BIG JOHN McNEIL(L)/McNEAL. AKA and see "John McNeil/MacNeil." Canadian, American, Scottish; Reel. Canada, widely known. USA; New England, Missouri. A Major. Standard (or infrequently AEAE). AABB (Gibbons, Messer, Sweet): AABB' (Miller & Perron): AA'BB' (Begin, Perlman, Phillips). Though now known as a Canadian standard it originally was a reel composed (as "John McNeil") by the brilliant Scottish fiddler Peter Milne (1824-1908), one of J. Scott Skinner's teachers and early playing partners, who earned his living playing in theaters until his opium addiction (he abused laudanum, originally prescribed for rheumatism) reduced him to busking on ferry-boats crossing the Firth of Forth. He died in unpleasant circumstances in a mental institution. John McNeil was apparently a famous Highland dancer at the turn of the century. The melody was in the repertoire of Cyrill Stinnett, a fiddler who epitomised the 'North Missouri Hornpipe Style' of playing, who apparently learned it and other tunes from listening to Canadian fiddlers broadcasting on the radio from Canada. A similar melody is "Lord Ramsey's Reel." Perlman (1996) notes the tune is a popular tune on Prince Edward Island, and a favorite vehicle for stepdancing in Prince County, PEI, on the eastern part of the island. Sources for notated versions: Mex Sexsmith (British Columbia), who learned this "classic" reel in the 1940's from radio broadcasts and records by Don Messer and His Islanders (who recorded it in 1942) [Gibbons]; Jay Unger (West Hurley, New York) via Bud Snow (Putnam County, New York) who also learned it from Canadian fiddler Don Messer [Fiddle Fever]; Dawson Girdwood (Perth, Ontario) [Begin]. Francis MacDonald (b. 1940, Morell Rear, North-East Kings County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman]. Begin (Fiddle Music in the Ottawa Valley: Dawson Girdwood), 1985; No. 5, pg. 19. Gibbons (As It Comes: Folk Fiddling From Prince George, British Columbia), 1982; No. 11, pgs. 28-29. Messer (Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes), 1980; No. 12, pg. 79. Miller & Perron (New England Fiddlers Repertoire), 1983; No. 133. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; pg. 96. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, Vol. 1), 1994; pg. 23. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1964; pg. 77. Condor 977-1489, "Graham & Eleanor Townsend Live at Barre, Vermont." Flying Fish FF 247, "Fiddle Fever" (1981). Fretless 101, "The Campbell Family: Champion Fiddlers." MCA Records MCAD 4037, "The Very Best of Don Messer" (1994). Rounder 0320, Bob Carlin & John Hartford - "The Fun of Open Discussion" (taught to Hartford in his early years by Missouri fiddler Gene Goforth).
T:Big John McNeil
L:1/8
M:C|
K:A
A,2CE FE CE|AE CE FE CE|A,2CE FE CE|FA GF ED CB,|
A,2CE FE CE|AE CE FE CB,|A,C B,D CE DF|EF Bd cA A2:|
|:eA fA eA cd|eA fA e2 (3agf|eA fA eA ce| de dc B2 cd|
eA fA eA cd|eA fA e2 fg|ag fe fe dc|1 de fg a2 cd:|2 BA GF ED CB,|]
EW(I)E WI' THE CROOKED HORN, THE/MY [1] ("A' Chaora chrom" or "Ard Mhacha"). AKA and see"Bob with the one Horn," "Carron's Reel," "Crooked Horn Ewe," "Ewe Reel," "The Flowers of Limerick," "The Ram with the Crooked Horn." Scottish, Strathspey; Irish, Highland. G Dorian (Athole, Gow): G Minor (Fraser, Hunter, Kerr): A Minor (Honeyman). Standard. AB (Kerr): AAB (Athole, Fraser, Gow, Hunter): AABB (Honeyman). The title comes an old song, in both Scots and Gaelic. Perhaps the most famous adaptation of the lyrics is by Reverend John Skinner, set to the tune of "Carron's Reel," although some find his set wanting. Fraser further explains: "This set of the Ewe with the Crooked Horn appears to be a standard, formed a century ago, by three neighboring gentlemen in Nairnshire, eminent performers,--Mr. Rose of Kilravock, Mr. Campbell of Budyet, and Mr. Sutherland of Kinsteary. It may not be generally known, that the Ewe thus celebrated is no other than the 'whisky still, with its crooked horn (distilling tube),' which gave more milk than all the sheep in the country." The following words are from an old Scots version appearing in Chambers' Songs of Scotland prior to Burns.
***
verse:
Ilka ewe comes hame at even (x3)
Crookit hornie bides awa
***
chorus:
Ewie wi the crookit horn
May ye never see the morn
Ilka nicht you steal my corn
Ewie wi the crookit horn
***
Ilka ewie has a lambie (x3)
Crookit hornie she has twa
***
A the ewes gie milk eneuch (x3)
Crookit horn gies maist of a
***
Alburger (1983) retells the persistent tale, probably not true, of Niel Gow and this tune: "One (story) concerns a violin which is supposed to have been given to Neil by a London dealer, when Niel was up with the Duke of Atholl. After some discussion the dealer ('said to have been a Mr. Hill') told Neil 'I shall give it you if you play 'The Ewie wi' the Crooked Horn,' in anything like the style in which I heard it in your own country.' Niel played his best, and the dealer presented the violin, 'a veritable 'Gaspar di Salo in Brescia,' to the understandably sceptical Gow, who 'said to his son, 'Come awa, I'm feared he may rue and take it back.'" Niel Gow's own "Cheap Mutton," published in his "Fourth Collection," is a simple variation on this tune.
***
John Glen (1891) thought the earliest printing of the melody was in Robert Ross's 1780 collection (pg. 16), although Bruce Olson finds the melody (under the title "Crooked Horn Ewe") in Rutherford's 24 Country Dances for 1758 (see abc below) and Jack Campin notes it is in the c. 1740 MacFarlane Manuscript in dorian mode under the title "An caora crom." The title also appears in Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes which he published c. 1800. "Ewe/Yowie wi' the crookit horn" is also the name of a Scottish song whose singing was mentioned by Alexander Jaffray in his scketch of the assembly at Aberdeen in 1777 in Recollection of Kingswells. Jaffray gives an accounty of the various assemblys or country dances and recalls them as convivial affairs:
***
After the dance, followed a supper, where cheerfulness and good humour
prevailed. Those who could sing entertained the company, which remained
to a late, or rather early hour...I particularly noticed Mrs. Grant of Caron, a
very pleasant sensible woman. Her two songs were "Yowie wi the crookit
horn," and "Tibby Fowler in the Glen."
***
Irish versions appear in reel or hornpipe form (see Ewe with the Crooked Horn [3], but in County Donegal it is popularly played as a highland (see version #5). The title appears in a list of tunes in his repertoire brought by Philip Goodman, the last professional and traditional piper in Farney, Louth, to the Feis Ceoil in Belfast in 1898 (Breathnach, 1997). Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 55. Fraser (The Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles), 1874; No. 19, pg. 7. Honeyman (Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor), 1898; pg. 17. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 169. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 3; No. 187, pg. 22. McGlashan (A Collection of Reels), c. 1786; pg. 31 (appears as "Crooked Horn Ewe"). Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 191. Culburnie CUL 113D, Alasdair Fraser & Tony MacManus - "Return to Kintail" (1999). Plant Life PLR017, "The Tannahill Weavers" (1979).
