The Fiddler’s
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© 1996-2009 Andrew Kuntz
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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] |
MT... See "Mount..."
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. English, Jig. G Major. Standard
tuning. AABBCC. The melody first appears in John Johnson’s Choice Collection
of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 5 (London, 1750). It also appears in
R. Baldwin’s London Magazine, or Gentleman’s Monthly Intelligencer of
1756. “Much Ado about Nothing” also appears in the music copybooks of London
musicians Walter Rainstorp (begun in 1747) and Thomas Hammersley (1790).
Thompson (Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 1),
1757; No. 200.
X:1
T:Much ado about Nothing
M:6/8
L:1/8
B:Thompson’s Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 1 (London, 1757)
Z:Transcribed and edited by Flynn Titford-Mock, 2007
Z:abc’s:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:G
G2G, G2G,|GAB cBA|G2G, G2G,|GBG AFD|G2G, G2G,|GAB cBA|BdB AFD|GDC B,A,G,:|
|:gdB
G2B|eag fef|gdB G2d|Eed ^cBc|d2D d2D|def gfe|faf e^cA|dAG FED:|
|:”tr”gfg “tr”gfg|”tr”gfg dBG|”tr”gfg “tr”gfg|gbg afd|”tr”gfg “tr”gfg|”tr”gfg
dBG|c2e B2d|ABG FED:||
MUCH WENLOCK. AKA and see "Not for Joe [2]."
English, Morris Dance Tune (4/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning. AB. Collected
in the
MUCKIN' O' GEORDIE'S
BYRE. AKA and see “Bonnie Strahyre,” “The Jordie Jig,” “O Lassie Art Thou Sleeping Yet.”
Scottish (originally), English, Canadian, American; Air, Jig, Country and
Morris Dance Tune (6/8 time).
***
One verse sung by Willie Kemp (from
the many songs written to the tune) goes:
***
The
whisky ga'ed roun' Tammy Fleeing' the doo'
(‘flee the blue’; to go out
And aye as they drank, the mair they go fou' for more whiskey)
The only anes sober, the calf an' the coo'
At the mucking of Geordie's byre.
***
Source for notated version: Eddy
Arsenault (b. 1921, St. Chrysostom, East Prince County, Prince Edward Island)
[Perlman]. Allan’s Ballroom Companion.
Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers Repertory,
vol. 1), 1973; No. 169 (entitled "Marching Quardille"). Cranford (Jerry Holland’s), 1995; No. 223, pg. 64.
Kennedy (Fiddlers Tune Book), vol. 1,
1951; No. 91, pg. 45. Martin (Ceol na
Fidhle), vol. 1, 1991; pg. 37. McGibbon (Scots Tunes, Book 1), c. 1746; pg. 2 (appears as “Mucking of
Geordy’s byer”). Miller &
Perron (New England Fiddlers Repertoire),
1983; No. 22. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island),
1996; pg. 128. Raven (English Country
Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 109. Reid (The
Piper's Delight), pg. 10. Roche
Collection, vol. 3, No. 134 (untitled). Wade (Mally’s North West Morris), 1988; pg. 8. Rounder
CD7018, Frank Ferrel - “Boston Fiddle: The Dudley Street Tradition.” “The
Caledonian Companion” (1975). Rounder CD 1161-7033-2, Natalie MacMaster – “My Roots are
Showing” (2000. Learned from the recordings of Angus Chisholm).
X:1
T:Muckin’ o’ Geordie’s Byre
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:Air and Jig
K:D
ABA AFA|d2e f2a|g2e f2d|e2d Bcd|ABA AFA|d2e f2g|afd efe|d3 dcB:|
|:g2g gab|f2f fga|efe ede|fed Bcd|ABA AFA|d2e f2g|afd efe|ded d3:|
X:2
T:Mucking
of Geordy’s byer
M:3/4
L:1/8
R:Air
N:”Brisk”
S:McGibbon
– Scots Tunes, Book 1 (c. 1746)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:D
f>e | d2B2B2 | B3dBA | B2d2e2 |
“tr”f3ed2 | d3e (d/e/f) | A4”tr”(fe) | d2B2B2 |
B3dBA | B2b2a2 | f2(gf)(ed) | “tr”e4
(d/e/f) | B4 :: g2 | (fg) a2 (f/a/b) | “tr”e4d2 |
d3 efd | e2f2(e/f/a) | “tr”e4d2 |
A4fg | a2 (ba)(gf) | g2 (ag)(fe) | f2(gfed) | a2(ba)(gf) |
“tr”e4d2 | B4a2 | b2a2f2 | a2 faea |
“tr”f3 edf | e2f2a2 | “tr”e4d2 | A3afa | b2B2B2 |
B3 dBA | B2b2a2 | f2 (gf)(ed) |
“tr”e4 (d/e/f) | B4 :|
MUCKLE A SKERRY IN
THREE. AKA and see “Out and In the Harbour.” Shetland,
Shetland Reel. From the districts of Whalsay and Nesting, Shetland. The title
makes reference to a fishing mead (Cooke).
