The Fiddler’s Companion

© 1996-2008 Andrew Kuntz

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HIGH

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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]

 

 

 

HIGH BARBARY. English, Air (6/8 time). E Minor. Standard tuning. One part. An old broadside sea song probably written in the latter part of the 16th century, opines the collector Cecil Sharp. He also notes it was quoted in a play called The Two Noble Kinsmen written by John Fletcher and William Shakespeare. Kines (Songs From Shakespeare's Plays and Popular Songs of Shakespeare's Time), 1964; pg. 78.

 

HIGH BASS REEL, A. Cape Breton, Reel. A Major. AEae tuning. AAB. Source for notated version: Carl MacKenzie (Cape Breton) [Dunlay and Reich]. Dunlay and Reich remark that the tune is usually played after "The Bridge of Bamore" (in Stewart Robertson's Athole Collection) and that it may be a variation of that tune. Dunlay and Reich (Traditional Celtic Fiddle Music from Cape Breton), 1986; pg. 36. WRCI‑1548, Carl MacKenzie‑ "And His Sound is Cape Breton."

 

HIGH, BETTY MARTIN. AKA and see "Tip Toe, Pretty Betty Martin," "Betty Martin," "Old Mother Gofour," "Fire on/in the Mountain [1]," "Hog Eye [1]" [1], "Granny Will Your Dog Bite? [1]" Old‑Time, New England; Reel. G Major. Standard. AABB. Source for notated version: Cassius Radford (Pembroke, N.H.) [Linscott]. "The tune and words are traditional and fitted for a sort of jig that finished off a quadrille. It is a lively reminder to Radford of the days when he was a champion fiddler travelling all over New England. He remembers this tune and jig as one that was indulged in by those who felt the need of cutting an extra flourish and was executed with steps similar to the Highland Fling (Linscott, 1939)."

***

High, Betty Martin, tip toe, tip toe,

High, Betty Martin, tip toe fine;

Never found a man to suit her fancy,

Never found a man to suit her mind.

***

Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 58 (appears as "Tip Toe, Pretty Betty Martin"). Linscott (Folk Songs of Old New England), 1939; pg. 85.

 

HIGH BORN LADY. See “Highborn Lady.”

 

HIGH BRIDGE JIG. New England, Jig. G Major. Standard. AABB. F&W Records 2, "F&W String Band 2."

 


HIGH CAUL/CAUL'D CAP, THE ("An Caip Cul-Ard" or "Caiop an Cuil Aird").. AKA and see "Bonny Laddie," "Bonnie Lassie," "Bonnie Lass of Livingston," "Cockleshells," "Donkey Riding," "An Gabhairin Bui," "Hielan Laddie [1]," “Highland Laddie(, The Original) [1],” "What Shall I Do?" Irish, English; Set Dance (2/4 time), March, Polka, "Barn Dance" or Country Dance Tune. A Major (Allan, Mallinson): G Major (Kennedy, Mulvihill, O'Neill/1001): F Major (O'Neill/1850). Standard. AABB (Allan, Kennedy, Mallinson, O’Neill): AABB’ (Mulvihill). O’Neill (1913) mentions that a special dance was performed to this tune, and indeed The High Caul Cap has long been considered one of the ‘traditional’ ceili dances, a set eight-hand reel. Frequently the tunes played to accompany the dance The High Caul Cap are “The High Cauled Cap,” “The Dashing White Sergeant” and “The White Cockade,” although occasionally others are substituted (such as “O’Connor’s/Hayden Fancy.” The term high caul cap refers to a style of close-fitting head covering worn by women to shield their hair, most popular during the Renaissance period. It could be made of cloth or leather, sometimes featured a turnback around the face (as we might nowadays think of for baby bonnets), and occasionally sported a short tail or peak at the crown. Men’s versions were worn to protect the head when wearing a metal cap or helm. In modern usage a caul refers to the part of the hat that is not the brim.

***

The term ‘caul’ derives from the Old English cawl, Middle English calle, and denotes the fetal membrane.  In this sense the term caul is meant metaphorically, for occasionally a baby is born with the caul covering its head.  This phenomenon has much folklore attached to it.  In Estonia the color of a child’s caul foretold his fortune, red for luck and black for misfortune, while in Russia’s Carpathians, a child born with a caul or "cap" on the head was expected to have good luck. More sinister, a Polish folk superstition has it that an infant born with a caul on his head would later become a Vjesci, or vampire. If, however, the cap was removed, dried, ground up and fed to the child on his seventh birthday it would prevent him from maturing into the monster.

***

That playing the tune over and over for a dance can sometimes get tedious is well-known to ceili musicians (it goes on for 576 bars!). Button accordion great Billy McComiskey had this spontaneous solution while playing for one ceili dance in Washington, D.C.—he roared out "Circle of fifths" to the accompanying musicians and proceeded to go from key to key through the circle. Most ceili groups play a medley of tunes, perhaps staring and ending with “The High Cauled Cap.”

***

Source for notated version: “learned from my mother” [Mulvihill]. Allan's Irish Fiddler, No. 112, pg. 28. Kennedy, Vol. 1, 1951; No. 62, pg. 30 (appears as "Bonny Laddie"). Mallinson (100 Polkas), 1997; No. 49, pg. 19. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 11, pg. 121. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Selections), 1903/1979; No. 1807, pg. 339. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 1000, pg. 172. GN1, Joe Thoma ‑ "Up the Track: Traditional Music from Kenmare."

X:1

T:High Caul Cap

M:C

L:1/8

S:O’Neill – Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems (1907), No. 1000

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:G

D2|G2 GA B2d2|cBAG BAGA|B2A2A2 GA|B2A2A2D2|GFGA B2d2|

CBAG BcAB|G2E2E2 DE|G2E2E2:|

|:d2|e2g2d2e2|cBAG BAGA|B2A2A2 GA|B2A2A2d2|1 e2g2d2e2|

cBAG BcAB|G2E2E2 DE|G2E2E2:|2 efge dged|BdAc BcAB|G2E2E2DE|G2E2E2||

                       

HIGH CLOUDS. American, Waltz. G Major. Standard. AB. Composed by Massachusetts contra dance musician David Kaynor in 1980. Matthiesen (Waltz Book), 1992; pg. 29.

                       

HIGH COUNTRY WALTZ. Canadian, Waltz (9/8 time). Canada, Southeastern British Columbia. D Major. Standard. AB. Composed by Frank Lowery in 1973. Gibbons (As It Comes: Folk Fiddling From Prince George, British Columbia), 1982; No. 1, pgs. 9‑10.

                       

HIGH C'S. New England, Reel. USA, New Hampshire. C Major. Standard. AABB. Composed by the late New Hampshire flute player Newton F. Tolman. Miller (Fiddler’s Throne), 2004; No. 289, pg. 172. Tolman (Nelson Music Collection), 1969; pg. 23.

                       

HIGH DAD IN THE MORNING. Old‑Time, Bluegrass; Breakdown. USA. G Major. Standard. AABBCC. The tune starts on an E minor chord. The tune has its origins in American black-face minstrelsy (see Hans Nathan’s Dan Emmett and the Rise of Early Negro Minstrelsy). Source for notated version: Kenny Baker [Brody, Phillips]. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 135. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; pg. 112. County 719, Kenny Baker‑ "Portrait of a Bluegrass Fiddler" (1968. Learned from a tape of Doug Dillard's father, a Missouri musician). Rounder 0241, The Chicken Chokers ‑ "Shoot Your Radio" (1987). Rounder 0442, John Hartford – “Hamilton Ironworks” (2001) Takoma D‑1064, Norman Blake‑ "Directions."

                       

HIGH DANCE. English, Jig. G Major. Standard. AABB. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 126.

                       

HIGH DRIVE, THE. Scottish, Reel. D Major. Standard. AABB. A modern composition by Gordon Duncan.

X:1

T:High Drive, The

M:4/4

L:1/8

R:Reel

C:Gordon Duncan

K:D

d3 e fedA | (3BBB gB BAGB | GA(3AAA fedf | eA(3AAA afge |
d3 e fedA | (3BBB gB BAGB | GA(3AAA fedf | edce d4 :|
|: a3 g ad(3ddd | AB(3BBB gBdB | GA(3AAA fedf | eA(3AAA efge |
a3 g ad(3ddd | AB(3BBB gBdB | GA(3AAA fedf | edce d4 :|

                       

HIGH-FLIER, THE. Irish, Air (9/8 time). G Major. Standard. AB. "'High‑flier', a girl that goes in for style and fashion" (Joyce). Joyce (Old Irish Folk Music and Songs), 1909; No. 184, pg. 92.

