Some cartographic esoterica

(Click the map, then click the magnifying glass to enlarge)

The name of each county, plus a few cities, is replaced by an appropriate piece of music - if not one that contains the area in its title, then with some connection to the county. Naturally, some were easier than others to devise. Wales, for all its rich musical traditions, is frustratingly short on songs or instrumental works that can be linked to any of the smaller regions. In particular, the number of bands originating from Cardiff is inversely proportional to the number of song lyrics actually mentioning the city. Devon proved equally difficult, and the somewhat ersatz 1920s song here is a desperate attempt to pin something on its cream-scone-and-beverage tourist industry. Mercifully, as the map shows only ceremonial rather than postal counties or unitary authorities, I have been spared some even trickier selections. What on earth would I have put for Rutland, for example?

Unsurprisingly, British composers account for the majority of entries. Vaughan Williams is the most represented, with three counties and a 'sea'; Walton, Bax, Holst, Elgar and James MacMillan are the next most common (3 each). A few 'foreigners' make it (Mendelssohn, Nicolai, Korngold, Grainger) as well as region-specific folk songs or traditional styles.

A few allocations require explanation, mostly due to their link being tenuous at best. Bedfordshire's and Hertforshire's most notable musical sons are the Renaissance composers John Dunstaple and Robert Fayrfax, respectively; whilst 1960s pop hit 'The Locomotion' for Cleveland is a reference to the Stockton-Darlington railway, upon which Robert Stevenson's engine 'Locomotion', ran. Northampton may seem even more of a puzzle unless the observer is aware that Silverstone racetrack lies (at least partially) inside the county. You've probably heard Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' without knowing what it was - it's the famous bass-guitar melody used as the title music to BBC motor racing broadcasts. And 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' is surprisingly appropriate for Humberside, given that the county as an administrative entity has never been politically popular. Furthermore, before the building of the Humber Bridge councillors regularly faced a hundred-mile journey between governmental centres. 'I Would Walk Five Hundred Miles' refers specifically to John O'Groats, for obvious reasons.

The more geographically pedantic will by now have spotted that 'Fingal's Cave' is incorrectly positioned, for the 'Hebrides Overture' actually refers to an island in the Inner Hebrides (Staffa, if you must know) and not the 'Outer' Isle of Lewis. (The sea shanty given to the Isle of Man, however, is merely a bad pun).

Four notable omissions: London, shaded red, has enough music written in its honour to merit a map of its own, which will be forthcoming in the future. Northern Ireland is also absent (I really couldn't think of anything besides the 'Londonderry Air') as are the Shetland Islands (much the same reason) and the other Channel territories (Scilly, Jersey, etc). Any suggestions?