MUCKLE REEL
O’ FINNIGIRT(H), DA.
Shetland, Aald Reel (2/4 time). D Major. Standard tuning. One part. At one time
the Muckle Reel, or Aald/Auld Reel, was danced throughout Shetland though it
varied from district to district. This particular tune accompanied a dance
whose steps have been lost, though it has been remembered that they were walking
steps that matched the irregular rhythm of this piece, and that the piece
itself was played and danced as a break from the more strenuous reels. The
Muckle Reel may have been derived from the figures of a Scandinavian long dance
or could have some connection with a song dance from the Faro islands, note
Anderson & Georgeson (1970), who believe that it is likely that all the
Muckle Reels were of Norwegian derivation. "The Muckle Reel o
Finnigirt" is the most complete version that has survived. Flett &
Flett (1964) give that the distinguishing characteristic of the dance is that
the dancers are constantly moving, and there is no setting figure so common to
most of Scottish reels. See also "Aald Reel o Whalsay." Source for
notated version: Peter Fraser (Walls, West Mainland, Shetland) [Anderson &
Georgeson, Cooke]. Anderson & Georgeson (Da Mirrie Dancers), 1970; pg. 9. Cooke (The Fiddle Tradition
of the Shetland Isles), 1986; Ex. 4, pg. 56. Front Hall 018, How To Change a Flat Tire ‑ "Traditional Music
of Ireland and Shetland" (1978).
MUCKLE REEL O' PAPA
[1]. Shetland, Aald Reel (duple/triple
time). A Major. Standard tuning. Irregular form. Source for notated version:
Fraser Hughson (Papa Stour {Island}, Shetlands) [Cooke]. Cooke (The Fiddle Tradition of the Shetland Isles),
1986; Ex. 2, pg. 56.
MUCKLE REEL O' PAPA
[2]. Shetland, Aald Reel (duple/triple
time). A Major. Standard tuning. Irregular form. Source for notated version:
John Fraser playing J. Umphray's version (Papa Stour Island, Shetland) [Cooke].
Cooke (The Fiddle Tradition of the
Shetland Isles), 1986; Ex. 3, pg. 56.
MUCKLE REEL O' PAPA
[3]. Shetland, Aald Reel (duple/triple
time). D Major. Standard tuning. Irregular form. Known by the informant as an
older version. Source for notated version: John Fraser (Papa Stour {Island},
Shetland) [Cooke]. Cooke (The Fiddle
Tradition of the Shetland Isles), 1986; Ex. 5, pg. 57.
MUCKROSS ABBEY. AKA and see “Charlie
Mulvihill’s (Reel) [1]."
MUD FENCE. AKA and see "Drunken Billy Goat," "Rocky Mountain Goat." Old-Time,
Breakdown. USA, Kentucky. D Major. Standard. AABB'. The tune was also in the
repertoire of Magoffin County, Kentucky, fiddler William H. Stepp, who recorded
for the Library of Congress in 1937. It is a member of the tune family that
includes “Damon’s Window/Winder,” “The Devil in Georgia [2],” “Grand Hornpipe [1],” “Railroad(ing)
Through the Rocky Mountains,” “Ride the Goat Over the
Mountains,” "Rocky Mountain Goat,” and “Swiss Chalet." Source
for notated version: J.P. Fraley (Rush, Kentucky) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, Vol. 1),
1994; pg. 159. Yazoo 2013, William Stepp – “The
Music of Kentucky, Vol. 1.”
MUD ON THE WHEEL. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Arizona. A Major. Standard. AABB. Ruth (Pioneer Western Folk Tunes), 1948; No. 86, pg. 31.