X:1

T:High-Flier, The

M:9/8

L:1/8

R:Air

S:Joyce – Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (1909)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

N:”With spirit”

K:G

B/c/|dAF GDE FGA|BBB cAG =F2 B/c/|dAF GDE FGA|Bdc AEF G2||G|

ABc def g2 d/c/|BBB cAG =F2 B/c/|dAF GDE FGA|Bdc AEF G2||

                       

HIGH HILL, THE. Irish, Reel. D Major. Standard. AABB’. Composed by County Cavan/Philadelphia fiddler and composer Ed Reavy (1898-1988). Reavy (The Collected Compositions of Ed Reavy), No. 11, pg. 11. Shanachie SH-78010, Solas - “Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers” (1997).

X:1

T:The High Hill

M:2/2

L:1/8

C:Ed Reavy

S:The Collected Compositions of Ed Reavy

R:Reel

N:It's the hill that almost disappears in the mist,

N:where the hill people reside. Stories have been told about

N:it and about those who live there. Their music is the music

N:of a lost art and their stories are the tales of a forgotten time.

Z:Joe Reavy

K:D

FG | AD (3FED A,DDE | FGAc dcAG | AD (3FED A,EFA |

GE=CE G2FG | AD (3FED A,DDE | FGA B cBce | dcAG FGAF |

GE=CE D2 FG :|| Addc d2 cd | ed (3dcd edd=c | AGAB =cBcd |

e=c (3cBc ecdc | Add^c d2 cd | ed (3dcd edd=c | AGAB  =cded |1

 =cAGE DEFG :|2 =cAGE D2 ||

                       

HIGH IN THE REEKS. Irish, Polka. E Minor/Dorian. Standard. AABB. Composed by Falmouth, Massachusetts, musician and writer Bill Black, named for a range of low heights (called “McGillicuddy’s Reeks”) in West Kerry, in the middle of the Ring. Black (Music’s the Very Best Thing), 1996; No. 79, pg. 41.

X:1

T: High in the Reeks

C: © B. Black

Q: 275

R: polka

M: 2/4

L: 1/8

K: Emin

E>F GA | B>c BA | GE FE | DE B,2 |

E>F GA | B>c BA | GB FA | GF E2 :|

B>^c dB | e>f gf | eB dB | Ad B2 |

eB GB | d>^c BA | GB FA | GF E2 :|

           

HIGH JIG, THE (An Port Ard). Irish, Double Jig. A Dorian. Standard. AABB. Source for notated version: fiddler Martin "Junior" Crehan, 1959 (Co. Clare, Ireland) [Breathnach]. Breathnach (CRÉ II), 1976; No. 34, pg.

           

HIGH JINKS. Irish, Reel. E Minor (‘A’ and ‘C’ parts), G Major (‘B’ part) & D Major (‘D’ part). Standard tuning. AABBCCDD. Composed by fiddler and pianist Josephine Keegan (b. 1935), of Mullaghbawn, south County Antrim. Keegan (The Keegan Tunes), 2002; pg. 34.

                                   


HIGH LEVEL (HORNPIPE) [1] {An Árd Mhín}. AKA and see "Highland Hornpipe," "Velocipede Hornpipe." AKA ‑ "High Level Bridge Hornpipe." Scottish, English, Irish, Canadian, American; Hornpipe, Breakdown. England, Newcastle (northern England): USA; Nebraska, Missouri, New England. Ireland, County Donegal. Canada, Prince Edward Island. B Flat Major ('A' part) & F Major ('B' part) {most versions}: G Major {Williamson}. Standard tuning. AABA (Hunter): AABB (Christeson, Martin, Martin & Hughes, Messer, Skinner, Williamson): AABB' (Hardie, Miller & Perron, Skinner): AA'BB' (Bain, Perlman): AABC (Mulvihill): AA'BB'AA'CCDDBB'AA' (Phillips). One of the most popular hornpipes in the Scottish Repertoire, it was fashioned by 19th century fiddler James Hill (c. 1815-c. 1860), a noted composer of hornpipes who lived in Gateshead, Northumberland, England (near Newcastle), though born in Dundee, Scotland. Little is known about his life, although he seems to have been a sometime publican, and was a popular tavern fiddler and sports enthusiast. The "High Level Hornpipe" was apparently first published in Kohlers' Violin Repository, Book 1.

