The Fiddler’s Companion

© 1996-2008 Andrew Kuntz

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BELL - BH

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Notation Note: The tunes below are recorded in what is called “abc notation.” They can easily be converted to standard musical notation via highlighting with your cursor starting at “X:1” through to the end of the abc’s, then “cutting-and-pasting” the highlighted notation into one of the many abc conversion programs available, or at concertina.net’s incredibly handy “ABC Convert-A-Matic” at

http://www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html 

 

**Please note that the abc’s in the Fiddler’s Companion work fine in most abc conversion programs. For example, I use abc2win and abcNavigator 2 with no problems whatsoever with direct cut-and-pasting. However, due to an anomaly of the html, pasting the abc’s into the concertina.net converter results in double-spacing. For concertina.net’s conversion program to work you must remove the spaces between all the lines of abc notation after pasting, so that they are single-spaced, with no intervening blank lines. This being done, the F/C abc’s will convert to standard notation nicely. Or, get a copy of abcNavigator 2 – its well worth it.   [AK]

 

 

 

BELL, THE.  See “The Ball.”

 

BELL COW [1], THE. AKA and see "Captain Collins," "Bob Ridley [2]," "The Belling Tune," "Montrose's March," "Rock and the/a Wee Pickle Tow," "The Highlander's March," "O'Sullivan Mor(e's March) [1]."

BELL COW [2], THE. AKA and see "The Squirrel Hunters," "Squirrel Hunting." USA, Pa. Bayard (1981) collected this tune from southwester Pa. fiddler James Taylor who stated this was the name for this tune around the town of Rogersville, Greene County, Pa., and who supplied this rhyme, sung with the tune:

***

I had a little dog, and Spotty was his name,

And he used to run the bell cow up and down the lane.

I fed her in the mush pot and milked her in the pail,

And away went the bell cow, stickin' up her tail.

                       

BELL PIANO REEL, THE. Canadian, Reel. Canada, Cape Breton. A Major. Standard tuning. AABB’. Composed by Cape Breton fiddler Dan Hughie MacEachern. Source for notated version: Winston Fitzgerald (1914-1987, Cape Breton) [Cranford]. Cranford (Winston Fitzgerald), 1997; No. 99, pg. 41. WMT002, Wendy MacIsaac – “That’s What You Get” (1997?).

                       

BELL HARBOUR. See “Bellharbour Reel.

                       

BELL REEL, THE. Scottish, Reel. Composed by Scottish fiddler Johnny Cunningham from the strathspey "Heather Bells." Green Linnet SIF 1059, "Relativity" (1985).

                       

BELLA UNION. American, Reel. E Major. Standard tuning. AABB. Composed by R. Tyson. New York researcher, writer and musician Don Meade believes this tune was named for San Francisco’s Bella Union, a “melodeon” or variety theatre. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 32. Miller (Fiddler’s Throne), 2004; No. 118, pg. 80. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 58.

X:1

T:Bella Union

M:C|

L:1/8

R:Reel

S:Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:E

(BA) | GzAz F2(AF) | GBeg fece | GzAz F2 (AF) | cedf ecBA | GzAz F2 (AF) |

GBeg fece | GzAz F2(AF) | cedf e2 :: (de) | .f(BAB) .g(BAB) | .a.B.g.B .f(BAB) |

.f(BAB) .g(BAB) | .a.f.d.f .e2(de) | .f(BAB) .g(BAB) | .a.B.g.B .f(BAB) | E(GB) e(eg) | {g}fedf e2 :|

                       

BELLADRUM HOUSE (Taigh Bhelladrum). Scottish, Strathspey. D Major. Standard tuning. One part (Hunter): AB (Hardie): AAB (Athole, Fraser, Kerr). Belladrum House is near Kiltarlity, Inverness. This tune "celebrates the line or race of an ancient and most respectable family in Inverness‑shire, that of Mr. Fraser of Belladrum, and not his mansion. It is, however, no compliment to say, that the magnificence of the mansion, the hospitality displayed there, and the useful ornamental improvements effected around it by the present and last proprietors, are not exceeded by that of any private gentleman north of the Tay" (Fraser). There is another tradtional Scottish tune connection with this estate through William Marshall—see note for “Mr. John Stewart's Reel--of Bombay.” This melody first appeared in print in Captain Simon Fraser's (1773-1852) Airs and Melodies peculiar the the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles, originally published in 1816. Source for notated version: Angus Cameron (Scotland) [Hunter]; J. Murdoch Henderson, 1902-1972 (Aberdeen, Scotland) [Hardie]. Fraser (The Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles), 1874; No. 158, pg. 64. Hardie (Caledonian Companion), 1986; pg. 25. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 103. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 3; Set 28, No. 1, pg. 17. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 102. Lismore Recordings LILP5044, Ron Gonella – “Fiddle Gems” (1976). Brian McNeill – “Monksgate” (1977).

