The Fiddler’s Companion

© 1996-2008 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]

 

 

 

STICK ACROSS THE HOB, THE. AKA and see “Lyon’s Favourite,” “Maurice Carmody’s Favourite,” "Morrison's Jig [1]," “Paddy Stack’s Fancy Jig.” 

 

STICK BEAT, THE. AKA and see "Old Stick Beat March," "Old Seven Spot," "Old Number Seven," "Taylor's March," "Frank Keeney [2]," "Davistown." American, March (2/4 time). USA, southwestern Pa. D Major. Standard tuning. AABBCC. A stick beat is a martial band term for when drummers alternately strike with drumsticks the rim of the drum then each other. The tune appears not to be known outside southwestern Pa. Sources for notated versions: eight southwestern Pa. fifers [Bayard]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 228A‑H, pgs. 186‑189.

 

STICK DANCE. English, Morris Dance Tune (6/8 time). G Major. Standard. AB (x5), A. From the Upton‑on‑Severn area of England's Cotswolds. Mallinson (Mally’s Cotswold Morris Book), 1988; No. 30, pg. 21.

 

STICK IT IN THE ASHES. AKA and see “Farrell O’Gara’s Favorite Reel,” “Last Night in Leadville,” “Last Night’s Fun [1],” “Old Joe Sife’s Reel.” American, Reel. A Major. Standard. AABB. The tune appears again in Ryan/Cole under the title “Pretty Jane’s Reel.” O'Neill prints variants as "Macroom Lasses" and "More Power to Your Elbow." Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 25. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 50.

X:1

T:Stick it in the Ashes

M:2/4

L:1/8

R:Reel

S:Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:A

A | E/A/A/B/ c/B/c/d/ | e/c/d/B/ c/A/E/A/ | E/A/A/B/ c/B/c/d/ | e/c/A/c/ .B.A | E/A/A/B/ c/B/c/d/ |

e/c/d/B/ c/A/E/A/ | E/A/A/B/ c/B/c/d/ | e/c/B/c/ A :: (3e/f/g/ | .a(c/a/) (e/a/)(c/A/) | d/B/c/A/ (B/F/).F |

.a(e/a/) e/a/a/c’/ | b/a/b/c’/ aa | a/c’/f/a/ e/a/c/e/ | d/B/c/A/ (B/F/).F | (E/A/)(A/B/) c/B/c/d/ | e/c/B/c/ A :|

 

STICK IT IN THE MIDDLE. Old‑Time. The title appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountan fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954.

 

STICK THE MINISTER [1]. AKA and see "Allie Crocker.” Irish, Reel. D Major. Standard. AAB. Roche Collection, 1982, Vol. 1; No. 197, pg. 75.

 

STICK THE MINISTER [2]. AKA and see "De'il Stick the/da Minister."

 

STICK THE MINISTER [3?]. A tune by this title appears in the Bodleian Manuscript, which bears the inscription “A Collection of the Newest Country Dances Performed in Scotland at Edinburgh by D.A. Young, W.M. 1740.” See also “De’il Stick the/da Minister.”

 

STICK THE WORLD BEFORE YOU. Irish, Jig. Kidson (Groves) identifies the tune as an Irish jig printed by Oswald in his Caledonian Pocket Companion and elsewhere about the middle of the 18th century. It is sometimes erroneously claimed as Welsh due to its appearance in a 1794 collection from that country, where it appears as “Drive the World Before Me [2].”

 

STICKS AND STONES. AKA and see "Helter Skelter." Old‑Time, Quadrille (6/8). USA, Pennsylvania. G Major ('A' part) & C Major ('B' part). Standard. AABB. The title appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954. Source for notated version: Charles Lutz (York County, Pa.) [Christeson]. R.P. Christeson (Old Time Fiddler’s Repertory, Vol. 1), 1973; pg. 118.

 

STILE OF BALLYLANDERS, THE. Irish, Reel. E Dorian. Standard. AB. Some relation to the “Reel of Bogie” family of tunes. Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland), vol. 3; 9. Roche Collection, 1982, Vol. 1; No. 178, pg. 69.