X:1
T:Ewie Wi' the Crooked Horn [1]
L:1/8
M:C
R:Strathspey
B:The Athole Collection
K:G Minor
F|D<G G>A F>GA>F|D<G G>A B>G A<a|f>-e d<f c<f A>F|
A<f d>B c<AG:|
G<g g>a f>ga>f|d<g g>a b>ga>^f|d<g g>a f>ga>f|dg/a/ b>ga>^f g2|
f>=f d<f c<f A>F|D<G G>A B>G A<a|b>gf>d c>BA>F|
A<f d>B c<A G||
X:2
T:Crooked Horn Ewe, The
L:1/8
M:C|
S:McGlashan - Reels
K:G Mixolydian
D>GG>A F>GA>F|D>GG>B c>GB>G|c>GB>G A>G F>C|D>GG>B AF G2|
D>GG>A F>G AG/F/|D>GG>A c>AB>G|A/B/c B/c/d c/B/A/G/ FA|DGGA FA G2||
G>gg>a f>g ag/f/|d>gg>a b>ga>g|d>gg>a f>ga>f|d>gg>b a^f g2|f>g d>f c>f A>F|
D>GG>B c>GB>G|f/g/a/g/ f>d c>BA>F|D>GGA FA G2||
X:3
T:The Crooked Horn'd Ewe
S:Rutherford's 24 Country Dances for 1758
Z:Transcribed by Bruce Olson
Q:156
L:1/8
M:C
K:G
DG2B AG "tr"FE/D/|DG2B cABG|ABcB AG "tr"FE/D/|DG2B AG/F/ G2::\
dg2a =fagf|dg2a fa g2|dg2a "tr"b(ag) a(g/f/)|\
d(g/a/) _ba/g/ (f/g/a/f/)g2|=(fefd) c_B "tr"A(G/F/)|\
Gd2c BA G2:|]
HIGHLAND HILLS. AKA and see "Newburn Lads," "The Bob of Fettercairn." Scottish. John Glen (1891) finds the earliest printing of the tune in Joshua Campbell's 1778 collection (pg. 20), though it had earlier appeared in the Gillespie Manuscript of Perth (1768). An early name for the tune now known as "The Bob of Fettercairn."
ICY MOUNTAIN. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, West Virginia. A Major/D Mixolydian. Standard or AEAE. AABB. There is a song collected in Kentucky by this title given by Roberts (pg. 105), which is a variant of "My Home's Across the Smoky Mountains" or "My Home's Across the Blue Ridge Mountains;" it seems unrelated to this breakdown piece. However, the tune in circulation by this title was collected from Ward Jarvis (b. 1894), originally of Braxton County, West Virginia (later of southeastern Ohio), who learned it from a Clay County (W.Va.) left-handed fiddler by the name Frank Santy. Spandaro (10 Cents a Dance), 1980; pg. 15. Front Hall 017, Michael, McCreesh, & Campbell - "Dance Like the Waves of the Sea" (1978). Rounder 0132, Bob Carlin - "Fiddle Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo" (1980).
MARTHA CAMPBELL [1]. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; eastern Kentucky, Indiana. D Major. Standard. ABB (Brody): AABB (Krassen, Phillips): AA'BB' (Phillips, Reiner & Anick). One of the first tunes recorded by Kentucky fiddler Doc Roberts, 1925, who remastered the tune in 1929 in an electrically recorded version for the Sears lable. Charles Wolfe (1983) thinks the tune related to Roberts' "Brickyard Joe," and states the fiddler probably learned the tune from black Madison County fiddler Owen Walker, a mentor, around 1915. "Martha Campbell" was also recorded by the Lomax's from the playing of Virginia fiddler Emmett Lundy in 1941, when he was 80 years old. Sources for notated versions: James W. Day (AKA Jilson Setters, eastern Kentucky) [Krassen]; Buddy Thomas (northeastern Ky.) [Brody, Reiner & Anick]; Doc Roberts (Ky.) [Phillips/1994]. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 184. Krassen (Masters of Old Time Fiddling), 1983; pg. 25. Phillips (Fiddlecase Tunebook), 1989; pg. 29. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 1, 1994; pg. 150. Reiner & Anick (Old Time Fiddling Across America), 1989; pg. 101. County 412, "Fiddling Doc Roberts" (1983). County CD2712, Art Stamper (Ky.) - "The Lost Fiddler" (c. 1982). Gennett 3152 (78 RPM), Doc Roberts (1925). Heritage XXXIII, Fiddling Doc Roberts - "Visits" (1981). Marimac 9009, Bill Christophersen - "Old Time Friends" (1987). Rounder 0032, Buddy Thomas - "Kitty Puss: Old Time Fiddle Tunes From Ky." (1974. Learned from Bob Prater, a fiddler from Foxport, Ky., and Doc Roberts). Supertone 9397 (78 RPM), Doc Roberts (1929). Victor 21353 (78 RPM), Blind Bill Day (a pseudonym for Jilson Setters, b. 1860 - recorded in 1926 or 1928 as "Marthie Campbell"). Voyager 319-S, Ace Sewell- "Southwest Fiddlin.'"
MONEY MUSK/MONYMUSK. AKA and see "The Countess of Airly (early 18th century)," "Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk('s Strathspey)." Scottish (originally), English, Irish, Canadian, Old-Time, American; Reel, Strathspey, Highland, Breakdown. USA; New York State, Ohio, Michigan, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Maine, New Hampshire, Alabama. England; Shropshire, Northumberland. Ireland, Donegal. A Major (Ashman, Brody, Bronner, Christeson, Cole {reel}, Kennedy, Miller & Perron, O'Neill, Phillips, Raven, Sweet): G Major (Athole, Cole {strathspey}, Cuillerier, Ford, Gow, Honeyman, Hunter, Peacock, Phillips). Standard. One part (Burchenal): AB (Cole {strathspey version}, O'Neill/1850 & 1001): AAB (Gow, Hunter): AA'B (O'Neill/Krassen): AABB (Ashman, Brody, Ford, Kennedy, Linscott, Miller & Perron, Peacock, Raven, Sweet): AABB' (Athole, Kerr, Skye): AA'BB' (Cuillerier): ABC (Honeyman): AABBCC (Christeson): ABCCDD (Cole): AABBCCDD (Brody): AA'BB'CC'DD (Phillips/Block): AA'BCAA'BC' (Phillips/Miller). A pipe tune (written within the range of nine notes, with double tonic tonality) and the name of an Aberdeenshire, Scotland, estate. 'Moneymusk' is the English for the Gaelic 'Muine Muisc' meaning a noxious weed or bush. It was composed by Daniel (sometimes Donald) Dow (1732-1783) in 1776 and first appeared in his Thirty Seven New Reels, c. 1780, as "Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk's Strathspey." Linscott (1939) says it was called "The Countess of Airly" in the early 18th century, and came from the village of Monymusk, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland." Bayard (1981) states that if Dow did "compose" the tune then he certainly had access to earlier models for it, for both "The Ruffian's Rant" and "Roy's Wife of Aldivalloch" are cognate. Alburger (1983) also identifies Daniel Dow (1732-83) as the composer of "Sir Archibald Grant of Monemusk's Reel," but says when the Gows published it in their 1799 Repository, Part First, they altered it rhythmically (by adding more 'Scots snaps' and smoothing out some dotted patterns for variety) and shortened the name to "Monymusk, A Strathspey." Dow was born in Kirkmichael, Perthshire, and became a music teacher in Edinburgh where he taught, among other instruments, the guitar. His compositions were well received in his lifetime and survive today. When he died at the age of 51 in the winter of 1783 he was buried in the Canongate Churchyard; a concert to benefit his widow and children was given shortly after his death in St. Mary's Hall, Niddry's Wynd, where he had often given his own concerts over the years.
