Ceolas: The Fiddler's Companion

Result of search for "Blue Bonnets":

ALL THE BLUE BONNETS ARE OVER THE BORDER. AKA and see "Blue Bonnets Over the Border," "Billy in the Lowground."

BABBITY BOWSTER/BOLSTER. AKA - "Bee-Ba-Babbity." AKA and see "Country Bumpkin," "Who learned you to dance and a towdle." Scottish, Jig. This common Scottish melody (which Emmerson {1972} states is "yet on the lips of every Lowland child") first appears in the Skene Manuscript (1620) under the title "Who learned you to dance and a towdle," and later was printed by Stewart in his Reels (c. 1768) as "Country Bumpkin" and by Aird in Airs (1782) as "Bab at the Bowster." A tune by this title shows up as a fugue theme in Barsanti's overture in G, op. IV no. 9, c. 1750. Flett & Flett (1964) explain that "Babbity Bowster" is the name of a kissing dance once widely performed as the last dance at country dances in Scotland, though the name changed from region to region. In the Borders and Aberdeenshire it was known as "Babbity Bowster," a corruption of "Bob at the Bolster," in Fife and Lanarkshire as "Bee Bo Bobbity," in the Highlands and the Isles under the Gaelic titles "Ruidhleadh nam Pog" (The Kissing Reel), "Dannsadh nam Pog" (The Kissing Dance), and also by the English names "Blue Bonnets," "The Bonnet Dance," "The Bonny Lad," "Pease Strae" and "The White Cockade." In Orkney (where it was danced as late as 1925) it was called the "Lang Reel," "The Swine's Reel", "The Reel of Barm" or as "Babbity Bowster." The dance began with a man displaying a twisted handkerchief who then selected a woman, spread the handkerchief on the floor and both knelt and kissed. Then it was her turn to join the dance and to select another from the audience to kiss and join the dance. There were many variations of steps and endings, and in some regions it was customary for the man to escort the woman home whom he had chosen during the dance. A poetic description is given in Alexander Fordyce's piece A Country Wedding (1818):
***
...but custom is pressing
That Bob at'e Bowster be danced ere you go
We must close in the door, tho' constraint be distressing,
Bestman, let us see where the napkin you'll throw:
***
That's plenty o' capers, come, kiss and be done, Sir,
Another, another, and round, round you go
The circle increases; that squeak in the tune, Sir,
Is meant, by the fiddler, more kissing to show.
***
Flett & Flett make the connection of this dance with an earlier and very similar dance called "The Cushion Dance" or "Joan Sanderson," which was danced at court at the time of the Restoration. The 'bolster' of the Scottish title was in fact the 'cushion' referred to in the English name, and refers to the small pillow that was used at one time before the handkerchief was substituted.

