The Fiddler’s
Companion
© 1996-2007 Andrew Kuntz
_______________________________
HOME ALPHABETICAL
FILES REFERENCES
|
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]
|
FLOW RAIN WALTZ. Document 8028, Mumford Bean &
His Itawabians – “Mississippi String Bands, vol. 2” (reissue).
FLOWER FROM THE FIELDS
OF ALABAMA. Old‑Time. USA, Kentucky. County
788, Clyde Davenport (Monticello, Ky.) ‑
"Clydeoscope: Rare and Beautiful Tunes from the Cumberland Plateau" (1986). Gennett
Records (78 RPM), Burnett and Rutherford (1928).
FLOWER OF CALEDONIA. Scottish, Strathspey. G Minor. Standard tuning. AABB. Carlin (Master Collection), 1984; No. 138, pg. 84.
FLOWER OF DONNYBROOK. Cited as having commonly been played for country
dances in Orange County, New York, in the 1930's (Lettie Osborn, New York Folklore Quarterly).
FLOWER OF DUMBLANE. Scottish, Jig. C Major. Standard tuning.
AABCC' (Hardings): AAB (Carlin). Carlin (Master
Collection), 1984; No. 160, pg. 95.
Harding’s All Round Collection, 1905; No. 136, pgs. 42‑43 (appears as
"Flower of Dunblane").
FLOWER OF ERIN’S GREEN SHORE, THE. Irish, Air (3/4
time). G Minor (Petrie): G Dorian (O’Neill). Standard
tuning. AB. Source for notated version: “From P. MacDowell, Esq.”
[Stanford/Petrie]. O’Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850
Melodies), 1903/1979; No. 486, pg. 85. Stanford/Petrie
(Complete Collection), 1905; No. 809,
pg. 202.
X:1
T:Flower(s)
of Erin’s Green Shore, The
M:3/4
L:1/8
R:Air
N:”Slow”
S:O’Neill –
Music of Ireland (1903), No. 486
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:G Minor
G>A|B2A2B2|G2 G>F D>=E|^F2
G2 G>A|B2B2d2|c3B (3GF=E|F4 f>e|
D2B2 {d}cB|G2 A>G FD|^F2G2 G>A|B2c2
BG|A>B/4A/4 G2 G2|G4||B>c|
D2d2 d=e|f2d2 cB|G2F2 df|g2f2 dc|B2
{d}c>B (3GF=E|F4 f>e|d2B2 {d}cB|
G2 A>G (3GFD|^F2 G2 G>A|B2c2
BG|A>B/4A/4 G2G2|G4||
FLOWER OF FANCY, A. Irish, Air (3/4 time). D Minor. Standard tuning. AB. O’Neill (O’Neill’s Irish Music), 1915; No. 89, pg. 50.
X:1
T:Flower of Fancy, A
M:3/4
L:1/8
R:Air
S:O’Neill – O’Neill’s Irish Music (1915)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:D Minor
DE | F4 ED | d4 cB | {A/B/}A2
{G/A/}G2E2 | D4 de | f2d2 ^ce | d2A2AB | A2 {G/A/}GF E<A | D4 ||
A2 | d2f2 ed | {d/e/}d=c A2 AG |
F2G2(3AB^c | d4 de | f2e2 {d/e/}d^c | d4 AB | A2 {G/A/}GF E<A | D4 ||
FLOWER OF FINAE, THE. Irish, Air. The song is from County Cavan. The theme is a young woman’s
anguish over her lover who fails to return from the war. She becomes a nun, but
eventually goes to seek him, only to discover him mortally wounded on the
battlefield. The setting is the 18th century, during the time of the
Wild Geese. Compass 7 4287 2, Cathal
McConnell – “Long Expectant Comes at Last” (2000).