***

The piece is named after Newcastle's famous bridge across the River Tyne linking Newcastle and Gateshead, the first important rail crossing in Britain designed to carry more than two tracks.  It was begun in 1846, opened in 1849 and replaced a bridge that had been built in 1781. The High Level, designed by Robert Stephenson, was based on a series of cast iron bowstring arches springing from tall stone piers; each of the six main spans stretched for 125 feet, the length of the whole being 1,372 feet, well over a quarter of a mile.  It was a marvel of the age, and so splendid that Queen Victoria herself performed the opening ceremonies. A two-tier structure, it allowed three railway lines were carried on the upper deck, while pedestrians, horses and carriages traffic travelled on the road beneath. The bridge has survived almost unaltered since then, apart from the removal of two of its railway lines and some strengthening in 1922 to enable trams to pass safely across.

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The High Level Bridge, Tyneside, c. 1890 (Gateshead Library)

***

There is a pub at one end of the structure is called The Bridge, and has long been home to The Bridge Folk Club, where the band The High Level Ranters started. It remains a desirable venue for traditional and folk performers. Northumbrian musicians often pair the tune with “New High Level Hornpipe [2].”

***

Williamson (1976) says: "The tune is a very popular one in the North of England, and many players have evolved their own elaborations of it." As a solo piece it usually ends on the first strain of the tune, rather than the second, although the second part leads into other tunes when played in a medley. In the 1970’s English concertina virtuoso Alastair Anderson, from Northumberland, used the tune and variations as a showcase. It also became popular in the American mid-west (especially in Missouri), largely through the playing of fiddlers who could sight-read and had a copy of Ryan's Mammoth Collection, in which it appeared (see note for "Thunder Hornpipe" for more information). Howe notes that his source was Jimmy Norton, the ‘Boss Jig Player’, perhaps a band-leader or principal instrumentalist for a band in the Boston, Massachusetts area. The tune was arranged for 9 parts—violins, clarionet (sic), coronet, bass, flute, viola, trombone, cello and piano—in another of Howe’s publications, Howe’s Full Quadrille Orchestra (No. 262). R.P. Christeson (1973) believes the melody was derived from the "Highland Hornpipe," which is commonly published (e.g. in Cole’s 1000). “High Level Hornpipe” was a signature tune of American fiddler Howdy Forrester. Phillips swing version adds a fourth part in the key of G Minor.

***

In county Donegal it is a popular hornpipe (the title contrasts with another popular Donegal hornpipe, “The Low Level Hornpipe”).  Flute player Harry Bradley says he was told by fiddler Vincent Harrison, a contemporary of fiddler Lad O’Beirne’s in New York, that O’Beirne composed the third part of the tune that is often played in Irish settings of the tune. O’Beirne’s recorded performances of the tune (e.g. on “Milestone at the Garden”), however, have only two parts.