BILLY/BILLIE IN THE LOW GROUND. AKA and see "Beaus of Albany," "Billy in the Low Land," "Braes of Auchtertyre," "Fiddler's Drunk and the Fun's All Over," "Jinny in the Lowland," "Kerry Fulton's Schottishe," "The Kerryman's Daughter." Old-Time, Bluegrass; Breakdown. USA, known under this title throughout the American South, Midwest, and Southwest. C Major (most versions): D Major (Bayard-Marr). Standard. AABB. See also related tune "Apple Blossum" and the related part 'A' of "Shelvin Rock." Miles Krassen (1973) identifies an Irish version called "The Kerryman's Daughter" which may be cognate or ancestral, while R.P. Christeson suggests it can be traced to the Scottish "Braes of Auchentyre" in (Cole's 1001) {as John Hartford has supported} and "Beaus of Albany" in Howe. Samuel Bayard (1981) agrees with Stenhouse-Johnson in concluding that the tune originated in Britain as a slow 3/4 time song tune from c. 1710 or earlier, called "O Dear Mother (Minnie) What Shall I Do?" He sees the development of the tune as having then split into two branches, and that during the 1740's a 6/8 "giga" or jig form was composed called variously "All the Blue Bonnets Are Over the Border," "Blue Bonnets Over the Border," "Over the Border," or "Blue Bonnets." Later in the century the second branch was fashioned from the original 3/4 tune into a fast duple time (4/4) dancing air which went by several titles including "The Braes of Auchtertyre/ Auchentyre" (the oldest and most common title), "The Belles of Tipperary," and "The Beaus of Albany." These latter tunes are the immediate ancestor of the "Billy in the Lowground" group of tunes in America.
**
The melody is widely disseminated through the United States. Bayard (1944) writes that when he collected the melody it was "current as a marching tune in Greene County, Pennsylvania, and is known to its 'Billy' form of the title farther south (as the tune resembles another Pa. tune called 'Jinny in the Lowlands'). The resemblances between this tune and 'Jinny in the Lowlands' may be fortuitous; but they have at any rate attracted enough notice from the players to cause confusion of the titles..." Tom Carter and Blanton Owen (1976) maintain the tune and title are characteristic of the Franklin, Floyd and Patrick County area of southwestern Virginia, and represent an older fiddle repertoire which predates the later development of stringband or fiddle/clawhammer banjo tunes. "Billy in the Lowground" was played by Arizona fiddler Kenner C. Kartchner for dances in the Southwest at the beginning of the twentieth century (the piece was identified by him as having come to that region from the American South, and assessed it as "a good one"). It was recorded from the playing of an Ozark fiddler for the Library of Congress by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph who collected in the early 1940's, and, likewise, by Herbert Halpert (also for the Library of Congress) in 1939 from Tishomingo County, Mississippi, fiddler John Hatcher. Cauthen (1990) collected evidence from period newspapers and other accounts in Alabama and records that it was one of the tunes commonly played throughout every region of that state in the first part of the 20th century. The Marion Standard of April 30th, 1909, reported it was one of the tunes (along with "Miss McLeod") played at a housewarming in Perry County, Ala., in 1827. Elsewhere in the deep South, a Georgia fiddler named Ben Smith, serving with the 12th Alabama Infantry in the Civil War, played the tune in that conflict according to a memoir of the unit. It is also known to have been associated with Kentucky fiddlers (Wolfe, 1982). The famous Kentucky fiddler Dick Burnett related this improbable story about the origin of the tune and title:
**
You know how come them to make that? There was a man a goin'
through an old field one time and he had his fiddle with him and
he walked out on the bank of a sink hole and it broke off and he
fell down in that hole and couldn't get out. He just sat down there
and took his fiddle and played that tune. His name was Billy
something but I forgot his full name. (Charles Wolfe)
**
Early American printings of the piece can be found from the early 19th century onwards. The melody appears under the "Billy/Low Grounds" title in George P. Knauff 's Virginia Reels," volume III (Baltimore, 1839). Folklorist and fiddler Alan Jabbour finds that, in some sources, the title changed around 1800 to "Johnny in the Nether Mains."
