Music

The earliest document in this class is a contemporary copy of a song composed by Elizabeth I to celebrate the defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588; also there are drafts by Charles Dibdin of the words of three of his songs, 'Every Man His Own Pilot' (1801), 'The Standing Toast' (1811), which vary slightly from the versions published in George Hogarth's The Songs of Charles Dibdin (1842 and 1848), and 'The Danes' (1807), which is not included in Hogarth's work. There is also a manuscript copy by Dibdin of the words (first verse only) and music of 'Poor Jack' (1788) and an anecdote in his hand regarding the words of 'Jack and the Windlass' (1791). Among the fourteen printed songs, the majority of which are autographed, are 'The Sailor's Return' (1791), 'Tack and Half Tack' (1795) and 'The Watery Grave' (1790) by Charles Dibdin; and 'The Heart of a Sailor' (1802), 'Love and Glory', and 'All's Well' (1805) by John Braham (1774?-1856) with words by Thomas Dibdin. Finally there is a programme of a musical performance in commemoration of Charles Dibdin at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, in 1829.

Administrative / biographical background
Music - documents