X:1

T:Belladrum House

M:C|

L:1/8

R:Strathspey

B:Stewart-Robertson – The Athole Collection (1884)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:D

F|D/E/F F<B A>F F<B|A<F F>D E2 E<F|D/E/F F<B A>F F>G|F<A A>C D2D:|

f|d>Af>A g>Af>A|d<A f>d e2 e>f|d>Af>A g>Af>A|(3fga (3gfe (3dAF D>f|

d>fA>f d<f A>f|d/e/f A>f e2 e>f|d>f (3efd (3cdB (3ABG|F<A A>C D2D||

                       

BELLADRUM'S STRATHSPEY. Scottish, Strathspey. E Minor. Standard. AAB (Glen): AABB (Williamson). Belladrum, Gaelic for 'ford‑mouth‑ridge', is a small town in the region called the Aird near Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. Captain Simon Frazer of Knockie composed the tune and included it in his book Thirty Highland Airs and Strathspeys, published in 1816. Williamson (1976) notes: "Nearly all the pieces in the book are his. He published several books and researched and collected a large number of Highland song airs." Similar in many ways to "Mrs. Ramsay of Barnton [2]." Glen (The Glen Collection of Scottish Dance Music), vol. II, 1895; pg. 48. Williamson (English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes), 1976; pg. 65.

X:1

T:Belladrum

M:C

L:1/8

R:Strathspey

S:Glen Collection (1895)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:E Minor

B|E/E/E E>F G>A B<d|D/D/D AD FDAF|E/E/E E>F G>ABG|B,EE>^D E2E:|

e/f/|g>e f<^d e<B e2|~d>Bad FDAF|e>fed B^def|g>eB^d e2 Be/f/|

g <ef<d e<B e2|f<^c d>A F>DAf|gdeB dGAB|G<E B,>^D E2E||

                                   

BELLAMIRA. English, Country Dance Tune (2/2 time). G Minor. Standard tuning. AAB. Bellamira was the title of a play written by Sir Charles Sedley, produced in London in 1687. The melody was published in the seventh edition of John Playford’s English Dancing Master (1689, third supplement ‘C’). Barlow (The Complete Country Dance Tunes from Playford’s Dancing Master), 1985; No. 302, pg. 74. Barnes (English Country Dance Tunes), 1989.

X:1

T:Bellamira

M:C|

L:1/8

S:Playford – English Dancing Master, 7th Edition, 3rd supplement (1689)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:Bb

G2D4 AB|G4 B4|A2F2f2c2|A4 c4|B2G2d2g2|^f4 d4|

(ed)(cB) (AB) c2|B4 G4::G3 B/c/ d3 B/c/|d2B2G2B2|A3 A/B/ c3 A/B/|

c2A2F2f2|d3 g/a/ b3 a/g/|a2g2^f3 =e/f/|g2a2 a3g|g4 d3 B/A/:|

                       

BELLE BERGERE. French, Valse (3/4 time). Central France. C Major. Standard tuning. AB. Stevens (Massif Central), 1988, vol. 2; No. 53.

                       


BELLE CANADIENNE, LA. French‑Canadian, Jig and Trio. C Major ('A' and 'B' parts) & F Major (Trio part). Standard tuning. ABB'CC'. Messer (Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes), 1980; No. 186, pg. 130.

                       

BELLE CATHARINE [1], LA. AKA "Lady Belle Catherine." AKA and see "Come (Let Us) Dance and Sing," “Grandmother’s Polka,” "The Rising Sun [4]," "The Sons of William," "Inkle and Yarico [1]," "Shrewsbury Quarry,” “The 16th of October." British Isles, Reel. England; Shropshire, Dorset. D Major (most versions): C Major (Gow, Howe). Standard. AAB (Gow, Johnson): AABA (Ashman, Trim): AABB (Howe, Keller, Sweet). The tune (popular with fifers as well as fiddlers) dates from the 18th century (Moffatt‑Kidson gives it from 1780, calling it an "allemand"). Johnson (1988) also dates the tune to 1780, and Kate Van Winkler Keller (1992) calls it “one of the most popular tunes of the late 1780’s”. However, “Belle Catharine” appears in Bride’s Favourite Collection of 200 Select Country Dances, Cotillons, printed by Longman, Lukey & Broderip, London, a few years earlier, in 1776. The Gows printed it in their 2nd Collection (1788) in a section of county dances fashionable in Edinburgh in the 1787-88 season. London publishers Samuel, Ann and Peter Thompson included it in their Thompson’s Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 5 (1788). Keller notes the similarity with “The16th of October,” a melody printed in J. Preston’s Twenty Four Country-Dances (London, 1786), although it was Preston who earlier published it in his New Instruction for the German Flute (1780, London). Editor Gordon Ashman identifies “La Belle Catharine” as a melody used for the Shrewsbury Show, where it became the traditional tune for the Show under the title "Shrewsbury Quarry." See note for “Come (Let Us) Dance and Sing” for more.