**
The tune was in the repertories of Uncle Jimmy Thompson 1848-1931 (Texas, Tenn.), Fiddlin' Cowan Powers 1877-1952? (Russell County, southwest Virginia) [and recorded by him for Victor, though the side was unissued], Bob Wills (Texas), black Kentucky fiddler Cuje Bertram. and Alabama fiddlers Monkey Brown (1897-1972) and D. Dix Hollis. Sources for notated versions: black fiddler Bill Driver (Miller County, Missouri) [Christeson]; Charlie Higgins (Galax, Va.) [Krassen]; David P. Gilpin, 9/22/1943 (played at Connellsville, Fayette County, Pa. but learned at Dunbar, Pa., though Gilpin did not have the title) [Bayard, 1944]; Irvin Yaugher, John Meighen, Frank Lowry, John Filby & Wiley Jobes (from Greene or Fayette Counties, southwestern Pa.) [Bayard, 1981]; James Marr (Mo., age 93 in 1949) [Bayard]; Howdy Forrester via John Hartford [The Devil's Box]; Lowe Stokes (Ga.) [Kaufman]; Billy Baker & Forest Daugherty (Texas) [Phillips]; John Johnson [Phillips]; Clyde Davenport (Indiana) [Phillips]. Adam, 1938; No. 42. Bayard (Hill Country Tunes), 1944; No. 5 (appears as "Reel"). Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 234A-E, pgs. 192-194. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; Appendix No. 23, pg. 581. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 42-43. R.P. Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers Repertory, Vol. 1), 1973; No. 54, pg. 41. The Devil's Box, pg.s 51-53. Fiddler Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 2, Summer 1996; pg. 30. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 65 (as "Billy in the Low Land"). Kaufman (Beginning Old Time Fiddle), 1977; pgs. 68-69. Krassen (Appalachian Fiddle), 1973; pg. 74 (an irregular version with nine measure parts instead of eight). Lowinger (Bluegrass Fiddle), 1974; No. 21. Messer (Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes), 1980; No. 65, pg. 39. Phillips (Fiddlecase Tunebook), 1989; pg. 6. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 1, 1994; pg. 25 (three versions). Ruth (Pioneer Western Folk Tunes), 1948; No. 74, pg. 27. Thede (The Fiddle Book), 1967; pg. 78. Welling (Welling's Hartford Tunebook), 1976; pg. 1. Brunswick 239 (78 RPM), Dr. Humphrey Bate and His Possum Hunters {1928) (Nashville, Tenn. Columbia 15209-D (78 RPM), Burnett and Rutherford (1927). Columbia 15620 (78 RPM), Lowe Stokes (1930). County 202, "Eck Robertson: Famous Cowboy Fiddler." County 507, Lowe Stokes (North Ga.) {1930} - "Old Time Fiddle Classics." County 512, The Fiddlin' Bootleggers - "A Day in the Mountains" (orig. rec. in 1928). County 703, Benny Thomasson - "Texas Hoedown." County 733, Clark Kessinger - "The Legend of Clark Kessinger." Davis Unlimited 33015, Doc Roberts (Ky.) - "Classic Fiddle Tunes" (One of the first tunes recorded by this fiddler). Folkways 2337, Clark Kessinger (Va.) - "Live at Union Grove." Gennet 3235 (78 RPM), Doc Roberts (1925). Gennet 6390 (78 RPM), Doc Roberts (1927). Library of Congress 1010A2, Jilson Setters, recorded for Alan Lomax and the Library of Congress in June, 1937. Marimac 9110, Dr. Humphrey Bate and his Possum Hunters - "It'll Never Happen Again: Old Time String Bands Vol. 1." Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers' Association, Casey Jones (1910-1967) - "Rocky Road to Jordon." Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers' Association, Cyrill Stinnett - "Plain Old Time Fiddling." Okeh 40020 (78 RPM), John Carson. Okeh 45397 (78 RPPM), Oscar and Doc Harper. Omac 1, Thomasson, Shorty, Morris, and O'Connor - "A Texas Jam Session." Rounder 0046, Mark O'Connor - "National Junior Fiddle Champion." Rounder 1004, "Ramblin' Reckless Hobo: The Songs of Dick Burnett and Leonard Rutherford." Rounder CD0262, Mike Seeger - "Fresh Oldtime String Band Music" (1988. Appears as part of "Billy in Waynesboro"). Sonyatone 201, Eck Robertson (Texas) - "Master Fiddler." Vanguard VSD 9/10, Doc Watson - "On Stage." Vetco 102, Jilson Setters (under the name Blind Bill Day) {b. 1860, Rowan County, Ky.}, originally recorded on Victor 21407 (78 RPM) in 1928 (as "Billy in the Low Land"). Victor 19372 (78 RPM), Eck Robertson (Texas) {1922}. Recorded by Burnett and Rutherford (Ky.), 78 RPM, and Uncle Am Stuart (b. 1856, Morristown, Tenn.) in 1924 for Vocalation. Voyager 309, Benny and Jerry Thomasson - "The Weiser Reunion: A Texas Jam Session" (1993).
T:Billy in the Lowground
L:1/8
M:C|
S:Jay Ungar
K:C
CA,|:G,A,CD EGAB|cBcd cAGB|ABAG EGAB|1 cAGE DCA,C:|2 cAGE D C3||
|:e g2 e g3 (g|g)age d c3|e a2 e a3 (a|a)bag edcd|e g2 e g3 (g|g)age d c3|ABAG EGAB|
cBGE D C3:|

