What sort of tunes would the average man/woman have hummed on the streets of London during the 18th century? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

What sort of tunes would the average man/woman have hummed on the streets of London during the 18th century?

by JellyCqt

While hearing an elderly woman hum a classical piece of music on the streets today, it struck me that nowadays music is available to everyone, everywhere. What kind of music would the average Joe or Jane have been exposed to?

Elphinstone1842

I’ve written this post about popular British songs and street ballads of the 17th to early 18th centuries that includes a number of examples and song lists that might be of interest (although it is especially focused on songs relating to pirates and sailors and criminals).