***
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, fiddlers, who retained the old Scottish tradition, play the tune as a strathspey in G Major, as set in older collections. There were some Scottish fiddlers, skilled enough on their instruments to vary the playing of such tunes and venture further afield musically than the usual 'fiddle keys'. When Jamie Duncan tried it, however, he was taken to task by a fiddling tailor:
***
I've keepit dacent company a' my days and I'm nae gaun to change my
ways noo. At this moment Jamie Duncan's playing 'Mony Musk' in
four flats, and I say that the man that wad do that is fit for ony kin' o'
rascality.
***
Caoimhin MacAoidh (1997) has remarked that "Moneymusk" was absorbed into Irish tradition through the Ulster counties, but was played as far south as Clare and Cork. In Donegal (in the north of Ireland) this and other strathspeys were converted into a form called the 'highland,' similar to a strathspey but with a less pronounced rhythm. Donegal fiddlers play the tune in the key of 'A' Major. Fintan Vallely, in his book Blooming Meadows (1998), writes that in Donegal "Moneymusk" was "strikingly converted from a strathspey to the high-rhythm, house-dance variant, The Highland."
***
Paul Gifford reports that Money Musk (called "manimasca") was one of the dances at a nobleman's ball in Moldavia sometime after 1812, and that the music was not unlikely
played by Jewish musicians.
***
In America the tune was published in 1796 by B. Carr in Evening Amusements (Philadelphia), and soon became a staple of the dance circuit. A country dance called "Money Musk," danced in New England, has remained the same for two centuries, though one phrase has been dropped from the tune while the dance measures stayed the same, thus "cramming 32 measures of dance in to 24 measures of music" (Tony Parkes/Steve Woodruff). In some New England dance circles this dance was traditionally danced immediately after the break, and, for example, presumably this was so when it was danced in August, 1914, at the 150th anniversary celebration of the founding of the town of Lancaster, N.H. (where it was listed on a playbill). Peter Yarensky remembers that it used to be the first dance after the break for years at New Hampshire dances, and that "some people would line up for Money Musk before the break even began..." By the 1970's the tune dance was considered a "chestnut" and it is rarely performed today in New England. Ford also prints a version of the contra dance (pg. 214), though without a source reference. Paul Gifford remembers seeing the dance on the card at Lincoln's Inaugural Ball. The melody appears in George P. Knauff's Virginia Reels, volume I (1839) under the title "Killie Krankie," which title was actually the title of the dance "Money Musk" was associated with at the time. The melody was cited as having commonly been played for Orange County, New York, country dances in the 1930's (Lettie Osborn, New York Folklore Quarterly), and it appears in a repertoire list of Mainer Mellie Dunham (an elderly fiddler who was Henry Ford's champion fiddler in the late 1920's). In contrast to New England, in the Southern Appalachians the tune is very rare (Krassen, 1973), though not unknown. It was recorded as one of the tunes played by fiddler Ben Smith, a Georgian in the Twelfth Alabama Infantry in the Civil War (as listed by Robert Emory Park in Sketch of the Twelfth Alabama Infantry, 1906) {Cauthen, 1990}. In the Midwest "Moneymusk" was much more common and the title appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954. Missouri fiddlers still play the tune (it was known as a difficult piece and a "big tune" in Mo. fiddle contests up until the 1970's, according to Howard Marshall, though its popularity has waned in recent years). Interestingly, Marshall notes "Moneymusk" is known as an "Irish" tune, a thought perhaps derived from its transmission through Scots-Irish immigrants to the mid-South American highlands, and thence to the Mid-West. Early-recorded American versions include that by Jasper Bisbee (for Edison), who was born in 1843, Col. John Pattee (for Columbia), born in 1844, Henry Ford's Orchestra, and North Carolina fiddler Dad Williams.
***
Sources for notated versions: Bob Walters (Burt County, Nebraska) [Christeson]; Highwoods String Band (N.Y.) and Delaware Water Gap [Brody]; Lewis L. Jillson (Bernardston, Mass.) [Linscott]; Henry Reed (W.Va) [Krassen]; John Baltzell (Ohio, 1923) [Bronner]; Archie Thorpe, c. 1940 (Hornell, N.Y.) [Bronner]; Steffy (Pa., 1949), William Shape (Greene County, Pa., 1944), James Morris (Greene County, Pa., 1944), and Samuel Losch (Juniata County, Pa., 1930's) [Bayard]; Alan Block and Ron West (Vt.) [Phillips]; Rodney Miller (N.H.) [Phillips]; a c. 1837-1840 MS by Shropshire musician John Moore [Ashman]; Joshua Campbell's 1788 Collection [RSCDS]. Adam, 1928; No. 59. Ashman (The Ironbridge Hornpipe), 1991; No. 40a, pg. 14. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 343A-D, pgs. 329-331. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 194-195 (two versions). Bronner (Old-Time Music Makers of New York State), 1987; No. 5, pgs. 32-33 (includes variations), and No. 18, pg. 87. Burchenal (American Country Dances, Vol. 1), 1918; pg. 55. Cahusac (Pocket Companion...Flute), Vol. 2, c. 1798, pg. 35. Cazden (Dances from Woodland), 1945; pg. 15. Cazden, 1955; pg. 31. R.P. Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers Repertory), Vol. 1, 1973; pg. 15. Cole (1001 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 31 & pg 128. Cuillerier (Joseph Allard: Cinquante airs traditionnels pour violon), 1992; pg. 11. Emmerson (Rantin' Pipe and Tremblin' String), 1971; No. 63, pg. 153. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 52. Gow (Complete Repository), Part 1, 1799; pgs. 10-11. Harding Collection (1905, 1932) and Harding Original Collection (1928); No. 44. Honeyman (Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor), 1898; pg. 13 (Strathspey). Howe (School for the Violin), 1851; pg. 21. Howe (Diamond School for the Violin), 1861; pg. 41. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 84 (two settings). Jarman (Old Time Fiddlin' Tunes), No. or pg. 28. Kennedy (Fiddler's Tunebook), Vol. 2, 1954; pg. 17. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 2; No. 116, pg. 14. Kimball, Sackett's Harbor. Krassen (Appalachian Fiddle), 1973; pg. 70-71. Linscott (Folk Songs of Old New England), 1939; pg. 98. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 12. McGlashan, 1781; pg. 19. Miller & Perron (New England Fiddler's Repertoire), 1983; No. 107. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 125. O'Neill (1850), 1903/1979; No., 1361, pg. 254. O'Neill (1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 614, pg. 111 ("Irish style"). Peacock (Peacock's Tunes), c. 1805/1980; No. 8, pg. 2. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 1, 1994; pg. 155 (two versions). Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 171. Robbins, 1933; Nos. 120 and 177. Robinson (Massachusetts Collection of Martial Music), 2nd ed., 1820; pg. 53. Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, Book 11, No. 2. Ruth (Pioneer Western Folk Tunes), 1948; No. 20, pg. 9. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 158. Surenne (Dance Music of Scotland), 1852; pg. 8. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1965/1981; pg. 61. Sym, 1930; pg. 5. White's Unique Collection, 1896; No. 54. White's Excelsior Collection, 1907; pg. 27. Adelphi 2004, Delaware Water Gap- "String Band Music." Alcazar Dance Series FR 203, Rodney Miller - "New England Chestnuts" (1980). Celtic CX022 (78 RPM), "Little" Jack MacDonald. CLM 1006, Carl MacKenzie (appears as "Sir Archibald Grant of Mony Musk Strathspey"). Decca 14023 (78 RPM), Alex "Alick" Gillis/The Inverness Serenaders. Edison 51354 (78 RPM), John Baltzell (Ohio), 1923. Edison 51381 (78 RPM), Jasper Bisbee (Michigan), 1923. F & I 001, Fiddlesticks & Ivory - "Ghillies On The Golden Gate." F&W Records 3, "Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra." Folkways RBF 115, Joseph Guilmette - "Masters of French Canadian Music, Vol. 4" (originally recorded 1931). Fretless 118, Marie Rhines- "The Reconcilliation." John Edwards Memorial Foundation JEMF-105, Ron West - "New England Traditional Fiddling" (1978). June Appal 007, Tommy Hunter- "Deep in Tradition" (1976. Learned from a Library of Congress recording). Living Folk LFR-104, Allan Block - "Alive and Well and Fiddling." Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers' Association, Cyril Stinnett - "Plain Old Time Fiddling." Philo 1010, Jean Carignan- "Hommage a Joseph Allard." Rodeo RLP 75, John A MacDonald - "Marches, Strathspeys, Reels and Jigs of the Cape Breton Scot." Rounder 0045, Highwoods String Band- "Dance All Night." RTE Records, Jimmy Lyons - "The Donegal Fiddle." Rounder, Walt Koken - "Finger Lakes Ramble." Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40126, Bob McQuillen & Old New England - "Choose Your Partners: Contra Dance & Square Dance Music of New Hampshire" (1999). TAC002, Don Bartlett & The Scotians - "Play Favourites" (as Sir Archibald Grant Of Monymusk). Victor 263527-b (78 RPM), Joseph Allard.
X:1
T:Money Musk
L:1/8
K:G
e|"G"d<GB>G d>Gc>e|"G"d<GB>G "D"A/B/A c>e|
"G"d<GB>G "G/B"B/c/d d>g|"C"e>c"D"A>d "G"B<G G:|!
f|"G"g2d>g B>gd>f|"G"g>d"Am"c>g "G/B"B>g"D"A>f|
"G"g>de>g "G/B"d>gB>g|"C"e>c"D"A>d "G"B<GG>f|!
f|"G"g>dd>g B>gd>f|"G"g>d"Am"c>g "G/B"B>g"D"A>f|
"G/B"g>d"C"e>g "G/B"d>g"Am"c<g|"G/D"B<g"D"A>c "G"B<G G|!
|:g|"G"G/G/G B>G B/dG/ c<e|"G"G/G/G B<g "D"A/A/A c<e|
"G"G/G/G B<G "G/B"B/c/d d<g|{de}"F"=f>c A/B/c "G"B<G G:|!
z/d/|"G"g>d B<g d<gB>d|"G"g>d "Am"c<g "G/B"B<g"D"A>d|
"G"g>d B<g "G/B"d<gB<g|"C"e/f/g "D"A/B/c "G"B<GG>d|!
"G"g>d B<g d<gB>d|"G"g/f/e "G/B"d<g "G"B<g"D"A>d|
"G"g>d "C"e<g "G/B"d<g"Am"c<g|"G/D"B<g"D"A<g "G"B<G G|]
X:2
T:Monymusk
L:1/8
M:C
R:Strathspey
B:The Athole Collection
K:C
e|d<G B>G d>G c<e|d<G B>G (3ABA c>e|d<G B>G B<d d>g|
e>cA>d ~B<GG:|
|:f|g>dB>g d>gB>g|g>dB>g c>gA>f|1 g>de>g d>gB>g|e>cA>d B<GG:|2
g>de>g d<bc<a|B<gA<g B<GG||
X:3
T:Money Musk
M:2/4
L:1/16
Q:122 C:Trad.
S:from Cyril Stinnett
R:Reel
A:Missouri
B:transcribed in OTFR as #18
D:taken from the playing of Cyril Stinnett
Z:B. Shull, trans.; R. P. LaVaque, ABCs
K:A (
e2|:e)Acf ecdf|eAc(A Bc)d(f|e)(Ac)d eag(e|f)dBe cAAe|! eAcf ecdf|eAc(A Bc)d(f|e)(Ac)d eaf(e|f)dBe cAAA|! |Aeae (fg)ae|ceae B(Bc)(B|A)cae (fg)ae|fdBe cAAA|! Aeae (fg)ae|ceae B(Bc)(B|A)cae (fg)ae|fdBe cAAe-|! |a-e)(fa) (ea)ce|aedb caBe|(aef)a (ea)ce|fdBe cAAe|! (ae)(fa) (ea)ce|aedb caBe|(aef)a (ea)ce|fdBe cAAA|! |a2c'(a ba)c'b|(ae)ac' (bc')d'b)|a(ec')a f(ad)(c'|bd')bg a2c'(b-|! -a-e)ac' (ba)c'b|(ae)ac' (bc')(d'b)|a(ec')a f(ad')(c'|bd')bg a2(c'a):|
X:4
T:Moneymusk
M:4/4
L:1/8
O:Probably a version from Teelin, County Donegal.
K:A
af || eAcA e2 (3agf | eAdc BEGB | eAcA e3a | fdBa (3gfe (3agf | eAcAe2(3agf |\
eAcA Bcdf | eccB cdea | fdBc defg || a2ea ceA2 | aAce fBB2 | a2ea ceA2 |\
dcBc defg | a2ea ceA2 | aAce fBBe | (3agf (3gfe (3fed (3cBA | (3fga (3gfe fgaf ||
MISS McLEOD'S/MacLEOD's REEL [1] ("Cor Ingean Ni Mic Leod" or "Cor Mhic Leoid"). AKA and "Billy Boy," "The Cake's All Dough," "Did You Ever See the Devil Uncle Joe?" "Enterprise and Boxer," "The Enterprising Boxer," "The Girl with the Handsome Face," "Green Mountain," "Hop Up Ladies," "Hop High Ladies," "Hop Light Ladies," "John Brown," "May Day," "Miss MacLeod of Ayr," "MacLeod's Reel," "McLeod's Reel," "Miss McCloud," "Misses McCloud's Reel," "Mistress McCloud's Jig," "Mr. McLaw'd." "Mrs. McLeod of Raasay's Reel," "Mrs. MacLeod Raasay," "Nigger in the Woodpile" (Pa.), "Old Mammy Knickerbocker" (Pa.), "The Virginia Reel," "Walk Jaw Bone." Irish, Scottish (originally), American, Old-Time; Reel and Breakdown. Ireland, County Donegal. G Major (most versions): A Major (Ashman, Roche, Songer): F Major (Hardings). Standard. AABB. A universal favorite in the British Isles and North America. Apparently the tune was first printed in Gow's Strathspey Reels of 1809 (pg. 36), with the note "An original Isle of Skye Reel. Communicated by Mr. McLeod."