BLUE BONNETS [2]. AKA and see "Blue Bonnets Over the Border."

BLUE BONNETS [2]??? AKA and see "Leslie's March," "Duplin House," "The March from Oscar and Malvina." Blue Bonnets is also the name of a Scottish country dance.

BLUE BONNETS JIG (Port Na mBoinead Gorm). AKA and see "Scotch Come Over the Border" (Pa.). Irish, Double Jig. A Major. Standard. AABB. An Irish version of "Blue Bonnets Over the Border" [1]. O'Neill (1850), 1903/1979; No. 1064, pg. 200. O'Neill (1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 268, pg. 59.
T:Blue Bonnets Jig
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:jig
B:O'Neill, Dance Music of Ireland, no. 268
N:transposed from key of A
K:D
DED F2 A|ded {e}d2 A|cdc BcB|AFD ~E2 D|
DED F2 A|ded {e}d2 A|BAG FGA|B<dF ~E2 D:|
DFA AFA|~BAG FED|DFA ABd|DEF ~E2 D|
DFA AFA|~BAG FED|dcB AFA|B<dF ~E2 D:|

BLUE BONNETS OVER THE BORDER [1]. AKA and see "All the Blue Bonnets are Over the Border," "Over the Border," "Blue Bonnets Jig," "Blue Bonnets," "Scotch Come Over the Border" (Pa.). Scottish, Slow Air (6/8 time), Jig, Country Dance Tune or March. B Flat Major (Athole, Skye): D Major (Neil). Standard. AAB. Samuel Bayard thinks this tune was fashioned in the 1740's into a quick dance piece in 6/8 from a slow 3/4 time song tune from about 1710 or earlier called "O Dear Mother (Minnie) What Shall I Do?" This "Blue Bonnets Over the Border" was in turn the basis for a 4/4 version called "Braes of Auchtertyre/Auchentyre," "Belles of Tipperary" and "Beaus of Albany;" out of this group of tunes came "Billy in the Lowground/Low Land." Michael Diack's, on the other hand, has written in his Scottish Country Dances that "Blue Bonnets" is derived from a 17th-century
Scottish tune called "Lesley's March to Scotland." If this is the "Leslie's March" printed by Oswald (1755) and Watts' Musical Miscellany (1731), then the resemblance seems obscure and based on a few motifs. The tune, correctly classified a jig, often appears under the label 'country dance tune' because of its long association with the dance. Neil's (1991) version is an adaptation of one appearing in Uilleam Ross's Collection of Pipe Music (1869), and the piece is said to be a quickstep march of the Black Watch. 'Blue bonnets' is a euphemism for the Scots, stemming from the custom of Jacobite troops to identify themselves with a white cockade worn on a blue bonnet. The white cockade emblem is said to have originated when Bonnie Prince Charlie plucked a wild rose and pinned it to his hat. Lyrics to the tune were written by Sir Walter Scott, who based them on an old Cavalier song (Scott also mentions the song in his novel The Monastery).
***
March! march! Ettrick and Leviotdale,
Why, my lads dinna ye march forward in order?
March! march! Eskdale and Liddesdale,
All the blue bonnets are over the Border.
Come from the hills where your hirsels (i.e. sheep) are grazing,
Come from the glen of the buck and the roe,
Come with the buckler, the lance and the bow
Trumpets are sounding, war-steeds are bounding
Stand to your arms and march in good order
England shall many a day tell of the bloody frey
When the blue bonnets come over the Border.
***
MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 162. Neil (The Scots Fiddle), 1991; No. 25, pg. 34. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 145. A & M Records 79602 2000-2, Ashley MacIsaac - "Close to the Floor" (1992). Culbernie Records CUL 102, Alasdair Fraser & Jody Stecher - "The Driven Bow" (1988). Rounder RO 7023, Natalie MacMaster - "No Boundaries" (1996. A jig setting learned from her uncle, fiddler Buddy MacMaster).
T:Blue Bonnets Ow'r the Border
L:1/8
M:6/8
R:Country Dance
B:The Athole Collection
K:B_
B,3 B,>CD|B>cd B2F|BGG G2g|g>fd c2B|B,3 B,>CD|B>(3c/d/c/) BGF|
G3 FDF|FBD C2B:|
|:Bdf fdB|gfd c2B|Bdf g>ab|B>(3c/d/e/) c2B|Bdf fdB|gfd cBc|G3 FDF|
FBD C2B:|

BLUE BONNETS OVER THE BORDER [2]. Scottish, Reel. A Major. Standard. AABBC. Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 235. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 23. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 24.
T:Blue Bonnets Over the Border
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Reel
B:The Athole Collection
K:A
c|A>Bcd efec|~B>cde f/f/f f2|ABcd ecaf|ecdB A/A/A A:|
|:d|cABc BGF<E|cABc F/F/F F>d|cABc BGFE|ecdB A/A/A A:|
f/g/|aecA aecA|BABc F/F/F F>g|aecA aecA|dBec A/A/A A>g|
aecA aecA|BABc F/F/F F>g|aeca ef/g/ a>f|ecdB A/A/A A||

BONNETS O' BLUE [1]. English, Morris Dance Tune (6/8 time). G Major (Mallinson): F Major (Bacon). Standard. AABB, AABB, AACC, AACC, AA. From the village of Bledington, Gloucestershire, in England's Cotswolds. Bacon notes there is some doubt about the modality of the tune: Cecil Sharpe collected it in 1909 from a man named Charles Benfield who played it with flatteneded 7th in the third measure of the 'A' part and the 7th measure of the 'B' part, however, around 1924, when collected by Dr. Kenworthy Schofield from the same informant, the 7th was consistently flattened. The tune is not the same as "Bonnets So Blue." Bacon (The Morris Ring), 1974; pg. 85. Mallinson (Mally's Cotswold Morris Book), 1988, Vol. 2; No. 43, pg. 21.

BONNETS O' BLUE [2]. AKA and see "Bonnets So Blue."