FLOWER OF THE FLOCK
[1], THE ("Blat Na
Treada" or "Scot an Pobuil"). AKA - “Flowers of the Flock.” AKA and see “My Love is Such a Fair One.” Irish,
Reel. G Major (Mulvihill, O'Neill): A Major (Roche). Standard. AAB. Taylor (1992) believes O'Neill's version
and his, from the playing of the band Shaskeen, are, "strictly
speaking," incompatible, but this statement is curious, for the two versions are clearly closely
related. Other related tunes are "The Rose in the Garden" and
“My Love is Such a Fair One,” found in Breathnach’s Ceol Rince na hÉireann, vol. 2, No. 150 and vol. IV, No. 176, respectively.
Sources for notated versions: Tony Smith (County Cavan & Dublin)
[Mulvihill]; Francis O'Neill learned the tune from a young Limerick man named James Moore during the
winter of 1875.
Moore, a flute player without an instrument, lived in a cold boarding-house
across the street from O'Neill and often availed himself of O'Neill's
hospitality ensconcing himself on a "cozy seat on the woodbox back of our
kitchen stove" while borrowing O'Neill's flute to play on. Moore, complained a frustrated O'Neill,
often did not remember the names of the tunes he played ("a very common
failing") and was lost track of when he moved to New York in the spring [O'Neill, Irish Folk Music]. Button accordion
player Joe Derrane recorded the reel on a 78 RPM in the late 1940’s (paired
with his composition “Peter Feeney’s Dream”) for Boston-based Copley Records. Mulvihill (1st
Collection), 1986; No. 55, pg. 14. O'Neill (O’Neill’s Irish Music), 1915/1987; No.
260, pg. 134. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 102.
O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903/1979;
No. 1238, pg. 233. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 512, pg. 96. Roche Collection, 1982,
vol. 1; No. 184, pg. 71. Taylor (Through the Half‑door), 1992; No.
30, pg. 22. Shaskeen ‑ "Atlantic Breeze." Great Meadow Music GMM 2018, Frank Ferrel
& Joe Derrane – “Fiddledance” (2004). Green Linnet SIF3011, Bothy
Band - “1975.” Nimbus
NI5415, Martin O'Connor - "Across the Waters." Philo FI 22018,
"Jean Carignan Plays the Music of Coleman, Morrison & Skinner"
(Carignan learned the tune from a recording by accordionist Joe Derrane).
X:1
T:Flower of the Flock
M:C|
L:1/8
R:Reel
K:G Major
DEGA BG~G2 | cABG AGEG | DEGA ~B3 e
| dBAc BGG2 :||
~g3 e d2Bd | cABG AGEG | ~g3 e d2Bd
| eaag agef |
~g3 e d2Bd | cABG AGEG | DEGA ~B3 e
| dBAc BGG2 ||
X:2
T:gan
ainm
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Brian Rooney
Z:Brendan
Taafe
R:Reel
K:G
|| DEGA ~B3 A|c2 Bc A~E3|DEGA BABc|dBAc BGGE| DEGA ~B3 A|
c2
Bc A~E3|DEGA BABc|dBAc BA G2|| dgge dcBG| (3ABA) GB AGEA|
dgge
d2 dg|eaag agef|~g3e d2dB| c2 Bc A~E3|DEGA BABc|dBAc BA G2||
FLOWER OF THE FLOCK
[2], THE.
AKA and see "The
Fairhaired Boy [2]" (An Buachaillin Fionn).
FLOWER OF THE FOREST.
See “Flowers of the Forest [2].”
FLOWER OF THE MORNING. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Kentucky. A Major. Standard. AA'BB'. The tune, in the
repertoire of blind northeast Kentucky fiddler Ed Hayley, incorporates
elements of "Run,
Johnny/N....r/Boy/Smoke, Run," according to Mark Wilson and Guthrie
Meade (1976). Source for notated version: Ed Haley (Ky.) [Phillips]. Phillips
(Traditional American Fiddle Tunes),
1994; pg. 89. Rounder 1010,
Ed Hayley - "Parkersburg
Landing" (1976).