***
It was popular as long ago as 1779 in Ireland as its playing is mentioned in an account by a foreign visitor named Berringer or Beranger of a "cake" dance (i.e. where the prize was a cake) he participated in while visiting in Connacht. O'Neill (1913) relates Beranger's observations somewhat differently and gives that it was one of six tunes played by Galway pipers in 1779 for the entertainment of the traveller. In modern times in Ireland the tune was included in a famous set of the late Donegal fiddlers, brothers Mickey and Johnny Doherty, who played it as the last tune after "Enniskillen Dragoons" and "Nora Criona" (Wise Nora), though sometimes they substituted "The Piper of Keadue" for "Miss McLeod's." The whole set was played in the rare AAAE tuning, which required playing in position (Caoimhin MacAoidh).
***
The title "Peter Street" appears in a list of tunes in his repertoire brought by Philip Goodman, the last professional and traditional piper in Farney, Louth, to the Feis Ceoil in Belfast in 1898 (Breathnach, 1997). The reel was mentioned in an account of one of the old pipers of County Louth, a man named Cassidy, as recorded by William Carleton in his Tales and Sketches of the Irish Peasantry, published in 1845. Breathnach (1997) believes the first name of this piper was Dan, and that he was blind. Carleton, born in 1794, was a dancing master who taught in the 1820's, and was engaged to teach the children of the 'dreadful' Mrs. Murphy. It seems that Carleton:
***
having spent several nights at piper Cassidy's house weighing up the local
dancers ...was impelled by vanity to show them how good a dancer he was
himself. He asked one of the handsomest girls out on the floor, and, in
accordance with the usual form, faced her towards the piper, asking her to
name the tune she wished to dance to. Receiving the customary reply, 'Sir,
your will is my pleasure,' Carleton called for the jig Polthogue. He next
danced Miss McLeod's Reel with his partner, and then called for a hornpipe,
a single dance, this is, one done without a partner. It was considered
unladylike for girls to do a hornpipe. The College Hornpipe was his choice
for this dance. (pg. 59)
***
Charlie Piggott, in his book Blooming Meadows (1998) written with Fintan Vallely, relates that accordion player Johnny O'Leary was at the deathbed of his mentor, the famed Sliabh Luachra fidder Pádraig O'Keeffe, in St. Catherine's Hospital, Tralee. O'Keeffe was lucid until the end, and engaged in witty repartee with O'Leary:
***
'You know two great reels,' he said. 'Don't ever forget them.'
'What are they?' said I.
'"Miss McCloud" and "Rolling in the Ryegrass",' he said.
'You see, "Miss McCloud" is a great reel,' he said, 'but we're playing
it wrong.'
'How do you mean it?' says I.
'I'm at it now,' he says, 'but I suppose I won't be left alive to do it-
play it backwards. And,' he says, 'you'll never in your life hear a nicer
reel.'
Whether 'tis right or not, I don't know. He was just going to do it when
he died. He said he had a sister that had the first part of it done backwards
with a concertina and, Pádriag said, 'twas double nicer than the way we're
playing it. He was a genius, you know. He was a genius.
***
The melody has had a long history in America and has proved enduringly popular with fiddlers in many regions. Cauthen (1990) notes the tune's mention in the "Marion Standard" of April 30, 1909, which reported its having been played at a housewarming in Perry County, Alabama, in 1827. Bronner collected the tune from central New York fidders, who also knew it under the title "Virginia Reel" and, from one source, the "interchangable title" of "Campbells are Coming," a jig. Some confusion in his sources seems to stem from the interchangability of many triple and duple meter tunes under the "Virginia Reel" moniker, but Bronner states that versions of "Miss McLeod" in 12/8 time were "not uncommon" in his collecting experience. Samuel Bayard (1981) also wondered if "Miss McLeod" was a reworking of some set of the 6/8 time "The Campbells Are Coming," a family which includes (among others) "The Burnt Old Man" and "Hob or/and Nob." O'Neill (1913) has no doubts and states unequivocably that the 'McLeod' and 'Campbell' tunes either had a common origin or that the former was derived from the latter (or its Irish equivalent, "An Seanduine"). The title appears in a list of the repertoire of Maine fiddler Mellie Dunham (the elderly Dunham was Henry Ford's champion fiddler in the mid-1920's) and it was cited as having commonly been played for Orange County, New York, country dances in the 1930's (Lettie Osborn, New York Folklore Quarterly). Arizona fiddler Kenner C. Kartchner remembered the tune being played in the Flagstaff-Williams (Ariz.) area in 1903 (Shumway). The title (as "MacLeod's Reel") appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954. A rendering of the tune under the title "Mistress McCloud's Jig" was recorded by him for the Library of Congress from fiddlers in that region in the early 1940's. Bayard (1981) noted that the tune was usually played in the British Isles with with the parts ending on the second of the scale, resulting in an "endless" or "circular" tune, while fiddlers in the Americas usually ended on the tonic. Also in the repertoire of Uncle Jimmy Thompson (Texas, Tennessee) as "McLeod's Reel."
***
Novelist and fiddler Thomas Hardy, of Devonshire, England, knew the tune and worked it into his novel The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886):
***
Farfrae was footing a quaint little dance with Elizabeth-Jane--an old
country thing, the only one she knew, and though he considerately toned
down his movements to suit her demurer gait, the pattern of the shining
little nails in the soles of his boots became familiar to the eyes of every
bystander. The tune had enticed her into it; being a tune of a busy,
vaulting, leaping sort--some low notes on the silver string of each fiddle,
then a skipping on the small, like running up and down ladders--'Miss
McLeod of Ayr' was its name, so Mr. Farfrae had said, and that it was
very popular in his own country [Scotland].
***
Words are sometimes set to the tune, especially in American variants. These words were collected in Scotland:
***
Macaphee turn yer cattle roon loch o' Forum (3 times)
Here and there and everywhere the kye are in the corn.
***
Waitin' at the shielin' o Mhaire bhan mo chroi (pronounced: varie van ma cree)
Waitin' at the shielin' o faur awa' tae sea
Hame will come the bonny boats Mhaire bhan mo chroi
Hame will come the bonny boys, Mhaire bhan mo chroi.
***
A curious alternate title for "McLeod's," "The Enterprising Boxer" is a miss-hearing of the name "Enterprise and Boxer," which refers to a naval engagement between two ships of those names.
