CHARLIE IS AT EDINBURGH. See note for "Keel Row." Kidson (1890) finds the tune in a MS collection and categorises it as one of the "Keel Row" family.
DUMB GLUTTON, THE. AKA and see "The Dumb Waiter." English, Country Dance Tune (2/4 time). G Major. Standard. AABB. The tune is from Aird's "Selection" (vol. I, c. 1775). Kidson (1890) points out the similarity with the "Keel Row" family of tunes, including "Smiling Polly," "The Yorkshire Lad" and "Well May the Keel Row." Kidson (Old English Country Dances), 1890; pg. 19.
FLING. A dance form particular to Scottish, and to some extent Irish, music. An Irish fling, borrowed from the Scots, is usually a simple reel with a dotted crotchet/semiquaver feel, often a 'catchy' melody and sometimes has words and not unusually lilted. Irish flings are generally written in 4/4 time and, although played slower than a reel, retain the reel-like swing. Some familiar examples are the tunes "The Keel Row," "Some Say the Devil's Dead" or "Johnny Won't/Will You Marry Me." In northern Ireland it is sometimes called a "Highland" or "German," though elsewhere in Ireland it goes by the name highland schottische, highland fling, or simply 'highland.' In Conamara it is sometimes called "The Johnny." The term is used in the south and west of Ireland where the dance and tunes are much rarer, according to Caoimhin Mac Aoidh (1994). Flings are generally danced by a couple in Ireland, although a rare three-person version is to be found in Cuil Aodha, County Cork.
KEEL ROW, THE. AKA and see "The Boatie Rows," "Drops of Brandy," "Lake St. Jean Gallope," "Michael's Reel," "Smiling Polly," "Twin Sisters." English, Irish, Scottish, American; Air, Reel, Highland or (Highland) Schottische, Highland Fling. England, Northumberland. Ireland, Donegal. G Major (Cole, Hall & Stafford, Kennedy, Kidson, Raven, Stokoe, Sweet, Trim, Tubridy): A Major (Athole, Kerr, Mulvihill, Roche). Standard. AB (Raven, Roche, Tubridy): AABB (Cole, Kerr, Kidson, Mulvihill, Sweet, Trim): AABB' (Athole): ABC (Stokoe). Stokoe and Bruce (1882) devote a note to the tune claiming Northumbrian authorship for "The Keel Row," an extremely popular tune in its time (in both Scotland and Northumberland) and "the best known and most popular of all Northumbrian lyrics." He refutes assertions that the tune is Scotch (to whom it is often credited), citing the following: 1) the 'keel' is a vessel which is only known on the rivers Tyne and Wear {Kidson points out however that 'keel' is an old Saxon word and has been used in Scotland as well as Newcastle}; 2) In the collection of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle is a MS Book of Tunes, dated 1774, in which the tune appeared exactly as it did in Stoke's time; 3) Joseph Ritson, once a celebrated antiquary, included it in his collection of old songs, 'The Northumberland Garland,' published 1793 (a garland is a of eight to sixteen tunes). Stokoe and Bruce point out that these dates are anterior to the appearance of the song in any Scottish collection, having found that Cromek inserted it in his Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway Song, 1810, where it is labled a "popular bridal tune in Scotland" and set to a Jacobite song called "As I came down the Cannongate." (Stokoe also says that Allan Cunningham, in his 'Songs of Scotland,' 1825, asserts that Cromek's version is imperfect, "and gives another, which is simply a protracted paraphrase of the original song, with the word 'keel' entirely omitted {except in the title}, the word 'shallop' being substituted"--Kidson sees this same song as a copy of the older Jacobite lyric). Though taking no sides in the debate, Kidson (1890) does find the melody under the "Keel Row" title in an early Scottish edition which predates the Northumbrian printings, in N. Stewart's c. 1770 A Collection of favourite Scots' Tunes, with Variations for the Violoncello or Harpsichord, by the late Charles McLean, and other eminent masters (Edinburgh).
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As I cam thro' Sandgate, thro' Sandgate, thro' Sandgate;
As I cam thro' Sandgate I heard a lassie sing:
Weel may the keel row, the keel row, the keel row;
Weel may the keel row that my laddie's (truelove's) in.
Weel may the keel row, &c. (Stokoe)
***
Emmerson (1971) believes the tune to have been composed on and for the Northumbrian smallpipes, and Shield's famous variations on "Keel Row," composed for the instrument, are given by Hall & Stafford.