FLOWER O' THE QUERN, THE. AKA and see “Tribute to the Queen.” Scottish,
Slow Air (4/4 time). A Major. Standard. One Part (Hunter, Neil, Skinner): AABB
(Martin). A quern (pronounced 'kern') is Gaelic for 'hollow'. The melody was
published in song form by J. Gordon Phillips, Elgin (Scotland), whose words were written as a
tribute to a young woman, Mary Morrison. Mary, who lived in Forres in the
latter half of the 19th century, was described as "the bonniest lass from Inverness to Aberdeen", but was widowed at an early
age. She remarried David Flyslop who was the chauffeur to the Earl of Moray,
and lived in a lodge at the end of one of the driveways to Darnaway Castle. The music was composed by J. Scott Skinner as a tune for the song, but the
melody also became popular as a slow air. It appears in his Logie Collection, dedicated to another
girl, Miss Jessie Stockwell.
***
The flo‑ers grow fair on the lowland vales,
an' green grow the wids on the braes,
an' saft an' low sing the scented gales
in the lang, lang simmer days;
But dearer to me are the mountains blue
where grow the heath an' fern,
an' the bonniest flo'er is the ane I lo'e
that blooms 'mang the braes o' the Quern.
***
Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 28 (arranged by James Hunter
for string quintent). Martin (Ceol na
Fidhle), vol. 1, 1991; pg. 14 (includes a harmony part). Neil (The Scots Fiddle), 1991; No. 88, pg.
119. Skinner (The Scottish Violinist),
pg. 35.
FLOWER
OF THE VALE, THE. Irish, Air (6/8 time). A Minor.
Standard. AB (Joyce): AABB (O’Farrell). The ‘vale’ of the title may refer to
the Golden Vale of Ireland, a large fertile region. Joyce (Old Irish Folk Music and Songs), 1909; No. 689, pg. 346. O’Farrell
(Pocket Companion, vol. III), c.
1808; pg. 68.
X:1
T:Flower of the Vale, The
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:Air
S:O’Farrell – Pocket
Companion, vol. III (c. 1808)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s
Companion
K:A Minor
A | EAA A2G | EAA A2B | GAG BAG | dBG G3 | EAA A2G | EAA A2a
|
e>dc dcB | ecA A2 :: B | cd(e/f/) gag | gfe gab | GAG BAG
| dBG G2 (c/B/) |
AB(c/d/)
edc | deg a3 | e>dc dcB | ecA A2 :|
X:2
T:Flower of the Vale
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:Air
N:”Mod.: time well marked”
S:Joyce – Old Irish Folk Music
and Songs (1909), No. 689
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:A Minor
A | EAA A2G | EAA A2B | GAG BAG |
dBG G3 | EAA A2G | EAA A2a |
e>dd dcB | ecA A2 || B | cde/f/
gag | gfe gab | GAG BAG | dBG G2 c/B/ |
ABc/d/ edc | deg a3 | edc dcB | ecA
A2 ||
FLOWER OF YOUNG
MAIDENS. Irish, Air (2/4 time). E Flat
Major. Standard. One part. Stanford/Petrie (Complete
Collection), 1905; No. 860, pg. 214.
X:1
T:
M:Flower of Young Maidens
M:2/4
L:1/8
S:Stanford/Petrie – Complete
Collection (860)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:E_
E/>G/ | BB cB/G/ | B>e
c/>B/G/F/ | E2 GF | E3 G/>F/ | EE G/B/c/d/ | ec f>e | d<B dc |
B3 G/>F/ | EE G/B/c/d/ | ec
(f>e) | d>c cB/G/ | F2 EE/G/ | BB (cB/).G/ |
B>e c/>B/G/F/ | E2 G{G}F | E3
||
FLOWER POTT. English. England, Northumberland. One of the
"missing tunes" from William Vickers' 1770 Northumbrian dance tune
manuscript.