X:1
T:Mud on the Wheel
M:2/4
L:1/8
S:Viola “Mom” Ruth – Pioneer Western Folk Tunes (1948)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:A
(AA) A,2|A,/E/C/E/ A,(E/F/)|=G/B/A/G/ E/D/E/F/|=G/B/A/G/ E2|
(AA) A,2|A,/E/C/E/ A,2|A/c/B/A/ G/A/B/G/|A2A2:|
|:[ce][ce] e/f/e/d/|c/d/e/f/ e2|G/A/B/c/ d/f/e/d/|c/B/c/d/ [c2e2]|
[ce][ce] e/f/e/d/|c/d/e/f/ e2|a/b/a/g/ e/c/A/F/|EA A2:|
MUDDY CREEK [1]. Old‑Time,
Breakdown. USA, Pa. G Major. Standard tuning. AAB (Titon): AABB' (Phillips).
From York County, Pa. The melody is meant to be played slower than a standard
breakdown tempo. Sources for notated versions: Bruce Greene, who had the tune
from John Salyer [Phillips]; John Salyer (Salyersville, Magoffin County, Ky.,
1941) [Titon]. Phillips (Traditional
American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 2, 1995; pg. 89. Titon (Old-Time Kentucky
Fiddle Tunes), 2001; No. 106A, pg. 135. Berea
College Appalachian Center AC003, “John M. Salyer: Home Recordings 1940-41,
Vol. 2” (1993). Rounder CD 0397, Scott Nygaard - "Dreamer's Waltz"
(1996).
MUDDY CREEK [2]. AKA and see “Morgan on the Railroad [1].” Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, Kentucky. D Major. Standard tuning. One part. No relation to “Muddy Creek” [1]. Source for notated version: John Masters (Lexington, Fayette County, Ky., c. 1975), learned from Jessamine County, Ky., African-American fiddler Jim Booker [Titon]. Titon (Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes), 2001; No. 106B, pg. 135.
MUDDY CREEK [3]. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Missouri. D Major. Standard tuning. AABB. The source is
Old Time Violin Melodies Book No. 1, published in 1938 by W. H. Morris,
M.D., of St. Joseph, Missouri.
X:1
T:Muddy Creek [3]
M:C|
L:1/8
S:From a transcription by Ed Baggott
K:D
d2 df edBc | d2f2a2 fe | dcdf edBc | dBAF
E2D2 | d2 df edBc | d2f2a2 fg |
abaf egfe | dBAF E2D2 :: A2 AG FDED | FGAB A2
FG | A2 AG FDED |
FDEF D2 FG | A2 AG FDED | FGAB A2 A2 | Bd d2 AF
F2 | EDEF D2D2 :|
MUDDY RIVER. Old‑Time. The title appears in a list of traditional Ozark
Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph,
published in 1954.
MUDDY ROAD TO DUCK
TOWN. AKA and see “Muddy Road to Moberly.” Old-Time, Breakdown.
A Major. Standard tuning. ABC. Source for notated version: Bob Douglas
[Silberberg]. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg.
102.
MUDDY ROAD TO KANSAS. AKA and see “Dubuque.”
MUDDY ROAD TO MOBERLY. AKA – “Muddy Road to Duck Town.”
Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; Missouri, Tennessee. Little Dixie, Missouri, area fiddler
Howard Marshall thinks this tune was a Civil War tune perhaps brought back by
soldiers after the battle of Shiloh. The Confederates were camped near there at
a place called Ducktown (a Tennessee title may be “Muddy Road to Ducktown”).
Marshall, not knowing the name, called it after his own hometown. Voyager VRCD 344, Howard “Rusty” Marshall & John
Williams – “Fiddling Missosuri” (1999. Learned from hearing it in his childhood
before he played the fiddle).
MUDDY ROADS. Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, North Carolina. G Major ('A' part)
& D Major ('B' part). Standard tuning. AB (Frets, Phillips, Silberberg):
ABB (Johnson): AABB (Brody, Kaufman, Spandaro). Kaufman (1977) credits Gaither
Carlton (1901-1972, Deep Gap, N.C.) with popularizing the melody.
***
Got Uncle Joe, got Uncle Willie,
Went out hunting for the wild willy‑nilly.
Didn't get one; got ten or twenty,
Take 'em into town and make lots'a money.
Muddy roads, muddy roads! (Johnson)
***
Doc Watson remembers his father singing
the following verses to it:
***
The way is dark and the road is muddy
Girls so drunk they can't stand steady.