***

“La Belle Catharine” appears in several British music manuscripts of the late 18th/early 19th century, including Shropshire musician John Moore (see source info. below), the Hardy family music manuscripts (Dorset), Joshua Jackson (near Harrogate, north Yorkshire), William Mittel (1799, New Romney, Kent), H.S.J. Jackson (1823, Wyresdale, Lancashire) and George Spencer (1831, Leeds, west Yorkshire). “Belle Catharine” was extremely popular in America as well, and appears in the period music manuscript copybooks of George Bush (see source info. below), Henry Beck’s commonplace book (1786, pg. 138), “William O. Adam’s Music Book” (1795, now in the Library of Congress), Connecticut musician James B. Hosmer’s commonplace book (1798-1799), the Joseph Ackerman copybook (New Hampshire, 1795), George Otis’s copybook (Worcester, Mass., 1793), J. Williams commonplace book (Salem, N.Y., 1799), and John Treat’s commonplace book (Durham?, c. 1779-1802), among others. A Canadian manuscript, the Thomas Molyneaux copybook (“Thomas Molyneaux, Ensign – 6th Regmt”, 1788) also contains the tune.

***

The following passage is from A Contribution to the History of the Huguenots of South Carolina (1887) by Samuel Dubose and Frederick Porcher. It describes a country dance in Craven County, South Carolina in the early 1800’s:

***

Nothing can be imagined more simple or more fascinating that those Pineville balls.

Bear in mind, reader, that we are discussing old Pineville as it existed prior to 1836.

No love of display governed the preparations; no vain attempt to outshine a com-

petitor in the world of fashion. Refreshments were provided of the simplest character,

such only as the unusual exercise, and sitting beyond the usual hours of repose, would

fairly warrant. Nothing to tempt the pampered appetite. Cards were usually provided

to keep the elderly gentlemen quite, and the music was only that which the gentlemen’s

servants could produce. The company assembled early. No one ever though of

waiting until bedtime to dress for the ball; a country-dance always commenced the

entertainment. The lady who stood at the head of the dancers was entitled to call for

the figure, and the old airs, Ca Ira, Moneymusk, Haste to the Wedding, and La Belle

Catharine were popular and familiar in Pineville long after they had been forgotten, as

dances, everywhere else. Ah, well do we remember with what an exulting step would

the young man, who had secured the girl of his choice, exhibit his powers of the poetry

of motion, when his partner called for the sentimental air of La Belle Catharine….

***

Source for notated version: The Entire New and Compleat Tutor for the Violin by 18th century Italian violinist Geminiani (who lived in the British Isles), via the Hardy Collection. See note for “Inkle and Yarico” for more. Sources for notated versions: a c. 1837-1840 MS by Shropshire musician John Moore [Ashman]; the music manuscript of Captain George Bush (1753?-1797), a fiddler and officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolution [Keller]. Aird (Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs), vol. 4, 1796; pg. 13. Ashman (The Ironbridge Hornpipe), 1991; No. 45a, pg. 16. Gow (Second Collection of Niel Gow’s Reels), 1788; pg. 36 (3rd ed.). Howe (Complete Preceptor for the Accordeon), c. 1843; pg. 5. Johnson (Twenty‑Eight Country Dances as Done at the New Boston Fair), vol. 8, 1988; pg. 2. Keller (Fiddle Tunes from the American Revolution), 1992; pg. 23. Skillern, 1780; No. 29. Sweet (Fifer’s Delight), 1964/1981; pg. 65. Trim (Thomas Hardy), 1990; No. 86. Wilson (Companion to the Ballroom), 1816; pg. 117. North Star NS0038, "The Village Green: Dance Music of Old Sturbridge Village." Wild Asparagus WA 003, Wild Asparagus - "Tone Roads" (1990).