 


STILL ON THE HILL. AKA and see "Sells' Brothers Circus Rag." Old-Time, Country Rag/Swing Tune. D Major ('A', 'B' and 'C' parts) & A Major ('D' and 'E' parts). Standard. AABBCCDDEE. The alternate title refers to the Sells Brothers circus, a latter-19th century outfit dominated by Peter Sells. Circusus provided employment for many musicians at various times in their careers. Source for notated version: Howard Forrester, who had the tune from Uncle Dave Macon [Devil’s Box, Phillips]. Devil’s Box, Vol. 22, No. 3, Fall 1988; pg. 22. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 2, 1995; pg. 136. Fiddler FRLP001, Tom Doucet (Nova Scotia/eastern Mass.) - “The Down East Star.”

X:1

T:Sells’ Brothers Circus Rag

T:Still on the Hill
L:1/8

M:2/4

S:Howdy Forrester, learned it from Uncle Dave Macon

B:The Devil’s Box

N:Transcribed by John Hartford, who notes Forrester recorded the tune

N:under the title “Still on the Hill.”

N:Order of the parts is ABCABDA

K:D

F/G/||AA B/A/F/E/|DA, DA,|FF/G/ F/D/D/F/|EA, EA,|cc/d/ c/B/A/F/|

EE/F/ E/D/C/B,/|A,/d/c/B/ A/G/F/E/|D3:|

F/G/||AD/F/ A/F/A/d/|fA fA|e/d/c/B/ A/c/e/f/|dgAg|gg g/f/e/d/|cc/d/ c/B/A/G/|

A/B/c/B/ A/G/F/E/|d3 F/G/|AdAd|ff/g/ fd|e/d/c/B/ A/c/e/f/|gAgA|

e/d/c/B/ A/c/e/f/|g/f/g/a/ g/f/e/d/|eB A/B/c/A/|d3||

A|:(a2 a>)b|a3 A|(d2 d/)B/A/F/|E4|g4|g3 c/B/|A/B/c/B/ A/G/F/E/|d3:|

e|:c’3 e|a3 e|(a2 a/)f/e/c/|B4|g(b b2)|b3 g/f/|e/f/g/f/ e/d/c/B/|A3:|

 

STILL THEY SAY SHE'S KIND OF PRETTY. New England. A modern composition by New Hampshire caller and musician Dudley Laufman. Front Hall FHR‑024, Fennigs All‑Star String Band ‑ "Fennigmania" (1981).

 

STILL WAITING. AKA and see "Toujours Apres Esperer."

 

STILLHOUSE. AKA and see "Cider Mill." Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA; Patrick County, Va. D Major. ADae (Tommy Jarrell) tuning. Heritage XXXIII, Delmar & Calvin Pendleton ‑ "Visits" (1981).

 

STILLHOUSE BRANCH. Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, Ky. A Major. One of a family of tunes that includes "Brown's Dream [1],” “Brownstream,” Herve Brown’s Dream,” Jimmy Johnson Pass That Jug Around the Hill,” John Brown's Dream,” “Little Rabbit Pretty Little Gal [1],” “Table Mountain Road” and others. The tune family is a common a popular one in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where it probably originated but has since been disseminated. North-east Kentucky fiddler Buddy Thomas recorded the tune under the “Stillhouse Branch” title but also knew the piece alternately as “Brown Stream,” a mondegreen for “Brown’s Dream.” He believed the “Brown Stream” title to refer to the stream of whiskey that emerges from a moonshine still, according to Mike Yates (2002). Rounder 0032, Buddy Thomas (Northeast Ky.) ‑ "Kitty Puss: Old Time Fiddle Music From Kentucky."

 

STILLMAN'S REEL. The melody appears in the Company of Fifers and Drummers (1976), Book I, pg. 27.

 

STILLY NIGHT [1], THE. Scottish, Strathspey. A Major. Standard. AABB. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 3; No. 93, pg. 12.

X:1

T:Stilly Night [1]

M:C

L:1/8

R:Strathspey

B:Kerr – Merry Melodies, vol. 3, No. 93  (c. 1880’s)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:A

c2 (c>B) A<F F<A|E>EA>c (B/c/d) c2|c2 (c>B) A<F F<A|E<E e>c ({c}B2) A2:|

|:E>AA>c B>AA>A|B>A d>c ({c}B2)A2|E>AA>A B>AA>A|e>cc>A (B/c/d) c2||

 

STILLY NIGHT [2]. Irish, Jig. B Flat Major. Standard. AABB. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 4; No. 240, pg. 26.