FLOWERS FROM HEAVEN. American, Waltz. B Flat Major. Standard. AA'BB'. Source for notated
version: Art Galbraith (Springfield, Mo.) [Phillips]. Phillips
(Traditional American Fiddle Tunes),
Vol. 2, 1995; pg. 254. Rounder
0157, Art Galbraith - "Simple Pleasures."
FLOWERS IN MAY. See “Rover [4].”
FLOWERS IN THE VALLEY, THE (Na Blata 'Nnsa N-Gleann). Irish, Air (6/8 time). D Major.
Standard. AB. O'Neill (Music of Ireland:
1850 Melodies), 1903/1979; No. 612, pg. 108.
X:1
T:Flowers in the Valley, The
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:Air
N:”Moderate”
S:O’Neill –
Music of Ireland (1903), No. 612
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:D
d/e/|f>gf e<af|d>cd ec
d/B/|A>BG FAd|d>ef e2 d/e/|f>gf e<af|dcd ec d/B/|
A>BG FAd|eBc d2||f|fde f<b
a/g/|fde f<d f/e/|ecd e<af|ecB A2A|dfe f/d/ze|
f>ga g/e/ ze|gab b/a/g/f/e/d/|eBc
d2 c/B/|ABG F/A/ zd/e/|f>ga g/e/ zf|
g>ab b/a/g/f/e/d/|eBc {B/c/} d2||
FLOWERS OF ARDIGNE. AKA and see “Chief
O’Neill’s Favorite,” “Flowers of Adrigole.”
FLOWERS OF ADRIGOLE, THE. AKA and see “Chief O’Neill’s Favorite.”
Irish, Hornpipe. D Major. Standard. AABB. Roche
Collection, 1982, vol. 2; No. 203, pg. 8.
FLOWERS OF ANTRIM [1], THE (Na Blata Antruim). AKA and see “Dunn’s Hornpipe,” “The Marquis of Lorne [1],” “McDermott’s Hornpipe [3],” “The Sligo Fancy.” Irish, Hornpipe. G Major.
Standard. AABB. See also the related “McDermot’s No. 2.” O'Neill (Krassen),
1976; pg. 186. O'Neill (Music of Ireland:
1850 Melodies), 1903/1979; No. 1655, pg. 308. Yodel‑ay‑hee
Records 108327, The Critton Hollow Stringband ‑ "Poor Boy"
(1979).
FLOWERS OF ANTRIM [2]. AKA and see “The Shaskeen (Jig).”
Irish, Jig. Tola Custy and Cyril O'Donoghue - “Setting
Free.”
FLOWERS OF BALLYMOTE, THE. AKA and see “The Maids of Donegal,” “The Sunny Banks.”
FLOWERS OF BROOKLYN,
THE.
Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard. AABB’.
Composed (originally in the key of E flat) by Brooklyn-born B/C button
accordion player Billy McComiskey (Baltimore, MD). McComiskey was challenged by
piano accordion player Lori Anders to produce tunes on the button box in the
keys of Eb and Bb, no problem on the piano accordion, but nearly impossible on
the button accordion system (who also wrote “The Palm Tree” in B flat). Source
for notated version: New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in
Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker]. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 112, pg. 34. Green Linnet GLCD 1004, Billy McComiskey –
“Makin’ the Rounds” (1981). Green Linnet GLCD 1162, Kevin Crawford – “The ‘D’ Flute Album”
(1995).
X:1
T:Flowers
of Brooklyn, The
C:Billy McComiskey
S:Mike Rafferty
D:Kevin Crawford: D flute album
Z:lesl
M:C|
K:G
B{c}BAB GE~E2|DAAG FAd2|dg~g2 edcB|A2FA DGBd|
B2AB GE~E2|DAAG FAd2|dg~g2 ecAF|1 GBAF G~G2A:|2 GBAF G~G2z||
d2ge agfg|ea~a2 c'aa2|ge~e2 dGBd|cAAG FAd2|
d2ge agfg|ea~a2 c'aa2|gbag fdcA|GBAF G~G2z|
d2ge agfg|ea~a2 c'aa2|ge~e2 dGBd|cAAG FAdc|
B2AB GE~E2|DAAG FAd2|dg~g2 ecAF|GBAF G4||
FLOWERS OF CAHIRCIVEEN. AKA and see "The
Countryman's Reel." Irish, Reel. B Flat Major. Standard. AABB. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 13. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 36.