X:1

T:La Belle Catharine

M:2/4

L:1/8

S:Riley’s Easy Flute Duets (c. early 19th century)

N:Publisher Riley was originally a composer, music engraver and

N:publisher who worked in London as late as 1805, but removed before

N:1814 to New York city.

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:D

d2 f/e/d/e/ | fddc | B2 e/f/e/d/ | cAAA | d2 f/e/d/e/ | fddc | Be {d}cB/c/ |

d/A/f/A/ D2 | FA A/B/A/G/ | FA A/B/A/G/ | FA d/e/f/d/ | e/d/c/B/ A/G/F/E/ |

Fa a/b/a/g/ | f/g/a/b/ a/b/a/g/ | f/g/a/f/ g/f/e/d/ | c/A/c/e/ a/g/f/e/ | d2 f/e/d/e/ |

f/g/a/f/ d/e/f/d/ | B/^d/e/f/ g/a/b/=d/ | c/d/e/d/ c/A/B/c/ | d2 f/e/d/e/ |

f/g/a/g/ f/e/d/c/ | B/(b/a/)g (f/e/)d/c/ | d/A/F/A/ D2 || f2 a/g/f/g/ a/d’/a/f/ d/a/f/d/ |

B/^d/e/f/ g/a/g/f/ | e/a/e/c/ A/g/f/e/ | f2 a/g/f/g/ | a/d’/a/f/ d/a/f/d/ |

g/b/a/g/ f/e/d/c/ | dd d2 | d/A/d/e/ f/a/f/e/ | d/A/d/e/ f/g/a/f/ | g/f/e/d/ c/B/A/G/ |

F/A/d/e/ f/g/f/e/ | d/A/d/e/ f/g/f/e/ | f/g/a/f/ b/a/g/f/ | e/d/c/B/ A/g/f/e/ |

f2 a/g/f/g/ | a/d’/a/g/ f/a/f/d/ | etc.

X:2

T:La Belle Cathrine

M:2/4

L:1/8

R:Country Dance Tune

B:Gow – 2nd Collection of Niel Gow’s Reels, 3rd ed., pg. 36  (orig. 1788)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:C

G|c2 (e/d/)c/d/|ec~cB|A2 (d/e/)d/c/|BG “tr”G2|c2 (e/d/)c/d/|eccB|Ad (c/B/)A/G/|

c2 C:||G/F/|EG”tr”G>F|EG Gc/B/|AA (d/e/)d/c/|BG “tr”G>F|EG GA/B/|

ce/c/ Bd/B/|cc {f}ed/c/|[G,3D3B3g3] G|c2 (e/d/)c/d/|ec”tr”cB|A2 (d/e/)d/c/|

BG “tr”G2|c2 (e/d/)c/d/|ec~c>B|Ad {c}BA/G/|”tr”c2 C||

 

BELLE CATHERINE [2], LA. AKA and see “Braes of Mar [1],” “Joe’s Toes,” "Reel des Noces," "Reel de Pius Boudreau." French-Canadian, Reel. A Major. Standard tuning. AABB (Songer). According to Quebec musician Benoit Bourque, “La Belle Catherine” is a colloquial French-Canadian term meaning an old maid, or an unmarried woman over the age of 25 (Songer). La Belle Catherine is also the name of a longways formation dance that was popular in Québec, one of the ‘grandes danses’ of the region. The dance itself may date from the 1700s and has been attributed by Marius Barbeau to French origins, according to Anne Lederman (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada, 1992). The tune, which can vary greatly from version to version, was in the repertoires of fiddlers Joseph Bouchard and Louis "Pitou" Boudreault (Chicoutimi, Quebec); the latter recorded the melody in 1975. Source for notated version: Dave Marshall (Vancouver, B.C.) [Songer]. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; pg. 27. Opus OP-219, Louis Boudrealt - "Portrait du vieux Kebec, volume 2." Nightingale - “The Coming Dawn.”

X:1

T:Belle Catherine, La

D:Nightingale, "The Coming Dawn"

S:Quebecois

R:reel

M:4/4

L:1/8

Z:Transcribed by Paul de Grae

K:C

EGce d2 c2|EGce d2 c2|Bcde fefg|ag^fg ec c z|

EGce d2 c2|EGce d2 c2|Bcde fefg|ag^fg c2 z2:|:

eg-ge gagf|egeg a2 z2|g2 ^fg bagf|ag^fg ec c z|

gggg gagf|egeg a2 z2|g2 ^fg bagf|ag^fg c2 z2:|

                       

BELLE CATHERINETTE, LA. French-Canadian, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning. AA’BB’: AABBCC (Miller).. Note the diminutive of the title. Source for notated version: “based on the playing of Phillipe Bruneau and Joseph Bouchard” [Miller]. Miller (Fiddler’s Throne), 2004; No. 119, pg. 81.