X:1

T:Stilly Night [2]

M:6/8

L:1/8

R:Jig

B:Kerr – Merry Melodies, vol. 4, No. 240  (c. 1880’s)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:B Flat Major

d3 d2c|B2G G2B|F2F B2d|cde d3|d3 d2c|B2G G2B|
F2B d2B|c3B3::F2B B2B|c2B B2B|c2B e2d|

c3B3|FBB B2B|c2B B2B|f2d d2B|cde d3:|

 

STINGO. AKA ‑ "Oil of Barley," "Cold and Raw," “Juice of Barley [1],” "The Mother Beguiles the Daughter,” “Up in the Morning Early." English, Country Dance Tune (6/4 time). G Dorian. Standard tuning. AABC. The air was published by Playford in his English Dancing Master (1651). There is a song called "A Cup of Old Stingo" contained in Merry Drollery Complete, 1661 & 1670, which Chappell (1859) says must be forty or fifty years younger than that publication, if it is the original song, thus placing it in the reign of King Charles I. Stingo is evidently a brewed alcoholic beverage, according to the lyrics of this ballad. The Merry Drollery ballad begins:

***

There’s a lusty liquor which

Good fellow use to take-a;

It is distilled with Nard most rich,

And water of the lake-a.

***

Of hop a little quantity,

And Barm to it they bring too;

Being barrell’d up, they call’t a cup

Of dainty good old stingo.

***

In the area once countryside outside London, on the road toward Paddington, there was an establishment called The Yorkshire Stingo opposite Lisson Grove, that “invited the wayfarer to its tea-garden and bowling-green; it was much crowded on Sundays, when an admission fee of sixpence was demanded at the doors. For that a ticket was given, to be exchanged with the waiters for its value in refreshments; a plan very constantly adopted in these gardens, to prevent the intrusion of the lowest classes, or of such as might only stroll about them without spending anything” (R. L. Chambers, Book of Days, vol. 2, 1863).

***

The tune appears under the title of “Stingo, or the Oyle of Barley” in John Playford’s Dancing Master from 1651-1690, and afterwards as “Cold and Raw.” The “Cold and Raw” title was derived from a “New Scotch Song” to the tune by Thomas D'Urfey, printed in one of his books in 1688. Sir John Hawkin’s givens an anecdote about Queen Mary, consort of King William III, and says: “Mr. Gosling and Mrs. Hunt sung several compositions of Purcell, who accompanied them upon the harpsichord; at length the Queen beginning to grow tired, asked Mrs. Hunt if she could not sing the old Scots ballad of ‘Cold and Raw’.” A similar tune, under the rather vague title “Northern Catch” (Catch=simple song) appears in John Hilton’s Catch that Catch Can (1652). D’Urfey printed another song to the melody in his Pills to Purge Melancholy (1719), called “A New Song to the Scotch Tune of ‘Cold and Raw’.” Samuel Bayard (in his article “A Miscellany of Tune Notes,” Studies in Folklore, pg. 170) finds the melody under the title “Captain Gwynn’s Attack” on pg. 80 of the first book of Nicholas Bennett’s Alawon fy Ngwlad (1896) and again in Bennett’s second volume in “a curious set” as “Judge a Point” (pg. 97).

***

Chappell (Popular Music of the Olden Time), vol. 1, 1859; pgs. 298‑299. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 37. Harmonia Mundi 907101, The King's Delight - "17c. Ballads for Voice & Violin Band" (1992. Appears as tune for "The Little Barley-Corne").

X:1

T:Stingo

T:Oil of Barley, The

T:Cold and Raw

M:6/4

L:1/8

S:Chappell – Popular Music of the Olden Time (1859)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:G Dorian

G4G2 d4B2 | c2 A4 F4F2 | G4G2 d4B2 | G6B6 :|

B4B2 B4 AB | c4c2 c4c2 | d4d2 g4g4 | d6f6 ||

B4B2 B4 AB | c4c2 c3d_e2 | d3c B2 c4 A2 | G6 B6 ||

X:2

T:Northern Catch

M:6/8

L:1/8

S:John Hilton – Catch as Catch Can (1652)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:E Minor

z|E2E B2B|Bd2 D3|E2E B2G|E3 G2:||G|G2G G2G|A2B c2B|

B2B ed2|B3 d2G|G2G G2G|A2B c2 d/c/|B>AG F>ED|E3B2||

                                               

STINKING BEAR. Old‑Time. The title appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954.