***
Sources for notated versions: Michael Coleman (Co. Sligo/New York) [DeMarco and Krassen], John McDermott, (New York State, 1926) [Bronner], 8 southwestern Pa. fiddlers [Bayard]; a c. 1837-1840 MS by Shropshire musician John Moore [Ashman]; accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border), recorded at Na Piobairi Uilleann, October, 1984 [Moylan]. Adam, No. 20. Allan's Irish Fiddler, No. 69, pg. 17. American Veteran Fifer, 1927; No. 6. Ashman (The Ironbridge Hornpipe), 1991; No. 25a, pg. 6 (appears as "Mr. Mc Law'd a Popular Dance"). Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 249A-H, pgs. 211-213. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 192. Bronner (Old Time Music Makers of New York State), 1987; No. 4, pg. 26 (appears as 1st tune of "Virginia Reel Medley"). Burchenal (American Country Dances, Vol. 1), 1918; pgs. 10-11 (appears as "Virginia Reel" [2]). Cazden (Dances from Woodland), 1945; pg. 24. Cazden (Folk Songs of the Catskills), pg. 29. Cole (1001 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 29 (appears as "Miss McCloud's"). DeMarco and Krassen (Trip to Sligo), 1978; pgs. 38, 52, 66. Gale, No. 30. Hardings All Round Collection, 1905; No. 183, pg. 58. Hardings Original Collection and Harding Collection, No. 36. Howe (Diamond School for the Violin), 1861; pg. 44. Howe, 1951; pg. 34. Jarman (Old Time Fiddlin' Tunes), No. or pg. 10. Kennedy (Fiddlers Tune Book), Vol. 1, 1951; No. 48, pg. 24 (appears as "May Day"). Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 1; pg. 5. Miller & Perron (New England Fiddlers Repertoire), 1983; No. 109. Moylan (Johnny O'Leary), 1994; No. 143, pg. 84. O'Malley, pgs. 10 & 22. O'Neill (1915 ed.), 1987; No. 275, pg. 140. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 134. O'Neill (1850), 1903/1979; No. 1418, pg. 263. O'Neill (1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 655, pg. 117. Robbins, No. 96. Roche Collection, 1982, Vol. 1; No. 148, pg. 59. Ruth (Pioneer Western Folk Tunes), 1948; No. 112, pg. 39. Smith (Scottish Minstrel), Vol. 4, pg. 50. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; pg. 136. Surenne, pg. 11. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1965/1981; pg. 32. Trim (Thomas Hardy), 1990; No. 4 (appears as "Miss MacLeod of Ayr"). Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, Vol. 1), 1999; pg. 19. White's Excelsior Collection, pg. 42. White's Unique Collection, No. 170. Biograph 6003, The Bogtrotters- "The Original Bogtrotters" (appears as "Hop Up Ladies"). Brunswick (78 RPM), John McDermott (N.Y. state), 1926 (appears as 1st tune of "Virginia Reel Medley"). CCF2, Cape Cod Fiddlers - "Concert Collection II" (1999). County 201, The Old Virginia Fiddlers- "Rare Recordings" (appears as "Hop Light Ladies"). Davis Unlimited 33015, Doc Roberts- "Classic Fiddle Tunes" (appears as "Did You Ever See the Devil, Uncle Joe"). Gael-Linn CEF 045, "Paddy Keenan" (1975. Appears as "McLeod's Reel/Cor Mhic Leoid"). Glencoe 001, Cape Breton Symphony- "Fiddle." Globestyle Irish CDORBD 085, The Kerry Fiddle Trio - "The Rushy Mountain" (1994. Reissue of Topic recordings). Green Linnet 1023, Joe Shannon and Johnny McGreevy- "The Noonday Feast." Green Linnet SIF1122, Kevin Burke - "Open House" (1992). John Edwards Memorial Foundation JEMF-105, Uncle Joe Shippee - "New England Traditional Fiddling" (1978). June Appal 007, Thomas Hunter- "Deep in Tradition." Nimbus NI 5320, Ciaran Tourish et al. - "Fiddle Sticks: Irish Traditional Music from Donegal" (1991). Rounder 0057, Frank Dalton and George Wood- "Old Originals, Vol. 1" (appears as "Hop Light Ladies"). Rounder 0058, John Patterson- "Old Originals, Vol. II" (appears as "Did You Ever See the Devil, Uncle Joe?"). Shanachie 33001, Patrick J. Touhey- "The Wheels of the World." Tennvale 001S, Bob Douglas- "Old Time Dance Tunes Fron the Sequatchie Valley" (Appears as "Hop Light Ladies"). Tennvale 003, Pete Parish- "Clawhammer Banjo." Topic 12T309, Padraig O'Keeffe, Denis Murphy & Julia Clifford - "Kerry Fiddles." Transatlantic 341, Dave Swarbrick- "Swarbrick 2." Victor 20537 (78 RPM), Mellie Dunham, 1926 (appears as 1st tune of "Medley of Reels"). Mickey Doherty - "The Gravel Walks."
T:Miss McLeod's Reel
L:1/8
M:C|
K:G
|:G2 BG dG BG|GB BA Bc BA|G2 BG dG BG|A2AG (3ABc BA|
G2BG dG BG|GB BA Bc d2|(3efg ed Bd ef|ge dB Ac BA:|
|:G2 gf ed eg|B2BA BcBA|G2 gf ed Bd|ea ag fd ef|g2 gf ef ge|
dB BA Bc d2|(3efg ed Bd ef|ge dB Ac BA:|
NERVOUS BREAKDOWN. Bluegrass, Old-Time; Breakdown. USA, Mo. A Major & C Major. Someone had to use this title, the wonder is, only one did. In an e-mail posting, composition was claimed by Fletcher Bright who said the he composed the tune with banjo player Ansley Moses about 1951. It was in key of G modulating to Bb. They registered it with BMI and received all of $50 when Larry McNeely played it over the Glenn Campbell show. "We received some royalties from BMI each year until the postage exceeded the royalty." In the repertiore of Lymon Enloe (b. 1906, Cole County, Mo.); a "bluegrassed" tune. County CD 2707, Lyman Enloe - "Fiddle Tunes I Recall." Ridge Runner LP 0018, Bob Black with Norman Blake - "Ladies on the Steamboat."
SOLDIER'S JOY [1] (Lutgair An Sigeadoir/t-Saigdiura). AKA and see "French Four" [3], "I Am My Mamma's Darlin' Child," "John White," "The King's Head," "The King's Hornpipe," "(I) Love Somebody," "Payday in the Army," "Rock the Cradle Lucy." Old-Time, Bluegrass, American, Canadian, English, Irish, Scottish; Breakdown, Scottish Measure, Hornpipe, Reel, Country Dance and Morris Dance Tune. D Major (almost all versions): G Major (Bacon, Bayard-Simmons). Standard or ADAE. AB (Athole, Bayard-Simmons, Shaw): AABB (most versions): ABCDE (Cooke {Ex. 54}). One of, if not the most popular fiddle tune in history, widely disseminated in North America and Europe in nearly every tradition; as Bronner (1987) perhaps understatedly remarks, it has enjoyed a "vigarous" life. There is quite a bit of speculation on just what the name 'soldier's joy' refers to. Proffered thoughts seem to gravitate toward money and drugs. In support of the latter is the 1920's vintage Georgia band the Skillet Lickers, who sang to the melody:
***
Well twenty-five cents for the morphene,
and fifteen cents for the beer.
Twenty-five cents for the old morphene
now carry me away from here.