Beans in the pot and the hoecake a‑bakin',
Pickin' the banjo and the strings all a‑breakin'. (Frets)
***
Sources for notated versions: The
Watson Family (North Carolina) [Brody]; Plank Road String Band (Virginia)
[Spandaro]; Gaither Carlton (North Carolina) [Frets]; Ken Kosek [Phillips]; Jack Link [Silberberg]. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 198. Frets Magazine, "Mike Seeger:
Traditional Music," July 1987; pg. 66. Johnson (The Kitchen Musician No. 2: Occasional Collection of Old‑Timey
Fiddle Tunes for Hammer Dulcimer, Fiddle, etc.), 1982 (revised 1988, 2003);
pg. 8. Phillips (Traditional American
Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; pg. 160. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at
Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 103. Spandaro (10 Cents a Dance), 1980; pg. 7. Folkways
FA 2366, "The Watson Family" (1963. Reissued on SFW CD 40012, 1990).
Folkways FTS 31036, Roger Sprung‑ "Grassy Licks." Rounder CD
0371, Mac Bendord and the Woodshed All-Stars - “Willow” (1996. Learned from
Gaither Carleton). Smithsonian Folkways CD40193, Gaither Carlton with Doc
Watson – “Classic Old-Time Fiddle” (2007. Reissue recording).
See also listing at: Jane Keefer’s Folk Music Index: An
Index to Recorded Sources |
X:1
T:Muddy Roads
M:C|
L:1/8
K:G
G2 GD E2 ED|GEGD E2 DE|G2 GD
EGAB|cBAG FD3:|
|:f4 d2ef|gfed ^cA3|^c4 A2 Bc|dBAG
FD3:|
MUDDY WATER [1]. AKA and see "Durroch's Hornpipe." Old‑Time, Breakdown or Reel. D Major. Standard tuning. AABB. Bayard (1944) once thought this tune a version of the Irish Jig "The Walls of Liscarroll," but later (1981) reconsidered that it was rather a version of the Pennsylvania tune "Durroch's Hornpipe" (derived from the Irish "O'Dwyer's Hornpipe [1]"). It has been suggested (by, for one, Louie W. Attebery in his article "The Fiddle Tune: An American Artifact" {1979}) that the name change from "Walls of Liscarroll" to "Muddy Water" came about in a process of naturalization due to anti-British sentiments during the War of 1812. Source for notated version: Mrs. Sarah Armstrong (Derry, Pa., 1943) [Bayard]. Bayard (Hill Country Tunes), 1944; No. 43.
MUDDY WATER [2]. Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, Arkansas. A Major. Standard tuning.
AABB. No similarities to “Muddy Water [1].” The title appears in a list of
traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist
Vance Randolph, published in 1954. He may have been referring to the “Muddy
Waters” tune played by Frank Waters, but which most Mid-west fiddlers know as
“Malindy” or “Old Melinda,” or
perhaps the Skeeter Walden tune. Walden was an elderly fiddler recorded in the
field in 1951 by Irene Carlisle and Dow West—this was one of some 90 tunes
recorded. However, the tune was identified at the time by the fieldworker as “General
Clayborn,” while Walden himself introduces it as “Muddy Waters” on the
recording. Source for notated version: Jim ‘Skeeter’ Walden (1879-1956, Busch,
north Arkansas) [Beisswenger & McCann]. Beisswenger & McCann (Ozark
Fiddle Music), 2008; pg. 153.
MUDDY WEATHER. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Missouri. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. The
title in tradition for this tune is “N....r
Weather” or “N....r Fever [1],”
changed by Lee Stoneking because it had become objectionable. Drew Beisswenger
(2008) points out that the tunes “Boatin’
Down the River” and “Shippensport” have
similar ‘A’ parts. Sources for notated versions: Armin Barnett [Phillips]; Lee
Stoneking (1907-1989, Henry County, Missouri) [Beisswenger & McCann]; Fred
Stoneking (Lee’s son, b. 1933) [Silberberg]. Beisswenger & McCann (Ozark
Fiddle Music), 2008; pg. 143. Phillips (Traditional
American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; pg. 160. Silberberg (93 Fiddle Tunes I Didn’t Learn at the
Tractor Tavern), 2004; pg.31. Graphic Recording, Lee Stoneking – “Missouri Old Time
Fiddlin’” (c. 1970’s). Marimac 9020, Geoff Seitz - “Timely Tunes from Ill-Mo
and Beyond” (learned from Lee Stoneking).