                       

STIR HER UP AND HOLD HER GANGING. Scottish. The melody appears in the Skene MS. (a lute MS of 1615‑20 or 1534), and later in Henry Playford's collections of the late seventeenth century and in his collection of Scottish dance tunes of 1700.

                       

STIR THE COUCHE-COUCHE. AKA and see "Brasse le Couche-Couche."

                       


STIR THY/YOUR FEET JOHNNY. AKA and see "Northern Road," "Boher O'Huaid." Irish, Jig. D Major. Standard tuning. AAB. O’Farrell (Pocket Companion, vol. 1), c. 1805; pg. 47.

X:1

T:Stir Your Feet Johnny

M:6/8

L:1/8

R:Jig

S:O’Farrell – Pocket Companion, vol. 1 (c. 1805)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:D

d | AGF A2D | DED FED | AGF A2D | F3d3 | AGF A2D | DED AGF |

EFE E2F G3B3 :| ABc d2F | AGF d2F | ABc dAF | B3d3 | ABc ded |

cBA d2A | Bcd EGE | G3B3 | ABc d2F | AGF d2F | ABc dAF | B3d3 |

faf gec | fdB AFD | EFE E2F | G3B3 ||

                       

STIRLING CASTLE. AKA - “Sterling Castle.” AKA and see “Gray Day Light,” "Gray Day-Licht," "Harvest Home [2]," "The Kirn," “Marquis of Hansley’s.” Scottish (originally), Irish; Highland or Strathspey. Ireland, County Donegal. D Major. Standard tuning. AB (most versions): AA’B (Martin, Skinner). Composed by Professor Bannatyne, Aberdeen, this tune is in both bagpipe and fiddle repertories. According to Bill Hardie (1986), North-East Scottish fiddlers "of two or three generations ago" knew this strathspey by the title "The Grey Day-Licht." The reference to "Harvest Home" as an alternate title comes from J. Scott Skinner's Harp and Claymore collection (1904), where “The Kirn” is also given as an alternate. Bill Hardie notes that the similarity between "Stirling Castle" and the popular hornpipe "Harvest Home" is a tenuous one, however, there is considerable similarity to "Harvest Home [2].” In Ireland the piece is popular today as a Highland in County Donegal, and was one of the several Scottish tunes recorded by the great Sligo/New York fiddler Michael Coleman.

***

Stirling Castle is a spectacularly restored castle in Stirling, Scotland, and is located on the top of a plain of an extinct volcanic hill surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs. The site had been fortified since ancient times, but the main surviving buildings date from the 15th and 16th centuries, along with a few structures from the 14th century. Stirling Castle was the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots and was the permanent crown residence for many of the Stewart kings.

***

Sources for notated versions: Bill Hardie (Aberdeenshire, Scotland) [Hunter]; MacDonald (1887) in his Skye Collection notes the tune is "According to Doig”; Winston Fitzgerald (1914-1987, Cape Breton) [Cranford]; “Willie Blair’s Set” [Skinner]. Cranford (Winston Fitzgerald), 1997; No. 121, pg. 50. Giblin (Collection of Traditional Irish Dance Music), 1928; 58. Hardie (Caledonian Companion), 1986; pg. 22. Honeyman (Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor), 1898; pg. 8. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 114. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 1; Set 2, No. 1, pg. 4. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 55. Martin (Traditional Scottish Fiddling), 2002; pg. 128. Skinner (Harp and Claymore), 1904; pg. 78. Culburnie Records CUL 121D, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas – “Fire and Grace” (2004). Nimbus NI 5320, Ciaran Tourish, Dermot McLaughlin, Seamus Glackin, Kevin Glackin - “Fiddle Sticks: Traditional Music from Donegal” (1991). Topic 12TS381, The Battlefield Band ‑ "At the Front" (1978). “Melodeon Greats” (1978).

