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.
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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:
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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 ||
MONYMUSK. AKA and see "Money Musk," "Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk's Strathspey."