MUDGEY WALTZ. Australian, Waltz. Front Hall FHR‑010,
Bill Spence and Fennig's All Stars ‑ "The Hammered Dulcimer Strikes
Again" (1977. Learned from Neil Wayne).
MUG AND BRUSH, THE. Canadian, Reel. Canada, Prince Edward Island.
B Flat Major. Standard tuning. AA’BB’. Composed by Summerside, East Prince
County, Prince Edward Island, fiddler Ervan Sonier (1920-1994). Source for
notated version: Ervan Sonier & Toussaint Arsenault [Perlman]. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island),
1996; pg. 113.
MUG
OF BROWN ALE [1], THE. AKA and see “The Clare Jig [1],” “Delaney’s Drummers,” “Paddy in London [2],” “The Raffle Jig,” “The Spoonful of Treacle,” “Winter Apples [2].” Irish, Jig. A
Dorian. Standard tuning. AB (Kerr): AABB (Mallinson, Miller & Perron,
Songer): AABB' (Allan's). Bayard (1981) states that this tune belongs to a
rather vague, and so far nameless, tune family whose members "seem always
on the point of diverging off into other pieces." The family is probably
Irish, he thinks, and has attracted many "floating" titles from that
tradition over the years. “Delaney’s Drummers” is a related melody.
***
Brown ale
is one of the oldest brewing styles in the British Isles, one of the three
beers or “three threads” that blended together make a beer that developed into
porter. It is first mentioned in literature in the 16th century.
Brown ale was widely brewed at one time, primarily by women (hence the term
‘alewife’ for a married woman). Many brown ales have a round, nutty flavor
(especially those brewed with the Yorkshire square system of fermentation), and
are sometimes referred to as ‘nut-brown ales’. The brew was originally probably
slightly sweet, lightly carbonated, and served from the barrel a few days after
fermentation was complete.
***
Sources for
notated version: Kevin Burke (1982) via Dan Compton, via hammered dulcimer
player Mick Doherty [Songer]; set dance music recorded at Na Píobairí Uilleann
in the late 1980’s [Taylor]; fiddler Peter Turbit [Feldman & O’Doherty];
Roscommon fiddler Paddy Ryan & Kerry accordionist Donal de Barra [Miller
& Perron]. Allan's Irish Fiddler,
No. 19, pg. 5. Feldman & O’Doherty (The
Northern Fiddler), 1978; pg. 231 (appears as last “Untitled Jig” on page). Kerr
(Merry Melodies), vol. 1; No. 41, pg.
39. Mallinson (Essential), 1995; No.
86, pg. 37. Miller & Perron (Irish
Traditional Fiddle Music), 1977; vol. 2, No. 60. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 2nd
Edition, 2006; pg. 28. Songer (
See also listings at: Alan Snyder’s Cape Breton Fiddle Recording
Index Alan
Ng’s Irishtune.info |
X:1
T:Mug of
Brown Ale [1]
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:Ador
eAA fAA | gfg age |
dBA GFG | BAB dBd | eAA fAA | gfg age | dBd gdB | BAG A2 :|
|: g | efg
aba | aba age | def g2f | gba ged | efg aba | aba age | dBd gdB | BAG A2 :|
MUG OF BROWN ALE [2]. AKA and see “John
Naughton’s (Jig),” “Jug of Brown Ale,”
“Old Man Dillon,” “One Bottle More [2],” “The Stonecutter’s Jig.” Irish, Jig. A
Dorian. Standard tuning. AABB’ (Kennedy): AA’BB’ (Harker). The tune is
sometimes credited to County Antrim piper Robert Thompson (as, for example, his
granddaughter, Margaret Barry, asserts). The Levey collection would appear to
be the earliest printing of the tune (hence the claim to original title) which
appears in O’Neill as “Old Man Dillon” and Ryan/Cole as “One Bottle More [2].”
Levey notes that the fiddlers he heard resolved the last chord to A Major at
the end of the tune. Compare also to the Scotch jig “O As I Was Kiss'd Yestreen [1],”
published by James Oswald in his Caledonian
Pocket Companion. Levey (vol. 1). 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. 247, pg. 76. Kennedy (Jigs & Quicksteps, Trips &
Humours), 1997; No. 126, pg. 31. Clannad – “Dúlamán” (1976. Appears as “The Jug of
Brown Ale). Smithsonian Folkways (06819, cassette), Michael Gorman & Willie
Clancy – “Irish Jigs, Reels and Hornpipes” (originally released in 1956).