X:1
T:Flowers of Cahirciveen
M:2/4
L:1/8
R:Reel
S:Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:B_
F | B/d/f/a/ b/f/g/f/ | e/d/c/B/
A/c/F/E/ | D/F/B/d/ A/B/c/d/ | e/c/d/B/ A/c/F |
B/d/f/a/ b/f/g/f/ | e/d/c/B/
A/c/F/E/ | D/F/B/d/ E/F/A/c/ | e/c/A/c/ B :|
|: (F/E/) | (D/F/)(B/F/)
(d/F/)(B/F/) | (D/F/)(B/F/) (d/F/)(B/F/) | (E/G/)(B/G/) (e/G/)(B/G/) |
(E/G/)(B/G/) (e/G/)(B/G/) |
(D/F/)(B/F/) (d/F/)(B/F/) | (D/F/)(B/F/) (d/F/)(B/F/) |
(e/A/).c/.e/ (A/c/).e/.A/ |
.c/.e/.A/.c/ B :|
FLOWERS OF DONNYBROOK. AKA and see "Flowers of
Edinburgh."
FLOWERS OF DUNGARVAN, THE (Blata Dun-Garbain). Irish, Double Jig. D Major.
Standard. AABB. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems),
1907/1986; No. 348,pg. 72.
X:1
T:Flowers of Dungarvan, The
L:1/8
M:6/8
S:O’Neill –
Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems (1907), No. 348
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:D
G|AFD DdB|AdF FED|Bcd ged|cAA
A2B|ABG FED|BdB ABc|dfa gfe|fdd d2:|
|:e|fed afd|edc Bcd|AFA Daf|gfg
e2a|fed ecA|dAG FGA|Bcd eag|fdd d2:|
FLOWERS OF EDINBURGH [1] (Blata Duin-Eudain). AKA ‑
"Flooers o' Edinburgh." AKA and see "Cois Lasadh/Leasa" (Beside a Rath), “Earl of Hopetown’s Reel,” "Flowers of Donnybrook," "My Love's Bonny When She
Smiles On Me," "My
Love was Once a Bonny Lad," "Rossaviel," "To the Battle Men of Erin,"
"Old Virginia."
Scottish (originally), Shetland, Canadian, American; Scots Measure, Country
Dance Tune or Reel: English, Reel, Country or Morris Dance Tune (4/4, cut or
2/2 time); Irish, Reel or
Hornpipe. Originally from Scotland, Lowlands region. USA; New England, southwestern Pa., Missouri, New York, Arizona. Canada; Prince Edward
Island, Cape Breton. G Major (most versions): Morris
version in D Major (Mallinson). Standard. AB (Bacon,
Kerr): AAB (Bain, Mitchell): AABB (most versions): AA'BB (Phillips). Gow and
others credit composition of the melody to James Oswald (Gow). Its earliest
appearance in print is in Oswald’s c. 1742 collection of Curious Collection of Scots Tunes (II), which appeared in London
and contained the “Flowers” tune as a “crude” song entitled "My Love's
bonny when she smiles on me.” He printed the melody again in 1750 with the
words "My love was once a bonny lad." The first version of the song
and tune with the title "The Flower of Edinburgh" appeared in The Universal Magazine, April, 1749.
That same year it was printed in John Johnson's Twelve Country Dances for the Harpsichord. Oswald himself
republished it in 1751 in his volume Caledonian
Pocket Companion under the title "The Flower of Edinburgh."