***
Bayard (1981) dates it to "at least" the latter part of the 18th century, citing a version that has become standard in Aird's 1778 collection (Vol. 1, No. 109_) and Skillern's 1780 collection (pg. 21). John Glen (1891) and Francis Collinson (1966) maintain the first appearence in print of this tune is in Joshua Campbell's 1778 A Collection of the Newest and Best Reels and Minuets with improvements. It has been attributed to Campbell himself but Collinson notes it is hardly likely as it is a well known folk dance tune in other countries of Europe. There is also a dance by the same name which is "one of the earliest dances recorded in England, but no date of origin has been established. It is still done in Girton Village as part of a festival dance. The tune is also well known in Ireland" (Linscott, 1939). The melody was used in North-West England morris dance tradition for a polka step, and also is to be found in the Cotswold morris tradition where it appears as "The Morris Reel," collected from the village of Headington, Oxfordshire. The Scots national poet Robert Burns set some verses to the tune which were published in his Merry Muses of Caledonia. In the first song of Burns' cantata, The Jolly Beggars, by the soldier, is to the tune of "Soldier's Joy." Early versions of "Soldier's Joy" can be traced to a Scottish source as far back as 1781; variants can be found in Scandanavia, the French Alps, and Newfoundland (Linda Burman-Hall, "Southern American Folk Fiddle Styles," Ethnomusicology, Vol. 19, #1, Jan. 1975).
***
In America the melody is ubiquitous. It was cited as having commonly been played for country dances in Orange County, New York, in the 1930's (Lettie Osborn, New York Folklore Quarterly), and Bronner (1987) confirms it was a popular piece at New York square dances in the early 20th century. The title appears in a repertoire list of Norway, Maine, fiddler Mellie Dunham (the elderly Dunahm {b. 1853} was Henry Ford's champion fiddler in the late 1920's). Musicologist Charles Wolfe (1982) says it was popular with Kentucky fiddlers. The tune was recorded for the Library of Congress by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, from the playing of Ozark Mountain fiddlers in the early 1940's, and, for the same institution by Herbert Halpert in 1939 from the playing of Mississippi fiddlers John Hatcher, W.E. Claunch and Stephen B. Tucker. It was also recorded by legendary Galax fiddler Emmett Lundy, and is listed as one of the tunes played at a fiddlers' convention at the Pike County Fairgrounds, Alabama (as recorded in the Troy Herald of July 6, 1926) {Cauthen, 1990}. Arizona fiddler Kenner C. Kartchner said: "Every fiddler plays this. Some not so good" (Shumway). Burchenal prints a New England contra dance of the same name with the tune. Tommy Jarrell, the influential fiddler from Mt. Airy, North Carolina, told Peter Anick in 1982 that it was a tune he learned in the early 1920's when he first began learning the fiddle, at which time it was known as "I Love Somebody" in his region. Soon after it was known in Mt. Airy as "Soldier's Joy" and, after World War II, as "Payday in the Army." Another North Carolina fiddler, African-American Joe Thompson, played the tune in CFGD tuning. Gerald Milnes (1999, pg. 12) remarks that tune origins were of significant value to West Virginia musicians who often tried to trace tunes to original sources. It was the first tune learned by Randolph County, W.Va., fiddler Woody Simmons (b. 1911). Braxton County fiddler Melvin Wine (1909-1999), says Milnes, used family lore to attribute the tune to his great-grandfather, Smithy Wine, of Civil War era. Smithy, it seems, had been detained by the Confederates in Richmond under charges of aiding Union soldiers. Although imprisoned, his captors found out he was a fiddler and made him play for a dance, and Smithy later associated the tune with this incident, calling it "Soldier's Joy." For further information see Bayard's (1944) extensive note on this tune and tune family under "The King's Head." During a Senate campaign in the 1960's the piece was played to crowds by Albert Gore Sr., the fiddling father of the Vice President during the Clinton administration (Wolfe, 1997).
***
In England, the title appears in Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes ("The Northern Minstrel's Budget"), which he published c. 1800. The novelist Thomas Hardy, himself an accordionist and fiddler, mentions the tune in his Far From the Madding Crowd:
***
'Then,' said the fiddler, 'I'll venture to name that the right
and proper thing is 'The Soldier's Joy' - there being a
gallant soldier married into the farm - hey, my sonnies,
and gentlemen all?' So the dance begins. As to the merits
of 'The Soldier's Joy', there cannot be, and never were,
two options. It has been observed in the musical circles
of Weatherbury and its vacinity that this melody, at the
end of three-quarters of an hour of thunderous footing,
still possesses more stimulative properties for the heel
and toe than the majority of other dances at their first opening.
***
At the turn into the 20th century the melody was in the repertoire of fiddler William Tilbury (who lived at Pitch Place, midway between Churt and Thursley, Surrey), the last of a family of village fiddlers who had learned his repertoire from an uncle, Fiddler Hammond (died c. 1870), who had taught him to play and who had been the village musician before him. The author of English Folk-Song and Dance concludes that "Soldier's Joy" was enjoyed in the tradition of this southwest Surry village about 1870, and was one of a number of country dances which survived well into the second half of the 19th century (pg. 144).
***
Some of the lyrics which have been sung to the tune are:
***
Chicken in the bread tray scratchin' out dough,
Granny will your dog bite? No, child, no.
Ladies to the center and gents to the bar,
Hold on you don't go too far.
***
Grasshopper sittin on a sweet potato vine, (x3)
Along come a chicken and says she's mine.
***
I'm a-gonna get a drink, don't you wanna go? (x3)
Hold on Soldier's Joy.
***
Twenty-five cents for the malteen,
Fifteen cents for the beer;
Twenty-five cents for the malteen,
I'm gonna take me away from here.
***
Love somebody, yes I do, (x3)
Love somebody but I won't say who.
***
Refrain
Dance all night, fiddle all day,
That's a Soldier's Joy. (Kuntz)
***
In Newfoundland, it is sometimes known as "John White" and sung accompanied by the fiddle or accordion:
***
Did you see, did you see, did you see John White?
Did you see, did you see, did you see John White?
Did you see, did you see, did you see John White?
He's gone around the harbour for to stay all night.
He's gone around the harbour for to get a dozen beer.
He's gone around the harbour and he won't be coming here.
He's gone around the harbour for to get a cup of tea.
If you sees him will you tell him that I wants he?
***
Sources for notated versions: John Carson and The Skillet Lickers (North Georgia) [Kuntz]; J.S. Price (Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma) [Thede]; Ben Smith (Dixon, Missouri) [Christeson]; Willie Woodward (Bristol, N.H.) [Linscott]: Floyd Woodhull (1976), Woodhull's Old Tyme Masters (1941), Pop Weir (c. 1960) {three versions from central New York State} [Bronner]; Bobbie Jamieson (Cullivoe, Yell, Shetland) [Cooke]; George Sutherland (Bressay/Vidlin, Shetland) [Cooke]; Lorin Simmons (Prince Edward Island, Canada, 1930's), James Marr (elderly fiddler from Missouri, 1949), twenty southwestern Pa. fifers and fiddlers [Bayard]; Richard Greene with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys [Phillips]; a c. 1837-1840 MS by Shropshire musician John Moore [Ashman]; Elliot Wright (b. 1935, Flat River, Queens County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman]; fiddler Dawson Girdwood (Perth, Ottawa Valley, Ontario) [Begin].
