We did well with our quarter of CYNR this week, so I would like to go for a peal of it during the handbell weekend that I'm planning in April. Here's a survey of compositions to choose from. First, some essential criteria. I'm looking at tenors-together all-the-work compositions. It's possible to get all the work in a five part composition (either an exact five part, or sometimes with a variation in one part in order to adjust the length), so I will consider five-parts to reduce the learning required. CompLib has 12 compositions satisfying these conditions (searching in CompLib actually gives 15 results, but I have combined some of them which are variations). I will classify them first according to the part ends, then by other factors. I have removed the musical analysis as I am mainly interested in how easy the compositions would be to call and ring, but it can be found on CompLib.
1. Part ends 12345678, 13526478, 15634278, 16452378, 14263578
This part end group consists of the lead ends of Plain Bob Minor with 78 added at the end. I find them easy to check because of familiarity with Bob Minor, and their coursing orders are familiar because we ring a lot of compositions with blocks of 5 befores, which produce the same coursing orders. There are 8 compositions with this part end group. I will subdivide them according to the calling.
1.1. The calling of Middleton's (2M 2W 3H)
There are 5 compositions with this calling. It potentially gives 5600 if every course is 7 leads. Some of the compositions are indeed for 5600, shortened to 5056 in the same way that Middleton's composition of Cambridge is usually shortened: by replacing 2M 2W with B in one part. One is shortened to 5024 by shortening some courses. Others use short courses and then lengthen some of them to get a length of 5024.
1.1.1. Compositions reduced from 5600 to 5056 by replacing 2M 2W with B
5056 by Robert D S Brown
M W H 23456
-------------------------
- NNN.NYNY 43652
- - CCC.N.YCY 56234
- - YYYY.NYN. 23564
- CNCCCYC. 52364
- RRRRRRR. 35264
-------------------------
5 part.
In one part, replace 2M 2W by B and omit the associated leads.
1344 Y, 1312 C, 1280 N, 1120 R
80 changes of method; all the work.
The next one has rather more Lincolnshire. We rang the full length of 5600 for my 600th peal.
5056 by Robert D S Brown
M W H 23456
-------------------------
- CNC.YNNN 43652
- - NCN.C.YCC 56234
- - YYYY.CYY. 23564
- CNNNNYC. 52364
- RRRRRRR. 35264
-------------------------
5 part.
In one part, replace 2M 2W with B and omit the associated leads.
1440 N, 1248 C, 1248 Y, 1120 R
79 changes of method; all the work.
1.1.2. Compositions reduced from 5600 to 5024 by shortening courses
This is the first composition, shortened in a different way which results in much more Rutland.
5056 by Robert D S Brown
M W H 23456
---------------------------
- NNN.N[YNY] 43652
- - CCC.N.[YCY] 56234
- - YYYY.[NYN]. 23564
- CNCCCYC. 52364
- RRRRRRR. 35264
---------------------------
5 part.
In parts 3, 4 and 5, replace the bracketed methods with R.
1408 R, 1344 C, 1152 N, 1120 Y
74 changes of method; all the work.
1.1.3. Compositions extended from 4860 to 5024
The first of these two compositions is rung quite frequently on handbells. Peter Randall seems to like it. It has the fewest changes of method of any of these compositions, which can help with stability. Also it looks easy to learn. It can be made into a palindrome by either changing the fourth course to NNNCCCC or changing the fifth course to CCCNNNN.
5024 by Robert W Lee
M W H 23456
---------------------------
- YYY.YR 43652
- - R.RRRRR.[R] 56234
- - RY.YYY. 23564
- NNNNCCC. 52364
- CCCCNNN. 35264
---------------------------
5 part.
In part 2, replace [R] with NNN.
1408 R, 1280 Y, 1216 N, 1120 C
31 changes of method; all the work.
The next one has more changes of method, but a similar method balance.
5024 by Emma J Southerington
M W H 23456
-------------------------
- [R].CCNY 43652
- - CCC.YR. 56234
- - RRRRRR.R. 23564
- NNNNNYC. 52364
- YYYYYCN. 35264
-------------------------
5 part.
In part 1, replace [R] with NYN.
1408 R, 1312 Y, 1184 N, 1120 C
66 changes of method; all the work.
1.2. The calling B, extended with blocks of 3M and 3H
This is an attractive idea because of the simplicity of a B as a 5-part transposition, and then the composition is extended with two simple blocks of three bobs. If you think 5120 is too long, it's easy to shorten it by two leads. We rang the full length for the first peal of spliced by the Albany Quadrant band, in 2011, and again with Julia in 2012.
5120 (5056) by John S Warboys
M B H 23456
---------------------------
- R.Y[NNN] 43652
- YYY.CCCC 63254
- - - NNC.RR.RRR. 23564
- CYNNYYY. 52364
- CCRNN. 35264
---------------------------
5 part.
1440 N, 1280 C, 1280 Y, 1120 R
74 changes of method; all the work.
For 5056 replace [NNN] with R in part 3.
1344 N, 1280 C, 1280 Y, 1152 R
1.3. The calling W B 2H, extended with blocks of 3H and/or 3M
These compositions again use B to give the 5-part structure. The W and 2H are a block of three bobs on the same three bells, but the calling positions are different because the B shifts all the bells. The first composition uses one more block of three to increase the length. CompLib also has a trivial variation in which the third lead of one part is replaced by Y. Similarly to the previous composition, this one can be shortened by substituting a lead of R in one part.
5120 (5056) by Philip G K Davies
B W H 23456
--------------------------
- - CCCY.CCC. 45236
- YCYCNNN. 24536
- YYNN[YYY]. 52436
- - NN.NY. 52364
- RRRRRRR. 35264
--------------------------
5 part.
1344 Y, 1280 C, 1280 N, 1152 R
69 changes of method; all the work.
For 5056 replace [YYY] with R in part 1.
1344 N, 1280 C, 1280 Y, 1152 R
The next composition uses more short courses and therefore needs an extra 3M to get the length. It has the most changes of method of any of these compositions.
5120 by Donald F Morrison
M B W H 23456
------------------------------------
- - CYYN.CYC. 45236
- YRR. 24536
- NCRNN. 52436
- - CN.YN. 52364
3 - R.CYCRC.YNRYN.RY. 35264
------------------------------------
5 part.
1440 Y, 1280 C, 1280 N, 1120 R
144 changes of method; all the work.
2. Part ends 12345678, 13456278, 14562378, 15623478, 16234578
This part end group consists of cycles on 23456 with 8 added at the end. The part ends should be easy to check, but I am not familiar with the coursing orders.
5024 by Robert D S Brown
M W H 23456
-----------------------------
2 RY.YNRCY.[R] 35426
- - RC.R. 42356
- CR.NCY 54326
2 - NYN.NNRNY.RN. 56423
- YCRNC. 45623
-----------------------------
5 part.
Replace [R] with CYC in part 3.
1440 N, 1408 R, 1152 Y, 1024 C
137 changes of method; all the work.
3. Part ends 12345678, 14653278, 15236478, 13462578, 16524378
I don't see anything special about this part end group, either as changes or as coursing orders, and I don't find it appealing. Maybe I am missing something.
5056 by Robert D S Brown
M W H 23456
-------------------------
- - NCN.NNNC. 64352
- - RY.YYY. 35642
- [RRRRRRR]. 63542
- - CYCN.CCN. 54632
- YNYYR. 65432
- RCR. 46532
-------------------------
5 part.
Replace bracketed leads with RCR in parts 3, 4 and 5.
1280 N, 1280 R, 1280 Y, 1216 C
100 changes of method; all the work.
The final two compositions have a simpler calling and are similar to each other, with significantly different numbers of changes of method.
5056 by Robert D S Brown
M W H 23456
-------------------------
- - CCCN.YNY. 45236
- NYNCNYN. 24536
- YNYCR. 52436
- - - R.Y.R. 63425
- RYCCC. 46325
- [RNR]. 34625
-------------------------
5 part.
Replace bracketed leads with RRRRRRR in parts 4 and 5.
1280 C, 1280 R, 1280 Y, 1216 N
115 changes of method; all the work.
5056 by Robert D S Brown
M W H 23456
-------------------------
- - CCCC.NNN. 45236
- YYYNYYY. 24536
- NNNNR. 52436
- - - R.Y.R. 63425
- RCCCC. 46325
- [RYR]. 34625
-------------------------
5 part.
Replace bracketed leads with RRRRRRR in parts 4 and 5.
1280 C, 1280 N, 1280 R, 1216 Y
60 changes of method; all the work.
Conclusion
I like the Robert Lee composition for its simplicity, and I think I will call it next time we ring these methods. I'm not sure why I didn't choose it for our first peal of spliced. Maybe I didn't like the idea of the method substitutions in one part. When searching for quarter peal compositions, two callings come up that aren't used as the basis for any of these peals: M H W and W M. It could be interesting to explore them.