Flowers of Edinburgh is a Scottish country dance, for which the
namesake tune is played, often followed by “The Lass o’ Patie’s Mill,” “The East Neuk of Fife” and “Bottom of the Punch Bowl”
(Martin, 2002).
***
As regards the title, the convention
“Flower of…” usually referenced a woman, although in the case of “Edinburgh” the plural form was appended at
some point and stuck. The plural title appears in Herd's Scots Songs (without music) and in The Scots Musical Museum (1787, No. 13). Gow notes parenthetically
in his Complete Repository (Part 4,
1817) that the 'flowers' of Edinburgh did not refer to comely females but
in fact referenced the magistrates of the town. Some say the ‘flowers’ were
female, although the females in question were prostitutes. It has also been
suggested that the title refers to the stench of the old, overcrowded urban Edinburgh—a city fondly referred to as “Auld
Reekie”, which does not bespeak of a putrid, reeking smell, but rather comes
from the Norwegian word røyk, meaning
smoke. Thus ‘Auld Reekie’ refers to the pall of smoke that once hovered over
the city, having been constantly spewed forth by its hearths. Finally, the
‘flowers of Edinburgh’ has been taken to refer to the contents of chamber pots
which were, in the days before modern sewage systems, once disposed of by being
thrown into the city streets (with or without the shouted warning "Gardez
l'eau!" or “Mind yourself!”). Paul de Grae finds this latter
interpretation in modern times incorporated by novelist Ian Rankin in one of
his Inspector Rebus crime novels. Rebus,
an Edinburgh detective, is being addressed by a
"hard man" whose warning narrowly averted the Inspector’s stepping in
canine excrement. It will help to know human waste is called keech or keach in Ulster and Scotland (similar to the French caca, Italian cacca, Finnish and Icelandic kakku,
and German kaka):
:***
"Know
what 'flowers of Edinburgh'
are?"
"A rock band?"
"Keech. They used to chuck all their keech out of the
windows and onto the street.
There was so much of it
lying around, the locals
called it the flowers of Edinburgh.
I read that in a book."
***
The renowned County Donegal fiddler, John Doherty (1895-1980) had
his own idiosyncratic take on the title. In the notes for the album "The
Floating Bow,” Alun Evans writes of Doherty:
***
I can only say that I never found him to be other than exhilarating
company. Yet he was hard to pin down on detail, for in his mind fact and
fantasy were so tightly interwoven as to be indivisible - at least he
led
you to believe so. He would tell how James Scott Skinner had composed
the
tune 'The Flowers of Edinburgh' after a Miss Flowers
with whom he was
besotted at the time. John must
have known that this didn't ring true but a
story was a story, perhaps an example of the 'true Celtic madness' which
is
said to be 'not psychotic but merely a poetic confusion of the real and
the
imagined.'
***
English morris versions are from the
Bampton area of England's Cotswolds and the North‑West
(England) tradition (where it is used as the tune for a
polka step). Cecil Sharp collected the slower Cotswalds version from Harry
Taylor, mainstay of the Longborgough and Lower Siwell Morris sides in
Gloucestershire. Editor Seattle remarks of William Vickers' Northumbrian
country dance version that it is "A fine setting with some distinctive
18th century touches." The tune is contained in the 19th
century Joseph Kershaw and the 1823-1826 Joshua Gibbons music manuscript books.
Kershaw was a fiddle player who lived in the remote area of Slackcote, Saddleworth, North West England, who compiled his manuscript from
1820 onwards, according to Jamie Knowles. Gibbons was a papermaker and a
musician from Tealby in the Lincolnshire Wolds.
***
In America the melody has also been used for
country dances for over two hundred and twenty years. It was included by Greenland, New Hampshire, dancer Clement Weeks in his MS
dance collection of 1783, and by Giles Gibbs (East Windsor, Ellington Parish, Connecticut) in his 1777 fife manuscript (Van
Cleef & Keller, 1980). In the latter MS it is also called “Darling Swain.”
