2/4 Set Tunes

Just about all old-time Australian dance musicians would know one, or perhaps a few, tunes for the "Sets". These were the Quadrille Sets, dances for sets of four couples, with several "Figures"(in effect, separate short dances) making up each "Set".The most popular were the First Set of Quadrilles (hence a tune being called a "First Set Tune"), the Lancers' Quadrille, the Alberts, the Caledonian and several more. Composers in the second half of last century would write music for a particular Set, and it is likely that many of the collected tunes had their origins somewhere in these published collection. But whatever their origins, "set tunes" are some of the most interesting of Australian dance music.

Down load ABCs of these tunes here

This Paddy Godden's Lancers Chain Away tune. Paddy was from Forbes, NSW, and he used this tune for the 5th Figure of the Lancers Quadrille. He died in April 1996, just on his 100th birthday. This tune was collected by Rob Willis.

Bert Powter is another Forbes musician, and this is Bert Powter's First Set Tune, also collected by Rob Willis.

Just about every Australian town has a Railway Hotel (especially if the railway runs through it), and this tune was collected by Alan Musgrove from Bert Sheilds of Unaderra on the South Coast of NSW.

John Meredith got this tune from Cecil and Russell Teagh of Moonan Brook in the upper Hunter Valley of NSW - the Moonan Flat Set Tune

God Bless You and Bugger Meis one ofthe tunes from Harry McQueen of Castle maine, Vic and is otherwise known as Bill McGlashan's First Figure of the First Set. Collected by Peter Ellis, and published in his three volume set "Collectors Choice"
Again from Peter Ellis, this is Jim Harrison's Set Tune

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