BONNETS SO BLUE. AKA - "Bonnets o' Blue" [2]. English; Country and Morris Dance Tune (6/8 time). G Major (Carlin, Mallinson, Wade): D Major (Karpeles, Kennedy & Raven): C Major (Bacon, Barnes). Standard. AB (Carlin): AAB (Raven, Wade): ABC (Barnes, Sharp): AABC (Karpeles & Kennedy): ABCBC (Bacon, Mallinson). The Cotswold morris version is from the village Bucknell, Oxfordshire, area of England (a similar tune was collected in Brackley, Northampton) area of England, where it is a solo jig dance. Wade's version is from the North West (England) morris tradition and is used for either polka or single step. The author of "English Folk-Song and Dance" found the melody in the repertoire of fiddler William Tilbury (who lived at Pitch Place, midway between Churt and Thursley in Surrey), who used, in his younger days, to play the fiddle at village dances. He learned his repertoire from an uncle, Fiddler Hammond, who died around 1870, and who had been the village fiddler before him. The conclusion was that "Bonnets of Blue" and similar old country dance tunes survived in the tradition (at least in southwest Surrey) well into the second half of the 19th century. Bacon (The Morris Ring), 1974; pgs. 107 & 124. Carlin (Master Collection), 1984; pg. 36 (#46). Karpeles & Schofield (A Selection of 100 English Folk Dance Airs), 1951; pg. 41. Kennedy (Fiddlers Tune Book), Vol.1, 1951; No. 96, pg. 47. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 2; No. 312, pg. 34 (appears as "Bonnets o' Blue"). Mallinson (Mally's Cotswold Morris Book), 1988, Vol. 2; No. 38, pg. 19. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 103. Sharp (Country Dance Tunes), 1909/1994; pg. 7. Wade (Mally's North West Morris Book), 1988; pg. 9. EMI/Harvest 7243 8 29861 2 6, Ashley Hutchings et al - "Son of Morris On" (1976/1994).
T:Bonnets so Blue
L:1/8
M:6/8
K:D
A|ded def|ABA ABc|dfb afd|efe e2A|ded def|ABA A2b|agf age|(d3d2):|
||e/d/|cde efe|(A3A2)d|cde efg|a3a2g|f2e d2c|B2c d2e|fgf edc|(B3B2)||A|
def def|def d2A|dfb agf|egf e2A|def def|def d2b|agf age|(d3d2)||

DUPLIN HOUSE. AKA and see "Leslie's March," "Blue Bonnets," "The March from Oscar and Malvina." Appears in Gow's Second Collection of Strathspey Reels (1788).

FRANK ROCHE'S FAVORITE. AKA and see "Blue Bonnets," "Here Awa'," "John Roche's Favorite," "Lady Ann Hope," "The Woodford Fling." Irish, Fling. G Major. Standard. AB. An Irish fling setting of the Scottish strathspey "Lady Ann Hope" [1]. See also reel setting as "Miss Thornton" and hornpipe settings under the titles "Tiger Hornpipe," and Goodman's "Signora Ferze's Hornpipe." Matt Molloy recorded it as "Frank Roche's Favorite," however, it is in the Roche collectoin as "John Roche's Favorite." Claddagh CCF 18CD, Matt Molloy - "Stony Steps." Green Linnet SIF 3041, Matt Molloy - "Stony Steps."
T:Frank Roche's Favorite
T:John Roche's Favorite
R:Fling
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:G
G2GB AGEG|cBce dBg2|BGBd cA (3BAG|EAFA GB (3AFD|\
G2GB AGEG|cBce dBg2|(3BAG Bd cA (3BAG|(3EGA FA G4||\
dgBg dgBd|gb (3agf e3f|(3gbb (3agf (3efg (3dcB|(3cee (3dBd (3gdB (3cBA|\
dgBg dgBd|gb (3agf e3f|(3gbb (3agf (3efg (3dcB|(3cef (3dBd (3gdB (3cBA||

FROLIC, THE. AKA and see "Blue Bonnets Hornpipe," "Orange and Blue," "Lick the Laddle Sandy" [2]. Scottish, English; Reel. England, Northumberland. C Major. Standard. AABB. John Glen (1891) finds the earliest appearance of the tune in print in Joshua Campbell's 1778 collection (pg. 14). Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1979; No. 354. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 2; No. 322. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 21. Seattle (William Vickers), 1987, Part 2; No. 219.

HERE AWA'. AKA and see "Blue Bonnets," "Frank Roche's Favorite," "John Roche's Favorite," "Lady Ann Hope," "Woodford Fling." Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883.