Another early American version appears in the music manuscript copybook of
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. As "Old
Virginia (Reel)" it was printed by George P. Knauff in Virginia Reels, volume II (Baltimore, 1839). Much later it was cited as having
commonly been played for country dances in Orange County, New York, in the
1930's (Lettie Osborn, New York Folklore
Quarterly), and was in the repertoire of Arizona dance fiddler Kenner C.
Kartchner in the early twentieth century. The title also appears in a list of
traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by
musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954. Howard Marshall
writes that Art Galbraith (d. 1992) of Springfield, Missouri, “had the most famous version in
his area which was handed down through his family from at least 1840. Art's version is distinctive for its
retention of the old ‘extra beat’ that has been lost in other versions.” This
famous Scottish reel is as well known to Pennsylvania fiddlers as it is to
country players everywhere in the area of British folk music tradition, says
Bayard (1944), and is one tune to which a single title has been transmitted
intact through the generations of folk process.
***
In Ireland “Flowers of Edinburgh” is most
common rendered as a hornpipe. The Irish "Cois Leasa" (Beside a Rath)
is a version of this tune, maintains O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland), who perhaps found it in Haverty’s 100 Irish Airs, 2nd series, 1859, where
“The Flowers of Edinburgh” is given in parenthesis as an alternate title for
the “Rath” tune. Bayard (1981) agrees with O’Neill, though Sullivan (Bunting Collection) and Alfred Moffat do
not, and the connection is not addressed in the Fleischmann index (Sources of Irish Traditional Music,
1998). Stanford/Petrie notes his Arranmore-collected Irish tune “Rossaveel” is
“the old form of ‘Flowers of Edinburgh.’” Finally, a version is played under
the title of “The Flower of
Donneybrook” in Ireland.
***
Sources for notated versions:
Fennigs All Stars (New York) [Brody]; John Kubina, (near) Davistown,
Pennsylvania, September 3, 1943 (learned from traditional players in
Pittsburgh) [Bayard]; Gilpin, Yaugher, Hall, Wright, Shape (all southwestern
Pa. fiddlers whose versions were collected in the 1940's) [Bayard]; Arnold Woodley
(Bampton, England) via Roy Dommett [Bacon]; Art Stamper (Mo.) [Phillips]; piper
Willie Clancy (1918-1973, Miltown Malbay, west Clare) [Mitchell]; Elliot Wright
(b. 1935, North River, Queens County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman]; fiddler
Dawson Girdwood (Perth, Ottawa Valley, Ontario) [Begin]; Borders fiddler Tom
Hughes [Martin]. Bacon (The Morris Ring),
1974; pgs. 46, 57, 81. Bain (50 Fiddle
Solos), 1989; pg. 33. Bayard (Hill
Country Tunes), 1944; No. 54. Bayard (Dance
to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 340A=E, pgs. 326‑327. Begin (Fiddle Music from the Ottawa Valley: Dawson Girdwood), 1985; No. 46, pg. 55. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook),
1983; pg. 109. Burchenal (Rinnce na h‑Eireann), p. 24. Calliope, pg. 28. Carlin (The Gow Collection),
1986; No. 256. Colclough (Tutor for the Irish Union Pipes), c. 1830; pg. 16. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes),
1940; pg. 21. Gow (Complete
Repository), Part 4, 1817; pg. 16. Hardie (Caledonian Companion), 1992; pg. 32
(includes variations by Bill Hardie). Harding's Orig. Coll., No. 177. Hogg (Jacobite Relics), II, p. 129. Henderson (Flowers of Scottish Melody), 1935 (includes sets of variations). Howe's School for the Violin, p. 34. Howe's Diamond School for the Violin (1861); pg. 44. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 310. Jarman (Old Time Fiddlin' Tunes); No. or pg. 6.