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:Old Man Dillon
T:Jug of Brown Ale, The [2]
S:Clannad, Dúlamán
N:O'Neill's has it in major.
Z:Jerome Colburn
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:Ador
G | EAA Acd | edB c2 A | BGG ~GFG |
BdB BAG |\
EAA Acd | ede ~gfg | edc Bcd | eAA
A2 ::\
g | gef g2 b | gef gdc | BGG ~GFG |
BdB BAG |1\
gef g2 b | gef g2 d | edc Bcd | eAA
A2 g :|2\
EAA Acd | ede ~g3 | edc Bcd | eAA A2
|]**
MUGBY JIM’S HIGHLAND
FLING. American, Fling. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 171.
MUILEANN DUBH (The Black Mill). AKA – “The Devil’s Mills,” "Mullin Dhu
(The Dark Mill)," "Mullin Du." AKA and see “Oyster Wife’s/Wives’ Rant.”
Scottish, Reel and Air. A Dorian (most versions): A Mixolydian (Gow). Standard
tuning. One part (Skye): AB (Athole, Kerr, McGlashan, Shears, Surenne): AAB
(Gow, Martin, Perlman): AABB (Williamson). "Very old” (Skye, Gow). The
melody exists in both air and reel versions. Puirt a beul (mouth music) words to the song begin:
***
Tha nead na circe fraoich anns a’ mhuileann
dubh, The moor hen’s nest is in
the black mill,
‘Sa Mhuileann dubh ‘sa Mhuileann dubh; The black mill, the
black mill
Tha nead na circe fraoich anns a’ mhuileann
dubh, The moor hen’s nest is in the
black mill,
As t-samhradh. At
summer time.
***
Apparently,
on Cape Breton Island the tune/song was not allowed to be played in certain
parts because it was so closely associated with the MacDougalls of Margaree,
who apparently were extremely touchy about hearing it played within their
earshot! It appears that one line of a
stanza of the puirt a beul set to the melody goes "Tha nead circe
fraoiche 's a' mhuilean dubh." (In the black mill is the heather-hen's
nest). The offence to the Margaree MacDougalls was due to a joke that was told
about hens at the expense of the clan, and they were so sensitive to any
reference to the joke that they could not tolerate mention of poultry of any
kind, and took the playing of the tune to be a veiled insult against the clan. Shears
says his is only one of many settings of the tune played by Cape Breton
musicians.
***
The story
of the tune was recited in Gaelic by John Allen Beaton of Broad Cove Marsh,
Inverness County, Cape Breton, to researcher Dr. Seósamh Watson in 1982. It
seems that a member of the community had taken quite ill one winter, and a man
was dispatched to fetch the priest to administer to him. All haste was to be
made, as the death was thought to be imminent, but the priest and his summoner
were uncommonly fond of music. The passed a mill on the journey to the sickbed,
and as they did so they were captivated by a melody emanating from the structure,
and they were compelled to stop.
Instead of ending, however, the melody played on without conclusion,
until finally the priest, remembering his duty, said, “Get going. We’ll be late
for the sick man. That’s the devil in there and he’s trying to keep us back.
Get Going! We can’t be listening to the tune.” Upon which they resumed their
journey. When they arrived they found they were too late; the man had died. The
tune, however, stayed with them, and they called it “Muileann Dubh a’
Logadair”; ‘The Devil’s Mills’. Dr. Watson thought the odd word ‘Logadair’ may
have been a corruption of the Lochaber placename, Auclaucharach, in Glen Roy,
Scotland. [see An Rubha, vol. 9, No.
1, Winter 2005/06].
***
Source for
notated version: George MacPhee (b. 1941, Monticello, North-East Kings County,
Prince Edward Island) [Perlman]. Carlin (Gow
Collection), 1986; No. 406 (appears as "The Mullin Du"). Gow (Complete Repository), Part 3, 1806; pg.
23. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 1;
Set 9, No. 2, pg. 7. Lowe (Collection of Reels
and Strathspeys), 1844. Martin (Ceol
na Fidhle), vol. 4, 1991; pg. 9. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 114. Martin (Traditional Scottish Fiddling), 2002; pg. 86. McGlashan (A Collection of Reels), c. 1786; pg. 20
(appears as “The Mullin du”). Perlman (The
Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; pg. 96. Shears (Gathering of the Clans Collection, vol. 1),
1986; pg. 59 (pipe setting). Stewart-Robertson
(The Athole Collection), 1884; pg.
