The John Rook Manuscript was compiled in 1840 by John Rook of Waverton, Cumbria and contains over 1260 tunes drawn from English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh sources, spanning the 18th and 19th centuries, along with a significant number of otherwise unknown pieces. Rook was a multi-instrumentalist playing fiddle, flute, smallpipes and other instruments.
The original manuscript was lost until recently and only known from a photocopy, but it has been shared amongst traditional musicians for decades. It is now in the possession of Rob Say who published this magnificent collection.
The collection includes over 80 sets of variations. What makes it particularly significant is its early connections to the Northumbrian smallpipes, which had only been invented around 40 years before the manuscript was compiled, as well as the less well-documented musical traditions of Cumberland.
