COMING THROUGH THE RYE. AKA and see "Gin a Body Meet a Body," "The Miller's Daughter," "Rye Waltz." Scottish, Shetland; Country Dance Tune (2/4 or 4/4 time) or Strathspey. D Major (Kerr/3rd, Sweet): A Major (Kerr/4th). Standard. One part (Sweet): AABB (Kerr/4th). The title of the song comes from lyrics by Robert Burns set to the tune originally composed by Robert Bremner called "The Miller's Daughter." It was published in 1797 in The Scots Musical Museum (Vol. 5), though it had earlier appeared in 1796 under the title "If a Body Meet a Body," with the arrangement credited to J. Sanderson with words by Mr. Cross. Several sources have noted the similarity between this tune and "Auld Lang Syne," and Fuld (1966) believes they have similar melodic antecedents. The original song was a particularly bawdy ditty collected by Burns (who wrote not a few bawdy lyrics himself) and published posthumously around 1800 in The Merry Muses of Caledonia. Fuld believes that Cross's 1796 words were simply a purient altering of the original song for public consumption. As a novelty number called "The Rye Waltz," it was popular at dances in the southwest United States around 1900 (Shumway, 1990). The tune was recorded from Ozark Mountain fiddlers by folklorist/musicologist Vance Randolph in the early 1940's for the Library of Congress. Cooke prints the following words to the tune, collected in the Shetland Islands:
***
Jaanie she's a poor body,
Jaanie she's no dry;
Drinkin o' a pirrie cups,
Coming through the rye.
***
While Burns' begins:
***
Gin a body meet a body
Comin' thro' the rye.
***
Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 3; No. 370, pg. 41. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 4; No. 4, pg. 3. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1964/1981; pg. 17. Veteran VT111, Francis Shergold - "Greeny Up" (1988. Recorded from Bampton, England, morris dance musicians).
GIN A BODY MEET A BODY. AKA and see "Comin Through the Rye." Scottish, English; "Very Slow" Strathspey and Air. England, Northumberland. B Flat Major (Gow): G Major (Peacock). Standard. AAB (Gow): AABB (Peacock). Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 67. Gow (Complete Repository), Part 2, 1802; pg. 4. Peacock (Peacock's Tunes), c. 1805/1980; No. 16, pg. 6.
T:Gin a body meet a body
L:1/8
M:C
S:Gow - 2nd Repository
K:B_
B|F<F F>d {d}c>Bcd|F<F ~G>F {F}B3G|F<F f>d (e/d/)c/B/ cd|F<F ~G>F B3:|
(d/e/)|f>eBd c>Bcd|f>dBd g3 a//b/|f>de>c d>Bcd|F<F ~G>F {F}B3 (d>e)|
f>dBd c>B c(d/e/)|(f/e/)(d/c/) Bd/f/ g3 (a/b/)|f>g (g/f)(e/d/) gc c>d|F<F ~G>F {F}B3||
MILLER'S WEDDING, THE. AKA and see "The Miller's Daughter," "My Dear, Durst I But Mow You." Scottish, Strathspey. D Mixolydian. ADAE or Standard. AABB (Alburger): AABBCCDDEE (Johnson). Composed by Robert Bremner (c. 1713-89), and noted in scordatura form in his collection, where it was first printed (pg. 41). It originally had rude or bawdy words attached to it. The tune (actually strains one and four) later used by Robert Burns for his song "Comin' Through the Rye." See also note for "Auld Lang Syne." Source for notated version: Bremner's Scots Reels (c. 1765), pg. 41 [Johnson]. Alburger (Scottish Fiddlers and Their Music), 1983; Ex. 30, pg. 54 (strains one and two only). Johnson (Scottish Fiddle Music in the 18th Century), 1984; No. 50, pgs. 114-115.
T:The Miller's Wedding
T:The Miller's Daughter
B:Cumming's Collection, 1780, via...
B:The Popular Songs and Melodies of Scotland
Z:Nigel Gatherer
M:2/4
L:1/8
K:G
D|G<GG>E|A>GAB|D<DE>D|G3 B|
G<GG>E|A>GAB|D<DE>D|G3 z|
SALLY COMING THROUGH THE RYE. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, West Virginia. A Dorian or A Mixolydian. AEAE or DGDG (Harvey Sampson). ABB. The 'A' part is irregular in form while the tonality may vary between Mixolydian and Dorian, meaning the accompanying 'A' chords can be either minor or major. Gerry Milnes identifies it as a Calhoun County, W.Va., tune. It was also in the repertoire of Ohio fiddler Ward Jarvis. Source for notated version: Kerry Blech [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, Vol. 1), 1994; pg. 209. Augusta Heritage Recordings AHR-004C, Harvey Sampson and the Big Possum String Band - "Flat Foot in the Ashes" (1986/1994. Learned by Calhoun County, W.Va., fiddler Harvey Sampson from his father). Shanachie 6040, Gerry Milnes & Lorraine Lee Hammond - "Hell Up Coal Holler" (1999. Learned from Harvey Sampson and his brother Homer).
T:Sally Comin' Through the Rye
L:1/8
M:2/4
S:Gerry Milnes
Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz
K:G Mixolydian
B>c d>e|f>e dc|B/c/d/e/ fd|
L:1/8
M:3/4
[dg][df] d3 e/d/|
L:1/8
M:2/4
B>c d>e|f/e/f/e/ dc|B/c/d/e/ f/e/d/e/|
L:1/8
M:3/4
[dg][df] (d2 d/)e/d/c/||
L:1/8
M:2/4
_B>AG/ FD|_B/A/G F<D|_B<AG/ F/G/G/G/|
L:1/8
M:3/4
D/E/G G4|
L:1/8
M:2/4
_B>AG/ FD|_B/A/G F<D|_B<AG/ F/G/G/G/|
L:1/8
M:3/4
D/E/G G4||