X:1

T:La Belle Catherinette

M:4/4

L:1/8

K:D

FAdf edd2|FAdfe2(3ded|cdef gfga|ba^ga fada|FAdf edd2|FAdfe2(3ded|

cdef gf ga |1 bgecd2d2:||2 bgecd2de || faaa abag| fafab2aa | aa^ga c'ba^g |

ba^ga fad2|faa a abag|fafab2aa|aa^ga c'ba^g |1 bagcd2de :||2 bagcd4 ||

                       

BELLE C'EST ENDORMIR, LA. French. Green Linnet SIF‑3050 Blowzabella ‑ "Vanilla" (1990).

                       

BELLE ELECTION. See "Belle of Lexington."

                       

BELLE HALIMANDE, LA. English, Country Dance (2/4 time). England, North‑West. G Major. Standard tuning. AAB. Knowles (Northern Frisk), 1988; No. 73.

                       

BELLE ISLE'S MARCH. AKA – “Belisle March,” "Bellisle's March." AKA and see "Monk's March," "General Monk's March," “(Lewis) Proudlock’s Hornpipe,” "The Review [2]." English, March and Morris Dance Tune (cut or 4/4 time). G Major (Bacon): D Major (Keller). Standard tuning. AABA (Bacon): AABB (Keller, Sumner). This very popular melody was published by Playford (see note for “Monk’s March”). The morris dance version was collected from the village of Longborough, Gloucestershire, in England's Cotswolds. Kate Van Winkler Keller (1992) suggests the title may refer to the small island of Belle-Île-en-Mer, located off the coast of Brittany, that was occupied by the British from 1761 to 1763. The march was published in a song-sheet under the “Bellisle” title to commemorate the occasion on the 27th of June, 1763, when King George III reviewed 3 regiments of footguards in Hyde Park (hence the alternate tite, “The Review”). “Belisle’s March” appears in the Scottish Gillespie Manuscript of Perth (1768) and in Longman & Broderip’s Entire New and Compleat Instructions for the Fife (London, 1780). A dance by that title was mentioned by MacTaggart in an account in The Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopedia of 1824 as being taught at a country dancing school of the time. The march was played in America in Colonial and Revolutionary eras, and appears in the music manuscript copybooks of George Bush and Henry Livingston, Jr.  Livingston purchased the estate of Locust Grove, Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1771 at the age of 23. In 1775 he was a Major in the 3rd New York Regiment, which participated in Montgomery’s invasion of Canada in a failed attempt to wrest Montreal from British control. An important land-owner in the Hudson Valley, and a member of the powerful Livingston family, Henry was also a surveyor and real estate speculator, an illustrator and map-maker, and a Justice of the Peace for Dutchess County. He was also a poet and musician, and presumably a dancer, as he was elected a Manager for the New York Assembly’s dancing season of 1774-1775, along with his 3rd cousin, John Jay, later U.S. Chief Justice of Governor of New York. Sources for notated versions: the music manuscript collection of Captain George Bush (1753?-1797), a fiddler and officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolution [Keller]; the 1823-26 music mss of papermaker and musician Joshua Gibbons (1778-1871, of Tealby, near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire Wolds) [Sumner]. Bacon (The Morris Ring), 1974; pg. 260. Keller (Fiddle Tunes from the American Revolution), 1992; pg. 19. Sumner (Lincolnshire Collections, vol. 1: The Joshua Gibbons Manuscript), 1997; pg. 73 (appears as “Bellisle March”). Willig (Compleat Tutor for the Fife), 1805.

