What the Milton Keynes Song book contains
Volumes, sections and introductions:
The Milton Keynes Song Book is divided into two volumes: the first one (MKSB1) was published in 2017, the second (MKSB2) in 2024.
Each volume has four themed sections:
MKSB1: 1. Growing and Changing
2. Working Life and Hard Times
3. Wartime
4. Living and Loving
MKSB2: 1. Local places
2. Local people
3. Local events
4. Local stories
Following the general introduction to each of these themed sections, every one of the 76 songs in this collection contains the following:
For readers:
1. A ‘Back Story’ is provided to explain the origin of the song
– why it was written, by whom, and in what context.
The lives and experiences of the people who have lived in the Milton Keynes area throughout the last two hundred years replicate the nation’s heritage, but also show some remarkable distinctiveness.
- They range from the regional upheaval of widespread workers’ riots of the 1830s through the area’s collective traumas of two 20th century world wars - including how to untangle enemy cryptography.
- They cover the amazing local engineering feats, the vast housing expansion – and the rural disruption - of Wolverton’s railway age.
- They include the transformation of communities, intensified by Bletchley’s mass building for London overspill in 1946 and enhanced by the Masterplan of Milton Keynes New City in 1967.
Local people’s stories about all these have been made available by Living Archive Milton Keynes whose creative community projects include a dozen musical community documentary dramas:
‘(They) record, archive and celebrate the unique history and heritage of Milton Keynes…
‘Nurtured by the belief that “Everybody has a story to tell”, our work collects, preserves and shares the stories of residents’ lives, building a sense of place and using old memories to create new ones and bring communities together.’
2. A full Musical Score has been specially created for each song.
In some cases, the song had no original score, just the guitar chords or a melody line; or there might have been just one recorded performance, perhaps only on a long-playing vinyl record from the 1970s, or a cassette tape from the 1980-90s, or a CD from the early 2000s. Digital recording was yet to make a difference…
So a full musical score is essential.
The score is complemented by the song’s lyric and guitar chords to guide accompanying musicians of all instruments.
For singers:
1. A separate lyric is supplied.
Once melody and harmony lines have been established, some singers prefer to have only the words of the song before them, especially as a prompt in performance.
2. A separate lyric with guitar chords added is also supplied.
This is for the singer-guitarist who might not want to include all the score detail in their performance, or who might not be acquainted - or comfortable - with the format of a full score.
3. An Audio Guide is available as a digital download.
This MP3 file is to compensate for any lack of music specialists available, especially in schools. Anyone who loves singing – and who perhaps might lead a class of enthusiasts who themselves also do not read music – can use the audio guide to learn the melody of the song.
4. The song’s separate Melody and Backing are also available as digital downloads.
Again, if there is no music specialist to provide accompaniment in rehearsal, these MP3 files are a means for singers to become self-sufficient… perhaps even leading to an a cappella performance!
For listeners:
1. A performance of the song is available as a digital track download.
The performance on MP3 file may have been selected from a number of recordings, either from albums created by the Living Archive Band or from soundtracks of players in the original live show.
2. A weblink to a further performance is also available.
An example is from https:// livingarchiveband.bandcamp.com where the Living Archive Band’s albums can be accessed.