The first period of this project was spent reviewing the current literature on morris dancing, as well as gathering archival sources and collating public records which refer to morris dancing. The archival work was focused specifically on gathering references to musical elements related to morris dancing. The second period focused on the researcher's training in historical performance. The researcher was able to work on a secondment to produce a student production of Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas as part of an undergraduate module. The researcher worked closely with the musicians in the orchestra and provided mentorship on continuo playing and historical string techniques. The third period of the project saw the beginning of some exciting new creative collaborations between the researcher and other creative practitioners in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The researcher was able to work with professional dancers from Dance City in a creative development to workshop her findings from early records of morris dancing in a practical way. The collaboration led to a performance workshop as part of an interdisciplinary research event hosted by Newcastle University and led to the formation of a new ensemble, Talon Folk. The fourth period was the time of putting all of the research elements together to form conclusions about early modern morris dancing and its musical characteristics. The results were shared at conferences around the world, including the Renaissance Society of America and Musicology Society of Australia virtual conferences, as well as the Reimagining Musical Programming hybrid sympsoium at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. The researcher also organised an international symposium at Newcastle University to bring together leading scholars working in areas related to this project, Ubiquitous Music in Early Modern England, co-organised with the project supervisor and one other colleague. There was an opportunity to conduct one final performance workshop as part of this event.
At the conclusion of this project, some important findings have been made which change our understanding of how morris dancing music developed over time for public performances:
- in the earliest days of morris dancing processions, they were part of a large variety of performances that travelled in processions through the streets of London. These processions preferred loud outdoor instruments whose sounds could carry over large distances and attract big crowds to come and participate in the event. This means morris dances didn't necessarily have their own instrumentation or music, but were performed to the music already being played in these processions.
- As we approach the seventeenth century, morris dancers begin to form part of seasonal festival performances around the British Isles. During this time some instruments become associated with the dance more clearly, such as the tabor pipe and drum, and fiddles. Some of these dances could have been danced in a round and there are a wide body of tunes from the period which are designed for this type of dance movement. There are similarities between this style and the French morris style written about by Thoinot Arbeau. Theatre companies also begin to represent morris dancing on the London stages, showing that it is a participatory form of dancing, whimsical, and designed for community enjoyment of music and spectacle.
- In the seventeenth century some prominent performers shape the public understanding of morris dancing, such as William Kemp, the famous actor from Shakespeare's playing company, The Lord Chamberlain's Men. From this time onward the tabor pipe and drum become iconically associated with morris dancing. The morris makes its way into song culture and becomes part of the broader story of European vernacular music culture.
- By the end of the seventeenth century, a great number of likely morris tunes are compiles in John Playford's printed tune books with accompanying dance steps, 'The English Dancing Master' (multiple editions form 1652-1698). This demonstrates how integrated morris dancing is within vernacular music culture by this time. It is a vital part of community building and music-making.