HURRAH FOR THE BONNETS OF BLUE. English, Jig. England, Northumberland. G Major (Hall & Stafford, Raven): D Major (Sweet). Standard. AB (Hall & Stafford, Raven): AABB (Sweet). 'Blue Bonnets' is a euphemism for the Scots, steming it is said from the custom of Jacobite troops identifying themselves with a white cockade worn on a blue bonnet, the only thing that passed for a uniform in those days. The white cockade emblam is said to have originated when Bonnie Prince Charlie plucked a wild rose and pinned it to his hat. Hall & Stafford (Charlton Memorial Tune Book), 1974; pg. 14. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 112. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1964/1981; pg. 21.
T:Hurrah for the Bonnets of Blue
L:1/8
M:6/8
K:G
D|GAG Bcd|DED DEF|G2e dBG|A3 zBA|GAG Bcd|DED D2e|dc<B AGA|G4z||
G|FGA ABA|D3 D2A|FGA AB^c|d3 d2c|BBA GEF|G2A B2^d|eBA GAF|E3 E2F|
GAG BdB|G3 G2D|GGe dBG|A3 A2A|BBA GAB|cde d2c|d>cB AGA|G3G2||

JOHN ROCHE'S FAVOURITE. AKA and see "Blue Bonnets," "Frank Roche's Favorite," "Here Awa'," "Lady Ann Hope," "The Woodford Fling." Irish, Fling. G Major. Standard. AB. Either the father or the brother of Frank Roche, who compiled the collection. Roche Collection, 1983, Vol. 2; No. 285, pg. 35.

LADY ANN HOPE [1]. AKA and see "Blue Bonnets," "Frank Roche's Favorite," "John Roche's Favorite," "Here Awa'," "Miss Hope's Strathspey," "The Woodford Fling." Scottish, Strathspey. G Major. Standard. AAB (Gow, Hunter, Kerr): AABB' (Athole, Skye). Composed by John Pringle, a border fiddler chosen by Lord Minto to lead his band when he was the governor of India. It was first published in Pringle's First Collection (1800) as "Miss Hope's Strathspey." Lady Ann Hope (b. 1768) was the eldest child of the 3rd Earl of Hopetoun, who later married Sir William Johnnstone Hope. Her older brother John, the 4th Earl of Hopetoun (1765-1823) was General of the 92nd Gordon Highlanders. The family manse was Hopetoun House. Irish fling settings of the tune go by the names "Frank Roche's Favorite," "John Roche's Favorite," and "Woodford Fling," reel settings as "Miss Thornton's" and other titles, and hornpipes as "Tiger Hornpipe" and "Signora Ferze's Hornpipe" (Goodman). Breathnach thought the tune related to "Miss Thornton's Reel" and "Spike Island Lasses" [2]. Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 81. Hope, 1988; No. 78. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 1; Set 15, No. 3, pg. 10. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 95. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 157.
T:Lady Ann Hope
L:1/8
M:C
R:Strathspey
B:The Athole Collection
K:C
D|GGG>B A>G E<B|c2 c>e d>c B<d|BBB>G c>AB>G|E>A G/F/E/D/ G2G:|
e/f/|:~g2 d>g B>gd>g|g>ab>g e2 e>f|(3gab (3agf (3efg (3dcB|
1 (3cde (3def (3gdc (3BcA:|2 (3cde (3def g2 g>b||

LESLIE'S/LESLEY'S MARCH [1]. AKA and see "Duplin House," "Blue Bonnets," The March from Oscar and Malvina." Scottish, Jig. D Major. Standard. AABB (Kerr): AABBCC (Gatherer). The tune is not "Leslei's Lilt" or Playford's "Lesleyes March." It was named after a Scots general in England's civil wars, and appears in Oswald's Caledonian Pocket Companion, Vol. 2. The Leslie referred to may be Alexander Leslie, earl of Leven (c. 1580-1661) served in the army of Gustavus Adolphus, and led Scots in the Bishop's Wars, defeating the English at Newburn in 1640. He first supported the Parliamentarian side in the Civil Wars, and took Charles I's surrender at Newark in 1646, but later had a change of heart and fought for the Royalist forces at Dunbar in 1650. Alternately, the title may refer to David Leslie, Lord Newark (d. 1682) who commanded the pro-Parliamentarian Scottish cavalry at Marston Moor, and who was later defeated by Cromwell at Dunbar in 1650 and again at Worcester in 1651. Walter Scott, in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border gives the words of "Lesly's March," which begins:
***
March! march!
Why the devil do ye na march?
Stand to your arms, my lads,
Fight in good order...
***
O'Sullivan (1983) believes the tune is realted to the Irish "Seamus an Chaca," or "James the Coward," "Dirty James," "James the Shit," or "Shitty James." Niel Gow's adaptation of the tune appears as "Duplin House." "Leslie's March" appears in the opera Oscar and Malvina. Gatherer (Gatherer's Musical Museum), 1987; pg. 24. Gow, Reels, Part 2 (appears as "Duplin House"). Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 4; No. 250, pg. 27. Oswald (Caledonian Pocket Companion), Book 2. Chieftains - "Boil the Breakfast Early" (appears as "March from Oscar and Malvina").
X:1
T:Leslie's March
S:Solas' first album
Z:Transcribed by Dennis Gormley
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:D
|:~d3 ~d3|dcB ABc|dcB AGF|~G2F E2D|~e3 ~e3|fed eag|fef ~d2A|def ~e2d:|
|:fed e~A2|fed e~A2|gfe f~B2|gfe f~B2|fed e~A2|fed eag|fef ~d2A|def ~e2d:|
|:dfa dfa|dfa afd|egb egb|egb bge|dfa dfa|dfa ~a2g|fed ~d2A|def ~e2d:|
X:2
T:Lesley's March
B:Oswald's 2nd Coll (via Popular Songs of Scotland, 1893)
Z:Nigel Gatherer
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:D
d3 d3|dcB ABC|dcB AGF|F/G/AF E2 D|e3 e2 e|fed eag|
f.ed dAB|d>e f/g/ e2 d::fdd eAA|fg/f/e/d/ eAA|gee fBB|ga/g/f/e/ fBB|
fdd eAA|fg/f/e/d/ eag|f>ed dAB|d>e f/g/ e2 d::dfa dfa|dfa afd|
egb egb|egb bge|fa dfa|dfa a>b a/g/|f.ed dAB|d>e f/g/ e2 d:|]

