 |
Waltz |
|
3/4 |
Waltz |
|
6/8 |
Scoot Dance |
|
2/4 |
Polka |
|
4/4 |
Furry |
|
6/8 |
Jig |
|
Heva Dance |
4/4 |
Furry |
4/4 |
Hornpipe |
|
3/4 |
Waltz |
|
3/4 |
Waltz |
|
4/4 |
Hornpipe |
|
4/4 |
March |
|
5/4 |
Kamm Pemp |
|
4/4 |
Hornpipe |
|
6/8 |
Jig |
2/4 |
Polka |
|
6/8 |
Scoot Dance |
|
4/4 |
March |
|
2/4 |
Polka |
|
4/4 |
Furry |
|
6/8 |
Jig |
|
4/4 |
Hornpipe |
|
6/8 |
Jig |
|
2/4 |
Hornpipe |
|
3/4 |
Waltz |
|
4/4 |
March |
|
6/8 |
March |
|
6/8 |
Jig |
|
2/4 |
March |
|
5/4 |
Kamm Pemp |
|
3/4 |
Waltz |
|
4/4 |
Reel / Set Dance |
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4/4 |
Set Dance |
|
2/4 |
Polka |
|
4/4 |
Furry |
|
6/8 |
Jig |
|
4/4 |
Slow Air |
|
4/4 |
March / Furry |
|
4/4 |
Hornpipe / Hedley |
|
5/4 |
Kamm Pemp |
|
3/4 |
Set Dance |
|
4/4 |
Reel |
|
4/4 |
Furry |
|
3/2 |
||
2/4 |
Scoot Dance |
|
6/8 |
Jig |
|
4/4 |
Furry |
|
2/4 |
March |
|
6/8 |
Jig |
|
2/4 |
Polka |
|
4/4 |
Hornpipe / Hedley |
|
2/2 |
Polka |
|
4/4 |
Hornpipe |
Further resources:
The Great Big Cornish Music Session / Esedhek Ilow Kernow Bras was hosted by Lowender Peran at Perranporth Memorial Hall on 23rd Oct 2021. During September of that year over 60 tunes were captured from different sessions across Cornwall from Saltash to Penzance. These videos are posted on the Cornish National Music Archive music score and the story behind the tunes. Follow link to web page.

The Racca Project recorded 146 traditional Cornish dance tunes and airs and a further 105 compositions from groups and individual performers involved with Cornish music between 1995 – 1997. 43 individuals and groups contributed tunes to the project. Click to download this collection of tunes is available as a pdf e-book

Prys ton literally means tune time in Cornish and this project captures a snapshot of some of the tunes played in Cornish sessions in Penzance, Perranporth, Bodmin, St Issey and Lanson (Launceston) during 2007.The original project published a pocket booklet of 44 tunes. This is now available as a free e-book courtesy of the An Daras Folk Cornish Folk Arts Project: Prys Ton click to download pdf e-book.