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:Stirling Castle

S:session playing

Z:Juergen.Gier@post.rwth‑aachen.de

M:4/4

L:1/8

R:Strathspey

K:D

D2F>A D>A F<A|A,2 C>E A,>E C<E|\

D2F>A D>A F<A|1(3Bcd (3efg (3fed (3cBA :|2\

(3Bcd (3efg f<d d|]A|d2 f>d g>e f>d|\

B2 c>d (3efd (3cBA|d2 f>d g>e f>d|\

(3Bcd (3efg f<d d>A|d2 f>d g>e f<d|\

B2 c>d (3efd (3cBA|(3fga (3gfe (3dcB (3AGF|\

(3GAB (3ABc (3dAG (3FGE|]

X:2

T:Stirling Castle

M:C

L:1/8

R:Strathspey

S:MacDonald – Skye Collection  (1887)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:D

A,|D<D F>D A>D F>D|A,<A, C>A, E>A, C<E|D<D F>D A>D F>A|

(3Bcd (3efg (3gfe (3cBA|D<D F>D A>D F>D|A,<A, C>A, E>A, C>E|

D<D F>D A>D F>A|(3Bcd (3efg f<d d||A|d<d f>d g>e f>d|

(3Bcd (3efg (3fed (3cBA|d<d f>d g>f g>b|(3agf (3gfe (3dcB (3AGF|

d<d f>d g>e f>d|(3Bcd (3efg (3fed (3cBA|(3fga (3gfe (3dcB (3AGF|

(3GAB (3ABc (3dAG (3FED||

                       

STIRLINGSHIRE MILITIA. Scottish, "Rather Slow" March. A Major. Standard tuning. AABBCCDD. A 19th century tune composed by Hugh MacKay. Source for notated version: Winston Fitzgerald (1914-1987, Cape Breton) [Cranford]. Cranford (Winston Fitzgerald), 1997; No. 54, pg. 23. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 179. Breton Books and Records BOC 1HO, Winston “Scotty” Fitzgerald - “Classic Cuts” (reissue of Celtic Records CX 59).

X:1

T:Stirlingshire Militia

M:2/4

L:1/8

R:March

S:MacDonald – Skye Collection  (1887)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:A

e|A/A/e/A/ cB/A/|A/B/c/a/ ec/A/|A/A/a/f/ e/f/e/A/ | cB/>B/ Be | A/A/e/A/ cB/A/|

A/B/c/a/ eB/A/|A/A/a/f/ e/f/B/e/|cA/>A/ A:|

|:g|a/e/f/a/ fe/c/|ea/e/ fe/c/|e>f e/f/e/A/|cB B/B/g | a/e/f/a/ fe/c/ | ea/e/ fe/c/ |

f/e/a/f/ e/f/B/e/|cA A/A/:|

|:e | A/A/A/c/ e/A/c/A/ | e/A/c/A/ cB/A/ | A/A/a/f/ e/f/e/A/ | c>B B/B/e |

A/A/A/c/ e/A/c/A/ | ea/e/ cB/A/ | f/e/a/f/ e/f/B/e/ | cA A/A/ :|

|: fg | a/e/c/e/ A/e/f/e/ | a/e/c/e/ fe/c/ | a/e/c/e/ A/e/c/e/ | fB B(f/g/) |

a/e/c/e/ A/e/f/e/ | a/e/c/e/ fe/c/ | f/e/a/f/ e/f/c/e/ | cA A/A/:|

                       


STIRLINS IDA LUM. Shetland, Reel. D Major. Standard. AAB. "Composed in 1979 while sitting inside the ruins of Tom (Anderson's) maternal great grandfather's house and listening to the Starlings feeding their young somewhere up the old lum (chimney)" (Anderson). Anderson (Ringing Strings), 1983; pg. 30.

                       

STOCAINNEAN DAOIMEAN (Checkered Stockings).  Scottish, Air (4/4 time). E Dorian. Standard. One part. A popular puirt a beul (mouth music) tune.

***

Haio hairum, stocainnean daoimean,

Haio hairum, stocainnean daoimean,

Haio hairum, stocainnean daoimean,

‘S iad bhios grin anns na lòrns.

***

Martin (Traditional Scottish Fiddling), 2002; pg. 75.

