MHF Music Database


Music Catalogue Bibliography Discography Dance Performers Calendar Contact Us Help www.manxheritage.com
Welcome to the Manx Heritage Foundation's Manx Music Database. This database is unique in its construction and brings together all known pieces of Manx music as well as information about it and its performers. As the amount of music is so vast it would be impossible to make it all available on one website - this database instead catalogues the music and its location to act as a first point of contact, saving many hours of searching.
The Database includes information on pieces still in private collections, as well as those in different countries and locations. Collections include: Manx National Heritage Library and Manx Museum, the British Library, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library and regional libraries such as Ramsey Town Library.
The Database has also been set up in such a way as to suit any type of user:

~ If you know exactly what piece you are looking for, you can search by piece name or composer.
~ If you want a song in Manx with an accompaniment for your choir, categories can be browsed more generally.
~ More informed choices as to the nature of the music (range, key, time signature, etc.) can also be made.

Researchers will find the majority of composers, arrangers and styles of composition represented in one place, allowing a general overview of Manx Music to develop. 

Additional Material

Recordings and performers on the Isle of Man are also listed, so that you can listen to some of the music on offer. A discography lists commercially available recordings  track by track, with names cross-referenced to other elements of the database.
The third main strand to the database is a bibliography of books, articles and papers written about Manx music of any kind. This includes newspaper clippings, photographs, personal correspondence, programmes and other miscellaneous items that contain information about music and its collection, composition and performance on the Isle of Man.
Finally, as dance and music are inextricably linked, a small dance database has been included containing references to dance notation and to appropriate music.
If you have any questions, queries, comments or complaints about this site/database, please feel free to contact us.
This website is load tested for performance and speed by LoadTesting.co. If you're interestd in speeding up your website, you can learn more here.

Kiaull Manninagh Jiu (Manx Music Newsletter)

A free monthly newsletter is published online here, with back issues also readily available.

Free Downloads

The following pieces are available for immediate download for your use.
Piece 1: Old Sulby (Brass Band) - Southward Piece 2: Fantasia on Manx Airs (Piano) - Reeve
Piece 3: Bath Medley from Andreas Flute Book (Folk Instruments) Piece 4: Miss L.F.'s Favourite from Andreas Flute Book (Folk Instruments)
Piece 5: Lovely Mona (Voice) Piece 6: Three Manx Dances (Orchestra) - W.H. Gill
Piece 7: Colvack Breck - Collection of J.F. Gill (Folk Instruments) Piece 8: Mona's Delight - Collection of J.F. Gill (Folk Instruments)
Piece 9: Carval Abban Rushen - Quayle (Choral) Piece 10: Castletown - Kelly (Solo Voice)
Piece 11: Graves at Patrick - Kelly (Solo Voice) Piece 12: King of the Earth and Sea - Kelly (Hymn)
Piece 13: Beautiful Mona Waltz - Bogetti (Piano) Piece 14: The Mona's Isle Polka - Smallwood (Piano)
Piece 15: The Douglas Polka - Pelham (Piano) Piece 16: Ben my Chree - Lightfoot (Solo Voice)
Piece 17: Kirk Christ Rushen Funeral Hymn (Solo Voice) Piece 18: Mona Macree - Linley (Solo Voice)
Piece 19: Son y Ree (Solo Voice) Piece 20: Tar Shiu Lhig (Solo Voice)
Piece 21: The Ould Times - W.W.Gill (Solo Voice) Piece 22: Berry Dowin - Mona Melodies (Solo Voice)
Piece 23: Had We Not Better Wait, My Dear - Mona Melodies (Solo Voice) Piece 24: O Sheign Doin - Mona Melodies (Solo Voice)
Piece 25: The Storm is Up - Mona Melodies (Solo Voice) Piece 26: Hunt the Wren - Mona Melodies (Piano)
Piece 27: Peel Fishermen - T.E. Brown (Solo Voice) Piece 28: Song - T.E. Brown (Solo Voice)
Piece 29: The Short Manx Litany - Denman (Choral) Piece 30: Song of the Three Steamers - W.H. Gill (Solo Voice)
Piece 31: St Bridget's Day - W.H. Gill (Choral) Piece 32: Absent - Southward (Brass)
Piece 33: Carran - Southward (Hymn) Piece 34: Mary - Southward (Hymn)
Piece 35: May - Southward (Hymn) Piece 36: Primrose Hill - Southward (Hymn)
Piece 37: Battle of Pairk-ny-Earkan A.D. 1857 - Southward (Choral) Piece 38: The Seasons - Southward (Choral)
Piece 39: Ellan Vannin - Gill (Solo Voice) Piece 40: Manx National Anthem - Gill (Choral)
Music Catalogue Bibliography Discography Dance Performers Calendar Contact Us Help www.manxheritage.com