JEFDSS, I, 82, second half of 'Birds‑a‑Building' equals the second
half of No. 54. Jigs and Reels, p.
12. Johnson (Scots
Musical Museum, edition of 1853), vol. I, No. 13.
S. Johnson (The Kitchen Musician No. 4:
Collection of Fine Tunes), 1983 (revised 1991, 2001); pg. 10. S. Johnson Twenty‑Eight
Country Dances as Done at the New Boston Fair), vol. 8, 1988; pg. 5. The Joseph
Kershaw Manuscript, 1993; No. 55. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 1; No. 1, pg. 23.
Lerwick (Kilted Fiddler),
1985; pg. 19. Levey, No. 4. Mallinson
(Mally’s Cotswold Morris Book), 1988,
vol. 2; No. 30, pg. 16. Mallinson (Enduring), 1995; No. 19, pg. 8. Martin (Traditional Scottish
Music), 2002; pgs. 38 & 107. McGibbon (Scots Tunes, book II), c. 1746; pg. 59. Miller
& Perron (New England Fiddlers Repertorie), 1983; No. 122. Mitchell (Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1993; No.
88, pg. 79. Neal (Esperance Morris
Book), pt. II, p. 29. O'Neill (O’Neill’s Irish Music), 1915/1987; No. 350, pg. 171. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 208. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems),
1907/1986; No. 920, pg. 157. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903/1979; No. 1746, pg. 325.
Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island) 1996; pg. 61. Petrie, No. 372.
Phillips (Traditional
American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; pg. 90. Reavy
(The Collected Compositions of Ed Reavy),
No. 86. Reiner (Anthology
of Fiddle Styles), 1979; pg. 52. Robbins, Nos. 28 & 152. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection,
1883; pg. 45. Saar, No. 29. Seattle (William Vickers), 1770/1987, Part 2; No.
384. Sharp and Macilwaine (Morris
Dance Tunes), Set V, pp. 2,3 (same version printed
in other Sharp folk dance books). Sharp (Country
Dance Tunes), 1909/1994; pg. 6. Smith (Scottish
Minstrel), III, 25. Calliope (4th
edition, 1788), p. 28. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection),
1884; pg. 146. Sumner (Lincolnshire Collections, vol. 1: The Joshua Gibbons Manuscript), 1997; pg. 88. Sweet
(Fifer’s Delight), 1964/1981; pg. 59.
Tolman (Nelson Music
Collection), 1969; pg. 12. Wade (Mally’s
North West Morris Book), 1988; pg. 22. White’s Unique Collection, 1896; No. 71,
pg. 13. Williamson (English,
Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes), 1976; pg. 53. Breakwater 1002, Rufus Guinchard‑ "Newfoundland
Fiddler." Compass Records 7 4407 2, Ciaran Tourish – “Down the
Line” (2005). Edison 52313 (78 RPM), John Baltzell (Mt. Vernon, Ohio), 1928 {appears as
"Flowers at Edingurgh"} [Baltzell was taught to play the fiddle by
minstrel Dan Emmett]. Front Hall 01, Fennigs All Stars‑
"The Hammered Dulcimer." Glencoe 001, Cape Breton Symphony‑
"Fiddle." Kicking Mule 209, Ken Perlman‑
"Melodic Clawhammer Banjo." North Star NS0038, "The
Village Green: Dance Music of Old Sturbridge Village." Olympic 6151, The Scottish Festival Orchestra‑ "Scottish
Traditional Fiddle Music" (1978). Philo 1008, "Kenny Hall." Sonet 764, Dave Swarbrick and Friends‑ "The Ceiledh
Album." Springthyme Records SPRCD1005, Tom Hughes – “Fiddle Music
from the Scottish Borders.” Voyager VRCD 344, Howard Marshall
& John Williams – “Fiddling Missouri”
(1999.
Learned from the playing of Missouri
fiddler Art Galbraith). Wild Goose WGS 320, Old Swan Band –
“Swan-Upmanship” (2004).