 

STOCKTON HORNPIPE, THE. English, Hornpipe. England, Northumberland. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. Stockton on Tees is a town on the River Tees, once a shipbuilding and railroad center, along with other heavy industries, and a port leading to the Baltic routes. Hall & Stafford (Charlton Memorial Tune Book), 1974; pg. 44. Miller (Fiddler’s Throne), 2004; No. 315, pg. 185. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 187.

X:1

T:Stockton Hornpipe, The

L:1/8

M:C|

R:Hornpipe

D:G

cc|Bd g2g2 fg|afdB c2 BA|Bdgf edcB|AGFE D2 dc|

Bd g2g2 fg|afdB c2 BA|cedc BGAF|G2G2G2:|

|:dc|BcdB edcB|cdBc A2 cB|AbcA dcBA|BcAB G2 dc|

BGBd bgdB|cAce afdB|cedc BGAF|G2G2G2:|

           

STÓR MO CHROÍ [1], A (Treasure of my heart). AKA - "Astore McCree," "Astoreen Machree." AKA - “A Stór mo Chroí.” Irish, Air (3/4 time). D Minor. Standard tuning. One part. The air is one of the many variants of “Bruach na Carraige Báine.” The sentimental song written to it is addressed to a loved one on the verge of emigrating, and tells of the sorrows and temptations of the “strangers’ land.” It is the work of Briain Ó hUigínn (Brian O’Higgins, 1882-1949), also known as Briain na Banban [Banban is a poetic name for Ireland], born in Kilscyre, County Meath, well versed in Irish history who wrote hundreds of poems and songs, both nationalistic and humorous, as well as Celtic greeting cards. His brother was the great fiddler Frank O’Higgins. Brain O’Higgins was also a poet, politician, political prisoner in Birmingham and brilliant satirist. “A Stór Mo Croí” first appeared in his collection of poetry Songs of Glen na Mona in June 1929, and he suggested the words be sung to the air of “Bruach na Carraige Báine.

***

A stór mo croí, when you're far away,

From the homes you'll soon be leaving,

And it's many's the time by night and day

Your heart will sorely be grieving.

Though the stranger's land is rich and fair

And riches and treasures golden,

You'll pine I know for the long long ago

And the love that's never olden.

***

A stór mo croí, in the stranger's land,

There is plenty of wealth and earnings,

Wealth and gems adorn from the rich and the grand,

But there are faces with hunger tearing,

Though the road is weary and hard to thread

And the lights of the city may blind you

You'll turn, a stoir, for Erin's shore

And the ones you left behind you.

***

A stór mo croí, when the evening sun

Over mountains and meadows is falling

Won't you turn away from the throng and listen

And maybe you'll hear me calling.

Though the voice you'll hear is surely mine

For somebody speedily returning,

A run, a run, won't you come home soon,

To the ones who will always love you.

***

The tune is popular at current singing sessions and competitions, and sometimes suffers from the frequency of its hearing. Terry Moylan once played the air on the pipes in the famous piper Willie Clancy’s company, and the latter remarked it was his favorite of all. Source for notated version: “From the whistling of a native of Crossmolina in the county Mayo, 1852; and its origin may with great probability be assigned to that very musical county” [Joyce]. Howe (1000 Jigs and Reels), c. 1867; pg. 26. Joyce (Ancient Irish Music), 1873/1890; No. 34, pg. 36.  Claddagh CC4, Sarah and Rita Keane (east Galway)- “Once I Loved.” Drumlin Records BMNCD2, Brian McNamara – “Fort of the Jewels” (2004. Learned from the singing of Mairéad and Nollaig Casey of Bandon, West Cork, who had the air passed down from their family). Kells Music 9502, Dervish - "Harmony Hill." Tara CD3035, Nollaig Casey & Arty McGlynn - “Causeway.” Iarla Ó Lionáird – “Music of Dreams.”

X:1

T:Astoreen Mcahree

T:O Treasure of My Heart

M:3/4

L:1/8

R:Air

N:”Slow & sad”

S:Joyce – Ancient Irish Music (1890)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:D Minor

D2 DEFG | A2d3c | B2A2 GF | D2 D4 | c2c2d2 | c2A2G2 | A2d2d2 |

d4 de | f2e2d2 | c3 edc | B2A2 GF |D2 D4 | c3 edc | B2A2G2 | A2F2 F>G | F6 ||

 

STOIR MO CHROI [2], A. Irish, Air (3/4 time). D Major. Standard tuning. AAB. Ó Canainn (Traditional Slow Airs of Ireland), 1995; No. 64, pg. 57.