X:1

T:Belle Isle’s March

M:4/4

L:1/8

S:Bacon – The Morris Ring

K:G

D | G2 G>B A2 A>c | B2 ge d3c | BdBG AcAF | G2 G>G G2 :|

|| d>edc B2B2 | c>dcB A2A2 | d>edc B2B2 | c>dcB A2 |

G2 G>B A2 A>c | B2 ge d3c | BdBG AcAF | G2 G>G G2 ||

X:2

T:Belisle March, The

M:C

L:1/8

R:Reel

S:Henry Livingston’s manuscript copybook, late 18th century

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:D

A2|d2 d>f e2e>g|f2 c’>b {b}a3g|f2 (3afd e2 (3gec|d2d>d d2 :|

|:A2|a>bag f2f2|g>aff {f}e4|a>ba>g f>gf>g|ab (ag/f/) {f}”tr”e3A|

z8|z2 d>d c2 c>e|d2 b>g {g}”tr”f3e|d2(3Adf A2 (3ecA|F2 F>F F2 :|

                                               

BELLE JEANNETTE, LA. English, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning. AABA. From The Entire New and Compleat Tutor for the Violin by Geminiani, via the Hardy Collection. Trim (Thomas Hardy), 1990; No. 96. Topic Records TSCD550, Brass Monkey – “Flame of Fire” (2004).

                       


BELLE JARDINIERE, LA. French, Single Jig. From Central France. E Dorian. Standard tuning. AB. Stevens (Massif Central), 1987, vol. 2; No. 113.

                       

BELLE LIEGEOISE, LA.  French, Country Dance (2/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. From the contradance book (tunes with dance instructions) of Robert Daubat (who styled himself Robert d’Aubat de Saint-Flour), born in Saint-Flour, Cantal, France, in 1714, dying in Gent, Belgium, in 1782. According to Belgian fiddler Luc De Cat, at the time of the publication of his collection (1757) Daubat was a dancing master in Gent and taught at several schools and theaters.  He also was the leader of a choir and was a violin player in a theater. Mr. De Cat identifies a list of subscribers of the original publication, numbering 132 individuals, of the higher level of society and the nobility, but also including musicians and dance-masters (including the ballet-master from the Italian opera in London). Many of the tunes are written with parts for various instruments, and include a numbered bass. Daubat (Cent Contredanses en Rond), 1757; No. 29.

X:1

T:Belle Liegeoise, La

M:2/4

L:1/8

S:Daubat – Cent Contredanses en Rond (1757), No. 29

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:G

B/c/d {e}d2 | B/c/d {e}d2 | e/f/g fe | dcBG | B/c/d {e}d2 | B/c/d {e}d2 |

e/f/g fe | {e}d2 D2 :: f/g/a {b}a2 | A/B/c {d}c2 | BG ec | A2D2 |

f/g/a {b}a2 | A/B/c c2 | BGcF | G2 G,2 :|

           

BELLE OF BOSTON. American, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning. AABB. Composed by E. Christie, who was not the Edwin P. Christy of black-face minstrel fame. Rather, E. (also Edwin?, but note the difference in spelling of the last name) was apparently a minor composer of light music from the Boston, Massachusetts, area in the mid-to-latter 19th century, although very little is known about him. Several of his compositions appear in Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883), printed in Boston by Elias Howe’s company. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 42. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 69.

X:1

T:Belle of Boston

M:2/4

L:1/8

R:Reel

S:Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:D

(3A/B/A/F/A/ d/f/a/A/ | (3B/c/B/G/B/ e/g/b/B/ | (3c/d/c/A/c/ e/g/c’/b/ | b/a/^g/a/ b/a/f/d/ |

(3A/B/A/F/A/ d/f/a/A/ | (3B/c/B/G/B/ e/g/b/B/ | (3c/d/c/(A/c/) e/b/a/c/ |1 dcB_B :|2 dfdz |:

(3b/c’/b/g/d/ B/d/g/b/ | (3a/b/a/f/d/ A/d/f/a/ | (3g/a/g/e/c/ A/c/f/e/ | e/d/c/d/ f/a/d’/c’/ |

(3b/c’/b/g/d/ B/d/g/b/ | (3a/b/a/f/d/ A/d/f/a/ | (3g/a/g/e/c/ A/c/f/e/ |1 dfga :|2 dcB_B ||

                       

BELLE OF CLAREMONT HORNPIPE. AKA and see "Dolly Brown." See "Wagoner [1]," "Tennessee Wagoner." American, Hornpipe. C Major (Cole, Ford, Ryan): D Major (Kerr). Standard tuning. AABB (Cole, Ford): AA'BB' (Kerr). The tune that R.P. Christeson believes "Wagoner" is derived from. Bayard (1981) agrees, in part, but says both come from older tunes. See my summary of Bayard's research under "Tennessee Wagoner."