44. Surenne (The Dance Music of
See also listings at: Alan Snyder’s Cape Breton Fiddle Recording
Index Jane Keefer’s Folk
Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources |
X:1
T:Muileann Dubh
M:C|
L:1/8
R:Reel
B:Stewart-Robertson – The
Athole Collection (1884)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:A
a|ede^f g2fe|dGdB dGdg|ede^f g2 fe|dBdB A2 A>a|ede^f g2fe|
dGdB dBdg|ede^f gage|dBgB A2A||
a|eAed eAAB|dGdB dGGg|eAed eAAB|dGdB A2 A>a|
eAed eAAB|dGdB dGGg|ede^f gbge|dgBg A2A||
X:2
T:Mullindhu
D:Jock Tamson's Bairns
Z:Nigel Gatherer
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:C
A>G AB C2 BA|GC C/B,/C GC C/B,/C|A>G AB C2 BA|GC C/B,/C D3 z:|]
ADAD
AD D/C/D|GCGC GC C/B,/C|A>G AB C2 BA|GC C/B,/C D3 z:|]
MUILLEANN NA MAIDÍ (The Twig Mill). AKA – “Crushing of Twigs,” “"Mill na Maidí.” Irish, Reel.
Ireland, County Donegal. D Major. Standard tuning. A popular reel in County
Donegal. Caoimhin Mac Aoidh (1994) identifies this fiddle tune as having piping
influences. Donegal fiddler Mickey Doherty had a five-part version of it. Mac
Aoidh relates that this was the favorite tune for a famous Donegal step dancer
by the name of Fear na Ropai (Man of the ropes) whose feat it was to dance in a
circle on the floor made by a short length of rope he carried with him while
fiddlers played this reel. He strove not to dance outside the bounds of the
rope and at each successful repetition he would draw the rope tighter until the
circumference was little bigger than the space taken up by his feel. The reel
is strongly associated with Vincent Campell, according to the band Altan. Green Linnett GLCD 1117, Altan - "Harvest Storm"
(1992). Vincent Campbell – “The Brass Fiddle” (learned from Mickey Doherty).
X:1
T:Mill na Máidí
R:reel
Z:Transcribed by Yuval
D:Vincent Campbell ‑ TheThe
Brass Fiddle
M:C|
K:D
FD~D2 FDGD|FD~D2 EFGE|FD~D2
FDEF|G2BG EFGE:|
|:A3d B2AF|DFAF EFGB|A3d BFAF|G2BG
EFGE:|
|:fd~d2 fdgd|fd~d2 efge|fd~d2
fdef|g2bg efge:|
|:d2ad bdad|dfaf efge|dfaf bfaf|g2bg
efge:|
|:d2AG FD~D2|FD (3EFG FA~A2|A3d
BFAF|EDCD EFGE:|
X:2
T: Mill na Máidí
S:Padraig O'Keeffe MS, via 'Music from Sliabh Luachra'
R:Pipe Reel
Z:Nigel Gatherer
L:1/8
M:4/4
K:D
F2 DF EFDE|F2 DF EFGE|F2 DF EFDF|GEED EFGE:|
D2 FA d2 AF|D2 AG EFGE|D2 FA d2 AF|GEED EFGE|
D2 FA d2 AF|D2 AG EFGE|Addc d2 AF|GEED EFGE|]
MUILLEOIR FAOI
DHEANNACH, AN. AKA and see “The Dusty Miller{s} [7].”
MUILLEOIR UA
GLEANN-MAGAIR, AN. AKA and see "The Miller of Glanmire."
MUINCILLI UAITNE. AKA and see "Greensleeves."
MUINE MUSG, AN. AKA and see "The Money Musk."
MUINEACHAN SWITCH, THE. AKA and see “The
Monaghan Switch,” “The Monaghan Twig
[1].” Irish, Reel. Ireland, County Donegal. A Major. The tune was collected
in 1903 by Padraig Mac Aodh O’Neill from the playing of Fawans, Kilmacrennan,
Donegal, farmer and schoolmaster Proinseas Mac Suibhne, and published Mac Aodh
O’Neill’s Songs of Uladh. Mac Suibhne
learned it from an old Glenswilly fiddler named Llilliam Ua Curthainn, and a
notation in the book states it was popular with the older folk around
Kilmacrennan [Caoimhin Mac Aoidh, 1994].
MUINNEAL A' BHARDAIL. Irish, Jig. Ireland, County Donegal. Caoimhin Mac Aoidh (1994) believes
this jig to have piping origins.