      

STOLEN APPLES. American. Composed by flute player Malcolm Dalglish. Green Linnet GLCD 1200, Lunasa – “Otherworld” (1999).

      

STOLEN BREEKS, THE (Briogais Mhic Rùairidh). Scottish, Slow Air (6/8 time). C Minor. Standard tuning. AABB. "The air of the Stolen Breeks has a set of excellent but rather splentic words, allusive to the proscription of the Highland dress after the 1745, which hint as it might have happened, that if the Jacobite party had prevailed, or might still prevail, the first thing they ought to do, should be to 'proscribe the breeches in turn, and have an opportunity of seeing one half of their adversaries perish of cold; in short, that their more delicate southern neighbors could not less relish the proscription of the one than they disrelished the proscription of the other, and that payment in kind would be the justest sort of retribution'" (Fraser). Fraser (The Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles), 1874; No. 147, pg. 59.

X:1

T:Stolen Breeks, The

T:Briogais Mhic Rùairidh

M:6/8

L:1/8

R:Air

S:Fraser Collection  (1874)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:C Minor

C | E>FG BGB| G2c cze| c>BA GAF| G2C CzC| E>FG BGB| Gcd edc| c>BA GAF|E2C Cz:|

|: G| c>dc BAG| edc BAG| cde dc=B| c2C CzC| E>FG BGB| Gcd edc| cGA GAF|E2C Cz:|

      

STOLEN KISS, THE.  Scottish, Air. Composed by James Oswald (d. 1769) and used by Robert Burns for his lyric "Go Fetch to me a Pint o' Wine."

           

STOLEN PURSE [1], THE (An Sparan Do Bi Giodte). AKA and see "An Fhuiseog ar an Tra," “The Lark on the Strand [1],” "The Old Woman Lamenting Her Empty Purse," Irish, Double Jig. D Major. Standard tuning. AABBCC. Breathnach (1963) states this tune was adapted by O’Neill from “The Old Woman Lamenting Her Empty Purse.” Similar to “The Lark on the Strand [1]." See also the related “Oh! Hag You Have Killed Me [2].” Source for notated version: John Mulvihill (County Limerick) via Chicago fiddler Edward Cronin (“a Tipperary man from Limerick Junction”) [O’Neill]. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1986; No. 344, pg. 71.

X:1

T:Stolen Purse, The

M:6/8

L:1/8

R:Jig

S:O’NeillDance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems (1907), No. 344

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:D

G|FED c/B/Ag|fed cAG|A/B/AG ABc|dcA ABG|FED c/B/Ag|fed cAF|G3 GAF|DGG G2:|

|:B|cBA fAg|fed cAG|A/B/AG ABc|dcA ABG|FED fAg|fed cAF|G3 GAF|DGG G2:|

|:f|a/g/fa g/f/eg|fed cAG|A/B/AG ABc|dcA Afg|a/g/fa g/f/eg|f/e/df ecA|G3 GAF|DGG G2:|

 

STOLEN PURSE [2], THE. Irish, Jig. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. O’Neill (1922), remarks: “This rare jig tune which has haunted my memory for years was evidently derived from ‘The Old Woman Lamenting Her Purse’, No. 560, O'Neill's Music of Ireland 1903. The air does not appear in the Bunting Collections. A setting in which the first part is repeated after the second part is printed without note or comment in Petrie's Complete Collection of Irish Music.” O’Neill (Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody), 1922; No. 145.