***

The origins of the title are unclear. If was assume an American provenance for the title, the most famous ‘Claremonts’ are Robert Fulton’s original steamship of that name (spelled somewhat differently, The Clermont), and the mansion it was named for, Claremont, New York, on the banks of the river (the Hudson) that his  steamship plied. The mansion stood north of Grant’s Tomb and was built soon after the American Revolution by one Michael Hogan, who had once been a fellow midshipman with Prince William, King George III’s third son. Hogan entertained the Prince at Claremont when the latter visited America. Later, when Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s elder brother, was in America after the Battle of Waterloo, he lived at Claremont. Fulton’s steamship had its first trials on the river opposite the mansion. An 1893 account entitled “Sunday in Greenwich Village” (see http://www.oldandsold.com/articles11/new-york-history-16.shtml)  records that “Two of the company on Fulton’s first steamboat voyage down the Hudson have but lately passed to the other side of the sea of time. Dr. William Perry, who lived at Exeter, New Hampshire, and who survived his ninety-eighth birthday, rode from Albany to Kingston on the return trip of the steamboat, and had a vivid remembrance of the incidents of that eventful voyage. He declared that the name of the boat was not the Clermont, and has been generally accepted, but Katharine of Claremont, so called in honor of Fulton’s wife, who was a daughter of Chancellor Livingston, and her family, to whose liberality he owed the money to carry out his idea of a vessel propelled by steam.” It is possible, then, that the ‘belle’ of the title was Katharine.

***

Alternatively, there were connections in Ryan’s Mammoth Collection with mid-18th century musicians from around Claremont, New Hampshire, from whom this title possibly derived. Michael McKernon has uncovered through his researches a musical northern New England family named Densmore who are credited in Ryan’s with a couple of tunes. Michael identifies the Densmores from old accounts as “probably O. Densmore from Chelsea, Vermont, who led a dance band in the 1840’s and 1850’s, and/or a relative of C. Densmore, Claremont, New Hampshire, a musician/band leader of the same era. Though I have no record of a T. Densmore per se, the Messrs. Densmore’ from Chelsea (along with a Densmore [probably C.] from Claremont), joined more than two dozen musicians who played at a Musicians’ Annual Ball in Lebanon, New Hampshire, in 1847. O. Densmore was (at least) once listed as playing the ‘clarionet’ (clarinet).” [Fiddle-L archives, 20 Feb, 2001). Although there is no date of publication for the Kerr’s Merry Melody collections, they were published around the same time as Ryan’s Mammoth (1883) and share many of the same tunes. It is hard to tell which was published first, although a review of titles suggests Ryan’s was the earlier publication.

***

Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 106. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 121 (appears as "Dolly Brown"). Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 2, c. 1880’s; No. 352, pg. 39. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 142.

X:1

T:Belle of Claremont

M:2/4

L:1/8

R:Hornpipe

S:Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:C

C/C/C C/E/G/E/ | c/E/G/E/ c/E/G/E/ | D/D/D D/F/A/F/ | d/F/A/F/ d/F/E/D/ | C/C/C C/E/G/E/ |

c/E/G/E/ c/E/G/E/ | D/f/e/f/ e/d/c/B/ | [Ec][Ec][Ec]z :: e/c/.c e/c/g/c/ | e/c/c/e/ .gd/c/ |

B/G/.G B/G/d/G/ | B/G/G/B/ d/f/e/d/ | e/c/.c e/c/g/c/ | e/c/c/e/ gG | A/a/g/f/ e/d/c/B/ | [Ec][Ec][Ec]z :|

                       

BELLE INCONNUE, LA. French, Bouree a Deux Temps (2/4 time). E Dorian. Standard tuning. AABB. Composed by J. Blanchard. Stevens (Massif Central), 1987; No. 89.

                       

BELLE OF LEXINGTON. AKA and see "Belle Election" (John Patterson’s title), “The Hauling Home,” "Kitty's Wedding [1]," “Mrs. Smith’s Reel,” "Smith's Delight," "Smith's Reel." Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA; western Virginia (Grayson and Carroll Counties). D Major. Standard tuning. AABB. The tune, related to "Smith's Reel" and apparently derived from the Irish hornpipe “Kitty’s Wedding,” was recorded by legendary southwestern Virginia fiddler Emmett Lundy. Sources for notated versions: Emmett Lundy (Galax, Va.) [Krassen]; Skip Gorman [Phillips]; Peter Boveng [Silberberg]. Krassen (Masters of Old Time Fiddling), 1983; pg. 34. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 1, 1994; pg. 22. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 7. Rounder Records 0058, John Patterson ‑ "Old Originals, Vol. 2" (1978. Also issued under Heritage 5).