MUIR O’ GELLAN, THE. Scottish, Strathspey. A Major. Standard
tuning. AB. Composed by Peter
Milne (1824-1908), one of J. Scott Skinner’s
teachers and, later, fiddling partner. Milne managed to make a living playing
theater venues all over Scotland, but became addicted to opium in the drug
laudanum, which he originally took as a pain-killer. Milne ended his life in
reduced circumstances, busking on the ferry which crossed the Firth of Forth. Sources for notated versions:
Winston Fitzgerald (1914-1987, Cape Breton) [Cranford]; “After (Scottish
fiddler) J.F. Dickie’s set” [Henderson]. Cranford (Winston Fitzgerald), 1997; No. 97, pg. 41. Henderson (Flowers of Scottish Melody), 1935.
MUIRLAND WILLIE. AKA – “Moorland Willie.” AKA and see "The Northern Lass [1]." Scottish, English; Jig. England, Northumberland. G Minor (McGibbon, Seattle/Vickers): E Minor (Kerr). Standard tuning. AABB. Kidson (1890) remarks the original for "Muirland Willie" is said to be a country dance tune by the name of "Lord Frog and Lady Mouse," also known as "Cocky mi Chari, She," popular in several ballad operas of the 18th century. Earlier, the tune appears in John Playford's 1669 and 1687 editions of Apollo's Banquet under the title "The Northern Lass [1]." Variants include "The Auld Maid of Fife," "The Shepherd's Wife [2]," "My Boy Tammie/Tammy," and "Forty Miles." Emmerson (1972) groups this ballad with other anonymous lyrics from the 17th century (such as "My Jo Janet," ""The Barrin' o the Door," and "The Wowing of Jok and Jynny") which "add considerably to our knowledge of the habits and outlook of these times." See also Bayard's (1981) note for "Lannigan's Ball" in which he places this tune family in a larger context of interconnected tune families. William Chappell (Popular Music of the Olden Time, 1859) maintains the slower ballad form of the air was transformed into a lively, dancing form that was published by Walsh in 24 New Country Dances for the year 1713 under the title “Great Lord Frog”, and again, with words in The Merry Musician (1716). Thomas D’Urfey also used it for his song “Great Lord Frog to Lady Mouse” in Pills to Purge Melancholy (1719). It is this latter form, maintains Chappell, that the Scots sung “Muirland Willie” to, the first appearance by that title being in Thomson’s Orpheus Caledonius (1725). John Glen (Early Scottish Melodies, 1900) remarks that the D’Urfey melody “is much inferior to the Scottish version of ‘Muirland Willie’,” and that, “the Scottish versions have never essentially differed from each other since Thomson’s time to the present day, though the tune has been very frequently published, and that always under the title of ‘Muirland Willie’.” Glen chides Chappell for his somewhat convoluted and unsubstantiated tracing of the melody through its English use. Lyrics set to the air can be found in the Scots Musical Museum (No. 369).
***
Gow
(Vocal Melodies of
X:1
T:Moorland Willie
M:6/4
L:1/8
R:Air
S:McGibbon – Scots Tunes, book II, pg. 54 (c. 1746)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:G Minor
D2 | G4A2 B4c2 | d2e2d2 f4d2 | B4B2 f4(ed) | “tr”c4B2 “tr”A4 (G^F) | G3A G2B4c2 |
(d2c2)d2b4a2 | “tr”(g3^fg2) d2g2^f2 | (g6 g4) :: d2 | g4a2b4g2 | f4d2f4d2 | B3cB2f4(ed) |
“tr”c4B2”tr”A4(G^F) | G4G2B4c2 | d3ed2b4a2 | “tr”(g2^f2)g2d2g2^f2 | (g6g4) :|
X:2
T:Muirland Willie
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:Jig
S:William Vickers’ music manuscript collection (Northumberland, 1770)
K:G
G|G2A B2c|d2e f2d|B2B f2d|cAc F2F|G2A B2c|
ded b2a|gfe d=e=f|(g3 g2)::g|g2a b2g|f2d f2d|
BcB g2d|cAc F2G/F/|G>AG B2c|d>ed b2a|gfe d=e=f=|g3 g2:|
MUIRNIN GEAL MO
CHROIDHE. AKA and see "Fair Darling of My Heart."
MUISGUILT MHICSEOIN. AKA and see "Jackson's
Morning Brush."
______________________________________
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