Adam, 1928; No. 2. Ashman (The Ironbridge Hornpipe), 1991; No. 86b, pg. 35. Bacon (The Morris Ring), 1974; pg. 197. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; Appendix No. 1A-B, pgs. 571-572, and No. 332A-S, pgs. 303-310. Begin (Fiddle Music from the Ottawa Valley: Dawson Girdwood), 1985; No. 47, pg. 56. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 262. R.P. Bronner (Old-Time Music Makers of New York State), 1987; No. 12, pgs. 71-72 and No. 25, pg. 110. Burchenal (American Country Dances, Vol. 1), 1918; pg. 6. Carlin (English Concertina), 1977; pgs. 40-411. Cazden (Dances from Woodland), 1945; pg. 19. Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers' Repertory, Vol. 2), 1984; pg. 61. Cole (1001 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 24. Cooke (The Fiddle Tradition of the Shetland Isles), 1986; Ex. 54, pg. 112 and Ex. 55, pg. 113. DeVille, 1905; No. 76. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 49. Harding Collection (1915) and Harding's Original Collection (1928), No. 20. Honeyman (Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor), 1898; pg. 9. Howe (School for the Violin), 1851; pg. 37. Howe (Diamond School for the Violin), pg. 41. Jarman (Old Time Fiddlin' Tunes), No. or pg. 23. Kaufman (Beginning Old Time Fiddle), 1977; pg. 40. Karpeles & Schofield (A Selection of 100 English Folk Dance Airs), 1951; pg. 7. Kennedy (Fiddler's Tune Book), Vol. 1, 1951; No. 4, pg. 2. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 1; Set 1, No. 6, pg. 3. Krassen (Appalachian Fiddle), 1973; pg. 15 and 45 (latter includes a 'A' part variation by Charlie Higgins {Galax, Va}). Kuntz (Ragged but Right), 1987; pg. 295-296 (two versions). Lerwick (Kilted Fiddler), 1985; pg. 21. Linscott (Folk Songs of Old New England), 1939; pg. 110-111. Lowinger (Bluegrass Fiddle), 1974; pg. 22. McGlashan (Collection of Scots Measures), c. 1780; pg. 32. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 38. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 183. O'Neill (1850), 1903/1979; No. 1642, pg. 305. O'Neill (1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 868, pg. 150. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; pg. 71. Phillips (Fiddlecase Tunebook), 1989{A}; pg. 38. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 1, 1994; pg. 227 (two versions). Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 166 (appears as "King's Head"). Reiner (Anthology of Fiddle Styles), 1979; pg. 37 (includes several variations). Robbins, No. 56. Roche Collection, 1982, Vol. 2; No. 216, pg. 12 (appears as a hornpipe). Ruth (Pioneer Western Folk Tunes), 1948; No. 7, pg. 4 (an alternate title is given as "King's Head"). Shaw (Cowboy Dances), 1943; pg. 383. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 150. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1964; No. or pg. 43. Sym, 1930; pg. 13. Thede (The Fiddle Book), 1967; pg. 118. Trim (Thomas Hardy), 1990; No. 43. Wade (Mally's North West Morris Book), 1988; pg. 17. White's Excelsior Collection, 1907; pg. 72. Bluebird 5658-B (78 RPM), Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers (North Ga.) {1934}. Caney Mountain Records CEP 210 (extended play LP, privately issued), Lonnie Robertson (Mo.), c. 1965-66. Columbia 191-D (78 RPM), Samantha Bumgarner {recorded as "I Am My Momma's Darlin' Child"). Columbia 15538 (78 RPM), Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers. County 405, "The Hillbillies." County 506, The Skillet Lickers- "Old-Time Tunes. County 514, Gid Tanner's Skillet Lickers- "Hell Broke Loo"se in Georgia" (Originally recorded in 1934). County 756, Tommy Jarrell- "Sail Away Ladies." Edison 52370 (78 RPM), 1928, John Baltzell (appears as "Soldier's Joy Hornpipe") {Baltzell was a native of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, as was minstrel Dan Emmett (d. 1904). Emmett returned to the town in 1888, poor, but later taught Baltzell to play the fiddle}. Flying Fish 102, New Lost City Ramblers - "20 Years/Concert Performances" (1978). Folk Legacy Records FSA-17, Hobart Smith - "America's Greatest Folk Instrumentalist." Folkways FA 2381, "The Hammered Dulcimer as played by Chet Parker" (1966). Folkways FA 2492, New Lost City Ramblers - "String Band Instrumentals" (1964. Learned from Hobart Smith). Fretless 132, "Ron West: Vermont Fiddler." June Appal 007, Tommy Hunter - "Deep in Tradition" (1976. Learned from his grandfather, fiddler James W. Hunter, Madison County, N.C.). Library of Congress (2738-B-2), 1939, recording by Herbert Halpert of the Houston Bald Knob String Band (Franklin County, Va.). Mississippi Department of Archives and History AH-002, Stephen B. Tucker - "Great Big Yam Potatoes: Anglo-American Fiddle Music from Mississippi" (1985). Morning Star 45003, Taylor's Kentucky Boys - "Wink the Other Eye: Old Time Fiddle Band Music from Kentucky" (1980. Originally recorded in 1927). Revonah RS-924, "The West Orrtanna String Band" (1976). Rounder 0070, The Kentucky Colonels- "1965-1967." Rounder 0073, The White Brothers- "Live in Sweden." Rounder 1003, Fiddlin' John Carson- "The Old Hen Cackled and the Rooster's Goin' to Crow." Tradition TLP 1007, Lacey Phillips - "Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians," 1956. United Artists 9801, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." Voyager VRCD 344, Howard Marshall & John Williams - "Fiddling Missouri" (1999). Bob Smith's Ideal Band - "Ideal Music" (1977). "Fiddlers Three Plus Two." "The Caledonian Companion" (1975).
X:1
T:Soldiers' Joy [1]
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Country Dances
B:The Athole Collection
K:D
dB|AFDF AFDF|A2d2d2cB|AFDF AFDF|G2E2E2FG|AFDF AFDF|
A2d2d2fg|afdf gece|d2D2D2||
ag|fdfg a2gf|ecef g2ag|fdfg a2 gf|edcB A2ag|fdfg a2gf|ecef g2fg|
afdf gece|d2D2D2||
X:2
T:Soldier's Joy
L:1/8
M:C|
S:Kuntz - Ragged but Right
N:From the playing of Fiddlin' John Carson
K:D
(3dcB|A2 FF D2 FF|A2 BA d2 dB|ABAG FGFD|E2 E4 (#G|
A2) FF DEFD|A2 BA d3 (e|f2) ff efec|d2 d4 (3dcB|A2 FF D2 FF|
ABAF dBAF|ABAG FGFD|E2 E4 (^G|A2) FE DEFD|A2 BA d3e|
f2 ff efdc|d2 d4||
|:A2|d2 f2 abaf|e2 ef g2 ge|d2 df abaf|edcB A3A|
d2f2 abaf|edef g2 ge|fafd egec|d2 d4:|