Annotation:London's Glory
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LONDON'S GLORY. English, Country Dance Tune. D Minor. AABB. 18th century tune. The melody appears in all four editions of London publisher John Young's Second Volume of the Dancing Master [1], first issued in 1710 and lastly printed in 1728. It also was printed by Walsh and Hare in their similarly-titled Second Book of the Compleat Country Dancing-Master (London, 1719, and in subsequent editions of 1735 and 1749).
The title refers to a 1660 pageant called "London's Glory" by John Tatham, who wrote the Lord Mayor's pageants between 1657-1664.
"London's Glory" is dedicated to Sir Thomas Aleyn, Lord Mayor of London, and "describes the order of the procession to Whitehall by the Mayor and representatives of the major guilds, where they are met by the royal party, including members of both houses of parliament, and the privy council. En route to Guildhall, the procession is variously interrupted by pageants: at the conduit at Fleet Street, Time gives his speech, and then at St Pauls, Truth speaks. Apparently not all went according to plan: "Another Pageant presents its self at Foster-lane, being a large and goodly Fabrick, a Trumpeter placed on the Top, where it was intended Fame should speak; But at the great Conduit in Cheapside, Fame presents her Speech" (p. 8)." [2]. When the pageant was revived in 1680, it was printed by John and Henry Playford, who called it "London's Glory, or, The Lord Mayor's Show,"
containing an illustrious description of the several triumphant pageants, on which are represented emblematical figures, artful pieces of architecture, and rural dancing, with the speeches spoken in each pageant: also, three new songs, the first in praise of the Merchant-Taylors, the second the Protestants exhortation, and the third the plotting papists litany, with their proper tunes either to be sung or play'd: performed on Friday, October XXIX. 1680: for the entertainment of the Right Honourable Sir Patience Ward."
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; p. 215. Young (Second Volume of the Dancing Master), 1713; p. 42.
Recorded sources: