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Steeleye Span Sheet Music

The five known Steeleye Span Songbooks are a long time out of print. However, some time ago I got this information from Dave Williams. Thanks, Dave! I changed his text slightly by sorting the available sheet music in chronological order.

The Quest for Sheet Music

Introduction: Why my quest?

I first saw Steeleye Span at a theatre in Kilburn High Road London, when they were on tour supporting Jethro Tull. Long time ago (early 70’s). I purchased Below the Salt (still my favourite) the next day, and have been a fan ever since. Ten years ago I moved to the States, and as it does often seem to go for expats., all things Brit seem to take on a larger than life need state. I found myself listening more and more to Steeleye, as much for the images of fields, hedgerows, country lanes, pints of ale, it conquered up in my mind. Its strange I can even hear the dawn chorus when some tracks are playing. Well my kids mostly raised in the US love the music too, I’m not sure their mental images are etched as deep, but they love to sing (Chorus and Chamber Choir), and I wanted one of their concerts to ring out with Steeleye Span and the intensity of images a large well trained choir can inspire. But where to find the music? The quest begins!

The Quest:

Well I managed to replace most of my Steeleye vinyl for CD over time, initially raiding UK music shops on home visits and eventually seeing them turn up here. I also hunted high and low in the UK for sheet music, even second hand sheet music shops to no fruitful end. Then, in a compilation CD I picked up here, there was an address for “Beat goes on Records” who were advertising Steeleye CD’s. I wrote to them asking about sheet music. First lucky break, they didn’t throw it out, they passed it on to the “copyright owners”, Park Records of Oxford UK. They passed it on to Andrew D.R. Greenhill of Leicester, a freelance musician, who is their official sheet music source.

Andrew Greenhill wrote to us and included a list of available music. We duly ordered Gaudete, which arrived promptly there after. The choral director at our local High school fell in love with the piece and the school theatre rang out with a tremendous rendition at the next concert.

Andrew Greenhill’s Musical Service:

One of the first striking (and wonderfully appropriate) aspects of Andrew Greenhill’s work is that it is all hand written (letters and music score). This to me adds greatly to the intimacy and conquers up that time honoured image that folk music is passed on musician to musician, rather than read from a glossy covered book, in mass produced computer type. The second is that he will arrange each of the songs in any way you choose (ie for choir, piano/vocal, original recorded etc). I now have a collection of his works and can highly recommend him, for the quality of the music itself, the responsiveness of his service and his willingness to custom tailor the arrangements to your own needs.

Andrew D.R.Greenhill can be reached at:

54 Broad Street
Syston
Leicester
LE7 1GH
United Kingdom
(E-Mail: adrg54@yahoo.co.uk
Telephone: +44 116 260 8780)

The following music is currently available, however, Andrew will arrange any Steeleye Span song on request:

  1. A Calling-On Song
  2. My Johnny Was a Shoemaker
  3. Twa Corbies
    arranged for brass
  4. The King
  5. Rave On
  6. Rosebud in June
  7. Spotted Cow
  8. King Henry
    arranged for strings
  9. Gaudete
    original 1972 / six-part setting for choir / five-part setting for choir / simple S.A.T.B. setting
  10. The Holly and the Ivy
  11. The Ups and Downs
  12. Rogues in a Nation
  13. Little Sir Hugh
  14. Long Lankin
  15. Black Jack Davy
    with piano-reduction / with orchestra score and parts
  16. Cadgwith Anthem
  17. The Wife of Ushers Well
  18. All Around My Hat
    unaccompanied setting
  19. Lanercost
  20. Seagull
    strings,woodwind and percussion
  21. Padstow
    arranged for piano, strings and percussion
  22. Searching for Lambs
    arranged for piano and strings
  23. Shaking of the Sheets
    arranged for piano and strings without cello and woodwind
  24. The Boar’s Head Carol
  25. Ten Long Years

Enjoy! And let’s all hope Steeleye reform and tour.

Cheers,
DRW.