MARCH FROM OSCAR AND MALVINA. AKA and see "Leslie's March," "Duplin House," "Blue Bonnets." Chieftains - "Boil the Breakfast Early."

O DEAR MOTHER/MINNIE WHAT SHALL I DO? Scottish, Slow Air (3/4 time). The melody may be found in the collections of Oswald and McGibbon. Sir Walter Scott's song "March, March, Ettrick and Teviotdale" was, according to J. Farquhar Graham, taken from this song. Bayard (1981) dates the tune to "at least" the first decade of the 18th century. From this tune derived (c. 1740's) "Blue Bonnets Over the Border," a jig, and later in the century, "The Braes of Auchtertyre." From this later tune the American "Billy in the Lowground" developed.

ORANGE AND BLUE [2]. AKA and see "Blue Bonnets Hornpipe," "The Frolic," "The Queen's Marriage." Scottish, Jig. C Major (Gow, Skye): D Major (Perlman): A Major (Kerr). Standard. AB (Gow, Kerr, MacDonald): AA'BB' (Perlman). A jig version of the schottische melody in version #1, appearing in Mackenzie's National Dance Music of Scotland (1845). Bayard (1981), however, traces the name and tune back to Gow's Complete Repository of 1817. He thinks this tune (similar to version #1) is an Orangeman or Protestant tune, and this is undoubtedly true as orange and blue were the colors of the Dutch House of Orange, one of whose princes, William of Orange, became a king of England and champion of the Protestant cause in the 17th century. He is revered or villified, depending on your point of view, as the conqueror of Ireland in the 1670's. Source for notated version: Stephen Toole (1927-1995, Green Road, Queen's County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman]. Gow (Complete Repository), Part 4, 1817; pg. 32. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 2; No. 322, pg. 35. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 121. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; pg. 134. BM 91, Buddy MacMaster - "Glencoe Hall."
T:Orange and Blue [2]
L:1/8
M:6/8
S:MacDonald - Skye Collection
K:C
f|e2c cBc|G2c E2c|e2c ege|c3 c2e|f2d dcd|A2d d2c|B2G BdB|G3 G2f|
e2c ~c3|G2c E2c|e2c ege|c3 c2g|a2f g2e|f2d e2c BdB GAB|c3 c2||
f|e2(g g)ag|e2(g g)ag|e2c ege|c3 c2e|f2(a a)c'a|f2a ac'a|f2d faf|d3 d2f|
e2(g g)ag|e2(g g)ag|e2c ege|c3 c2g|afa geg|fdf ece|BdB GAc|c3 c3||

OVER THE BORDER [1]. AKA and see "(All the) Blue Bonnets Over the Border," "Blue Bonnets." Scottish, Jig. G Major. Standard. AAB. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 1; No. 17, pg. 32.

OVER THE BORDER--MEXICAN WAR. American, March (2/4 time). USA, southwestern Pa. A Mixolydian. Standard. AABB. Bayard (1981) identifies this as a version of a quickstep march in Aird (Selections), 1778, Vol. 1, No. 166. It is not related to the Scottish melody "(Blue Bonnets) Over the Border," except by similarity of title. Source for notated version: Hoge MS., No. 65 (a fife MS from southwestern Pa.) [Bayard]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 222, pgs. 178-179.