X:1

T:Stolen Purse (#145), The

M:6/8

L:1/8

S:Capt. F. O'Neill

Z:Paul Kinder

K:G

dBA AGA|BGG G2 B|dBA ABd|efe edB|

dBA AGA|BGG G2 A|GED G2 A|Bdd edB:|

|:def g2 b|agf "tr"g2 e|def g2 a|bge edB|

def g2 b|agf g2 a|bgg agf|"tr"e2 d efg:||

           

STOLEN REEL, THE. AKA and see “The Swallow’s Nest [3].” Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. Bill Black (1996) says flute player Mike Rafferty “borrowed” this tune from Bronx fiddler Martin Mulvihill, who jokingly accused him of theft. The group Sliabh Notes recorded the tune under the title “The Swallow’s Nest” on their album “Gleanntan,” and note that the tune was composed by Nenagh, County Tipperary, accordion player Paddy O’Brien (1922-1991). Source for notated version: New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker]. Black (Music’s the Very Best Thing), 1996; No. 322, pg. 172. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 40, pg. 13. Kells Music 9509, Mike & Mary Raffety – “The Dangerous Reel.” Green Linnet GLCD  1211, Kevin Crawford – “In Good Company” (2001).

X:1

T: The Stolen Reel

S: M. Rafferty

Q: 350

R: reel

Z:Transcribed by Bill Black

M: 4/4

L: 1/8

K: G

BA | G3 A GEDE | G2 BG BedB | AE E2 A2 Bc | egfa gedB |

G3 A GEDE | G2 Bd efge | dG G2 eGBG | FGAF G2 :|

Bc | dg (3gfg edBA | GEDE G2 Bd | eaab aged | BABd e2 ge |

dg (3gfg agbg | aged e2 ge | dG (3GFG eGBG | FGAF G2 :|

                                   

STONE CUTTERS YARD. Northumbrian. One of the "missing tunes" from William Vickers' 1770 Northumbrian dance tune manuscript.

                       

STONE FIDDLE, THE/THE FIDDLE STONE. Irish, Reel. F Major. Standard tuning. AABB’. Composed by fiddler and piano player Josephine Keegan (b. 1935), of Mullaghbawn, south County Armagh, inspired by The Fiddle Stone, a giant stone fiddle which stands at Castle Caldwell, Belleek, Co. Fermanagh, set on a peninsula on Lough Erne. The stone commemorates the unfortunate drowning of inebriated fiddler Denis McCabe in 1770, who fell from a family barge belonging to Sir James Caldwell during a convivial excursion.  Sir James erected the stone in his memory, with the inscription:

***

Beware ye fiddlers of ye fiddlers’ fate,

Nor tempt ye deep lest ye regret too late,

Ye ever have been deemed to water foes,

Then shun the lake till it with whisky flows,

On dry land only exercise your skill,

There you may play and drink your fill.

***

Keegan (The Keegan Tunes), 2002; pg. 28.

 

STONE FRIGATE, THE. Canadain, Reel. Canada, Cape Breton. Composed by Pipe Major Donald Kerrigan. Smithsonian Folkways Records, SFW CD 40507, The Beaton Family of Mabou – “Cape Breton Fiddle and Piano Music” (2004). 

                                               

STONE GRINDS ALL. AKA and see “The Job of Journey Work [1].”

                       

STONE IN THE FIELD [1], THE (An Chloch sa nGarrai). Irish, Reel. A Dorian. Standard tuning. AB (Breathnach): AABB (McNulty). Source for notated version: piper Sean Potts (Ireland) [Breathnach]. Breathnach (CRE I), 1963; No. 104, pg. 44. Breathnach (CRÉ II), 1976; No. 224 (appears as “Gan ainm/No title”; it is a variant of the melody in CRE I). McNulty (Dance Music of Ireland), 1965; pg. 15. MKM7590, Mike McHale – “The Schoolmaster’s House” (2000. Learned originally from piper Leo Rowsome, later changed to the Paddy Carty version because he liked the difference in the ‘B’ part).

X: 1

T:Stone in the Field, The [1]

M:4/4

L:1/8

Q:180

S:Tommy Reck

R:Reel

Z:Andrew Pickering

N:Posted to the woodenflute mailing list January 2002

K:ADor

AG|EAAG ABcd|eaaf gedB|cBAc BG {A}(3GFG|AcBA GEDF|

EAAG ABcd|eaaf gedB|cBcd efed|cABG A2:|

cd|eaag agab|c'2 ba gedB|cBAc BG {A}(3GFG|AcBA GED2|

ea {b}(3aga bg {a}(3gfg|agef gfga|bgaf gedB|AcBG A2:|

X:2

T:Stone in the Field, The [1]

R:Reel

M:4/4

L:1/8

K:G

EAAG ABcd|eaaf gedB|cBAc BAGB|AcBA GEED|