X:1

T:Belles of Lexington

T:Belle of Lexington

M:2/4

L:1/8

K:D

(a2|:a) f/a/ b/a/f/d/|e/f/d/f/ e/d/B/d/|A/B/d/f/ e/a/f/d/|e(e e)(a|a)f/a/ b/a/f/d/|

d/f/d/f/ e/d/B/A/|f/e/d/d/ d/B/A/F/|[DA] [DA] [D2A2]:|

f/e/|:dB/d/ A/A/F/D/|E/D/F/E/ D/B,/(3G,/4B,/4B,/4|A,/B,/D/c/ B/A/D/F/|

[E/A/][Ae][A/e/] [Ae]f/e/|dB/d/ A/A/F/D/|E/D/F/E/ D/B,/(3G,/B,/B,/|

A,/B,/D/D/ d/B/A/F/|[DA][DA] (D2A2]:|

X:2

T:Belle of Lexington

M:C|

L:1/8

S:Bruce Molsky, based on Emmett Lundy’s original

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:D

fe | d2 Bd A2 [F2A2] | {E/F/}EDFE D B,2 B, | A,B,DF dBAc | B(e e)e egfe |

d2 Bd A2 [F2A2] | {E/F/}EDFE D B,2 B, | A,B, D2 dBAF | D3 D D2 :|

|: fg | a2 fa bafd | efdf edBd | AB d2 eafd | e2 e4 fg | a2 fa bafd |

efdf edBA | fe d2 dBAF | D6 :|

                       

BELLE OF THE BALL [1]. American, Hornpipe. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 107. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 143.

X:1

T:Belle of the Ball [1]

M:2/4

L:1/8

R:Hornpipe

S:Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:G

B/A/B/G/ c/B/c/A/ | B/g/f/e/ e/d/c/B/ | c/d/e/f/ g/b/g/e/ | c/B/A/G/ F/A/F/D/ |

B/A/B/G/ c/B/c/A/ | B/g/f/e/ e/d/c/B/ | A/a/f/d/ g/d/A/F/ | GGG z :|

|: d/e/d/B/ g/f/e/d/ | e/f/g/e/ a/g/f/e/ | d/g/b/a/ g/f/e/d/ | e/d/c/B/ A(B/c/) |

d/e/d/B/ g/f/e/d/ | e/^d/e/f/ g/f/g/a/ | b/g/e/c/ B/A/G/F/ | GGGz :| 

 

BELL(E) OF THE BALL [2]. Irish, Highland Fling (cut time). A Major. Standard tuning. AABB. O’Brien (Jerry O’Brien’s Accordion Instructor), 1949.

See also listing at:

Alan Ng’s Irishtune.info

X:1

T:Belle of the Ball [2]

M:C|

L:1/8

R:Highland Fling

S:Jerry O’Brien’s Accordion Instructor (1949)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:A

E|A2 c>A d2 B>G|A2 c>A e>cd>B|A2 c>A d2 B>G|A>cB>A G>EF>G|

A2 c>A d2 B>G|A>ce>c d>cB>g|a>ef>d e>cA>c|B>EF>G A2:|

|:e2|a2 a2 A>B (3cBA|a2 a2 Bc (3dcB|e>fe>c A>Bc>A|F>BB>A G<E E>e|

a2a2 A>B (3cBA|a2 a2 B>c (3dcB|e<a e>d c>BA>c|B>EF>G A2:|

                       

BELLE OF THE KITCHEN [1]. AKA and see “Kitty of Coleraine,” “New York Jig [3],” “Paddy’s Resource [1],” "The Rover [2].” Irish, Jig. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. Don Meade remarks the tune was printed by O’Neill as “Paddy’s Resource,” although it is best known now as the “New York Jig.” It may be that the “Belles of the Kitchen” title of this tune was in some way associated with the comic play Belles of the Kitchen, performed in the United States at the Union Square Theatre in 1873 by the Vokes Family, three sisters and one brother, who were popular in pantomimes and burlesques in London during the late 1860’s and throughout the 1870’s. The Vokes had been a theater family for generations, and the celebrated Vokes siblings had been onstage since toddlerhood. The success of the play spawned a number of “Belles of the Kitchen” titles in 1870’s popular music, including a galop, polka, and a schottische. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 72. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 102.

X:1

T:Belle of the Kitchen [1]

M:6/8

L:1/8

R:Jig

S:Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:G

GBG EDE | GBd (e2d) | gBB B2A | GEE E2D | GBG EDE | GBd (e2d) |

gBB B2A | BGG G2z :: GBd GBd | GBd ede | GBd efg | dcB AGA |

GBd efg | dcB AGA | BGD D2d | BGG G2z :|

 

BELLE OF THE KITCHEN [2].