PORT NA mBOINEAD GORM. AKA and see "Blue Bonnets Jig."

SCOTCH COME OVER THE BORDER. AKA and see "Scotchman Over the Border," "Scotsman Over the Border," "Blue Bonnets Over the Border," "Over the Border," "Blue Bonnets," "Dublin Streets." Irish, American; Jig. USA, southwestern Pa. D Major (most versions): D Major/Mixolydian (Taylor). Standard. AABB. The tune is a form of the Scots jig "Blue Bonnets Over the Border," a variant of the 3/4 time "O Dear Minnie What Shall I Do?" which in the 18th century was fashioned into a 4/4 dancing piece variously called "The Braes of Auchtertyre," "The Belles of Tipperary," and "The Beaux of Albany." Both Stenhouse and Bayard, contradicting Gow, think that the "Braes of Auchtertyre" is derived from "O Dear Minnie." The melody is also similar to "The Carraroe." Sources for notated versions: William Shape (elderly fiddler from Greene County, Pa. 1944) [Bayard]; fiddler Jimmy Murphy (b. 1938, Meelick, near Swinford, County Sligo) [Flaherty]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 583, pg. 515. Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; pg. 44 (appears as "Scotchman Over the Border"). Mallinson (Essential), 1995; No. 89, pg. 38 (appears as "Scotsman over the Border"). O'Neill (1850), 1979; No. 1064, pg. 200 (appears as "Blue Bonnets Jig"). Taylor (Through the Half-door), 1992; No. 57, pg. 40 (appears as "Scotsman Over the Border"). Shaskeen - "Atlantic Breeze."

SCOTCHMAN OVER THE BORDER. AKA and see "Scotch Come Over the Border," "Scotsman Over the Border," "Blue Bonnets Jig."

SCOTSMAN OVER THE BORDER. AKA and see "Scotch Come Over the Border," "Blue Bonnets Jig," "Scotchman Over the Border," "Over the Border." AKA and see "Mist on the Meadow," "Mist in the Glen." Irish, Jig. D Major. Standard. AA'B (Feldman & O'Doherty): AABB (Mallinson). The tune was recorded on a 78 RPM disc by Paddy Killoran in 1934 (paired with "Tenpenny Bit"). Source for notated version: fiddler Peter Turbit [Feldman & O'Doherty]. Feldman & O'Doherty (The Northern Fiddler), 1978; pg. 233 (appears as first "Untitled Jig" on page). Mallinson (Essential), 1995; No. 89, pg. 38. Green Linnet SIF 3018 - "Molloy/Peoples/Brady" (1978. In a set with "Killavil Jig").
T: Scotsman Over the Border
Z:Transcribed by Rick Gagne
R: jig
L:1/8
M:6/8
K: D
A | ~D2D FDF | AFA d2A | B2B BAB | def edB |
ADD FDF | AFA d2A | B2B AFA |1 dAF EFE :||2 dAF EFD ||
dfa afa | bag fge | dfa afd | def ecA |
dfa afa | bag f2f | B2B AFA |1 dAF EFD :||2 dAF EFE ||

SIR WALTER SCOTT BART. Scottish, Slow Strathspey. B Flat Major. Standard. AABB. Composed by William Marshall (1748-1833). Sir Walter Scott, born in 1771, was one of the most famous of all Scottish writers, whose works were much beloved in his time not only in his native country, but throughout the English-speaking world. He also was fond on music and wrote many ballads, famously "Allen a Dale," "Blue Bonnets Over the Border" and "MacGregor's Gathering." Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; 1822 Collection, pg. 13.
T:Sir Walter Scott Bart
L:1/8
M:C
S:Marshall -1822 Collection
K:B_
[DB]>d b>a g/f/e/d/ c2|(B>d) b>c' d'feb|(B>d) b>a g/f/e/d/ c2|B>DB,f (e/d/)(c/B/) df:|
|:(B>d) F>f (e/d/)c/B/ G2|B,~B D~f (e/d/)c/B/ dF|[Ebg]>f (g/a/)b/d/ (f/e/)de c2|
(~FG/A/) (B>d/4e/4f/4) (e/d/)(c/B/)|df:|

WOODFORD FLING, THE. AKA and see "Blue Bonnets," "Here Awa'," "Frank Roche's Favorite," "John Roche's Favorite," "Lady Ann Hope." Irish, Fling. See note for "Frank Roche's Favorite" & "Lady Ann Hope." Green Linnet SIF 3067, Jack & Charlie Coen - "The Branch Line" (learned from their father, in East Galway).

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The Fiddler's Companion

Ceolas > Tunes > Fiddler's Companion