***

Sources for notated versions: Bob Walters (Burt County, Nebraska) [Christeson]; Howard Forrester and Jeff Guernsey [Phillips]; Ervan Sonnier (1920-1994) & Toussaint Arsenault (b. 1916) {Summerside, East Prince County, Prince Edward Island} [Perlman]. Bain (50 Fiddle Solos), 1989; pg. 8. R.P. Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers Repertory, vol. 1), 1973; pg. 32‑33. Dixon (The Lads Like Beer: The Fiddle Music of James Hill), 1987. Hardie (Caledonian Companion), 1986; pg. 39. Honeyman (Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor), 1898; pg. 53 (appears as "High Level Bridge Hornpipe"). Howe (1000 Jigs and Reels), c. 1867; pg. 31. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 338. Jarman (Old Time Fiddlin' Tunes); No or pg. 21. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 2; pg. 44. Koehler’s Violin Repository. Martin (Traditional Scottish Fiddling). 2002; pg. 57. Martin & Hughes (Ho-ro-gheallaidh), 1990; pg. 41. Messer (Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes), 1980; No. 111, pg. 70. Miller & Perron (New England Fiddlers Repertorire), 1983; No. 75. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 4, pg. 88. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; pg. 114. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 2, 1995; pg. 198. Skinner (The Scottish Violinist), pg. 44. Skinner (Harp and Claymore), 1904; pg. 136. White’s Excelsior Collection. Williamson (English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes), 1976; pg. 37. Cló Iar-Chonnachta CICD 167, Peter Horan & Gerry Harrington – “The Merry Love to Play” (2007). Condor 977‑1489, "Graham & Eleanor Townsend Live at Barre, Vermont." Fiddler FRLP001, Tom Doucet (Nova Scotia/eastern Mass.) - “The Down East Star.” Gael-Linn CEF 045, “Paddy Keenan” (1975). Green Linnet SIF1035, Brian Conway & Tony De Marco - "The Apple in Winter" (1981. Learned from a 78 RPM recording of fiddler Lad O'Beirne with Louis Quinn). Leader Records LEA 4006, "Billy Pigg, The Border Minstrel." Old Bridge Music OBMCD 04, Tom McConville – “Fiddler’s Fancy.” Rounder 1123, Lad O’Beirne & Louis Quinn - “Milestone at the Garden” (two tracks, one from 1933, one from around 1950). Rounder CD7014, Alton Silliker – “Fiddlers of Western Prince Edward Island” (1997). Trailer LER 2030, The High Level Ranters (1971).

See also listings at:

Alan Snyder’s Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index

Jane Keefer’s Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources 

Alan Ng’s Irishtune.info

X:1

T:High Level Hornpipe

L:1/8

M:C|

K:B_

|:dc|Bd FB DF Bd|fb df Bd cB|ce Ac FA cf|ag f=e gf _ec|

Bd FB DF Bd|fb df Bd cB|GA Bc de =ef|gf ec B2:|

|:cB|Af cf Af cf|AF Ac fc Ac|df Bf df Bf|dB df bf df|=eg cg eg cg|

=ec eg bg eg|f=e fa gb eg|1 f=e fg f2:|2 f=e ag fe _ec|]

X:2

T:High Level Hornpipe

M:4/4

L:1/8

Z:transcribed by Cari Fuchs

K:Bb

(3FGA|Bd FB DF Bd|fb df Bd cB|ce Ac FA cf|ag f=e gf _ec|

Bd FB DF Bd|~f2 df Bd cB|GA Bc de =ef|gf (3edc B2:|

|:cB|Af cf Af cf|AF Ac fc Ac|df Bf df Bf|dB df bf df|

=eg cg =eg cg|=ec =eg bg =eg|f=e fa  gb ag|f=e fg f2:|

|: (3^fga|bf df ge cA|Bf dB F2 BA|Ge Ge Fd Fd|Ec ~c2 dc AF|

G^F GA Be cA|Bf dB F2 BA|~G2 eG ~F2 dF|~E2 cA B2:|

X: 3

T: High Level Hornpipe

M: 4/4

L: 1/8

H: “If you're familiar with the playing style of the great Boston box

H: player Joe Derrane, you might be able to muster up a little sympathy

H: for any poor slob who tries to transcribe a tune from one of his

H: recordings. This is one such attempt.”

Z: Transcribed by Bill Black

R: hornpipe

K: G

D2 | (3GBG (3DGD B,DGB | (3dgd (3BdB GBAG | (3AdA (3FAF D2 (3B^cd | fed^c ed=cA |

(3GBG (3DGD B,DGB | (3dgd (3BdB GBAG | E^EFG ABcd | (3fed (3cBA G2 :|

(3AcA |: FdAd FdAd | FDFA dcBA | BdGd BdGd | BABd gdBd |

^ceAe ceAe | ^cAce aece | d^cdf gece |1 dAfe dAFD :|2 dAfe dcBA ||

 

HIGH LEVEL [2]. American, Hornpipe. AKA and see "President Garfield's Hornpipe." B Flat Major. Standard tuning. AB. Source for notated version: John Kubina, (near) Davistown, Pennsylvania, September 3, 1943 (learned from traditional players in and around Pittsburgh) [Bayard]. Bayard (Hill Country Tunes), 1944; No. 55.