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Bayard (1981) dates the tune from the 18th century, while Chappell (1859) finds the earliest form of it in Thompson's 200 Country Dances of 1765 where it appears as "Smiling Polly," though Kidson (1890) believes the earliest form of the tune to be "Yorkshire Lad," found in Johnson's Country Dances of 1748. Bayard concludes the identifying musical characteristic centers around one (first) strain which typically occurs in most variants, but the second strain not infrequently differs. Kidson earlier appears to have come to the same conclusion for he gives four settings of the tune from the mid-18th century, all different in the 'B' part (i.e. "Yorkshire Lad," "Smiling Polly," "Dumb Glutton" "Well May the Keel Row"--he also notes other tunes could well have been included in this comparison such as "Shamboy Breeches" and "Charlie is at Edinburgh"). This perhaps goes to explaining Cunningham's insistence that an "imperfect" version had been collected by Cromek--it was probably no less worthy, only a different strain. Bayard collected a version from Pennsylvania fifers, to whom it was well known in the mid-twentieth century.
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Chris Bartram (Devon, England) maintains that while the words to "The Keel Row" are from the North-East of England the tune is actually widespread throughout the whole island of Great Britain, and he suggests the 'modern' prevalence of the 'Keel Row' words is largely due to mid-20th century commercial recordings and early media broadcasts. Outside of Northumberland alternate dities were sung, such as (from southern England, courtesy of Mr. Bartram):
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The cat caught the measles, the measles, the measles,
The cat caught the measles, the measles caught the cat.
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In addition to morris and English country dancing the tune is often associated with the broomstick dance in southern England, a dance which is still occasionally performed in pubs at Yuletide. The Scots usually play the tune as a schottische, while in Ireland it is found as a barn dance.
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Sources for notated versions: Hirman Horner (fifer from Westmoreland and Fayette Counties, Pa., 1960) and Frank King (fifer from Westmoreland County, Pa., 1960) [Bayard]; "old highland fling, learned from my mother" [Mulvihill]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 321A-B, pgs. 280-1. Chappell (Popular Music of the Olden Time), Vol. 2, 1859; pg. 185. Cole (1001 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 23. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 67 (appears as "Twin Sisters"). Gow (Vocal Melodies of Scotland), 2nd ed., 1822; pg. 20. Hall & Stafford (Charlton Memorial Tune Book), 1974; pgs. 24-25. Jarman (Old Time Fiddlin' Tunes) 1951; No. or pg. 33. Kennedy (Fiddlers Tune Book), Vol. 1, 1951; No. 42, pg. 21. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 1; No. 3, pg. 19 and Vol. 3, No. 94, pg. 12. Kidson (Old English Country Dances), 1890; pg. 19. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 13, pg. 121. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 174. Roche Collection, 1983, Vol. 1; No. 198, pg. 75. Saar, 1932; No. 19. Smith (Scottish Minstrel), 1820-24; Vol. 5, pg. 74. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 11. Stokoe & Bruce (Nortumbrian Minstrelsy), 1882; pgs. 138-139. Surenne, 1852; pg. 144. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1964/1981; pg. 58. Trim (Thomas Hardy), 1990; No. 60 (Schottishe). Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, Vol. 1), 1999; pg. 12. White's Excelsior Collection, 1907; pg. 27. White's Unique Collection, 1896; No. 53.
X:1
T:Keel Row
L:1/8
M:C|
S:Reel
B:The Athole Collection
K:A
e/d/|cA A/A/A d2 Bd|c2 A>c BGEe|cA A/A/A d2 B>d|cABG A2A:|
|:ceea f2 (ed|cAAc BGEe|1 ceea f2 (e>d|cABG A2a:|2 ce e(f/g/ aefd|
cABG A2A||
X:2
T:Keel Row, The
L:1/8
M:2/4
S:Bruce & Stokoe - Northumbrian Minstrelsy
K:G
c|B2 G>B|c2 A>c|B2 G>B|(AF) Dc|B2 G>B|c2 A>c|B>G A>F|G3||
z|(B>d d>g|e2 d>c|B2 G>B|(AF) D2|(B>d) d>g|e2 d>c|(B>G) A>F|G3||
c|B2 G>B|c2 A>c|B2 G>B|(AF) D2|B2 G>B|c2 A>c|(B>G) A>F|G3||
LADY HARDWICKS REEL. English, Reel. D Major. Standard. AABB. Some settings of "The Keel Row" resemble it slightly, according to Huntington (1977). Huntington (William Litten's), 1977; pg. 16.
LAKE ST. JEAN GALLOPE. AKA and see "The Keel Row." French-Canadian, Reel. F Major. Standard. AABB. Carlin (Master Collection), 1984; No. 106, pg. 65.
MERRILY MAY THE KEEL ROW. AKA and see "The Keel Row."
MICHAEL'S REEL. AKA and see "Keel Row."
SHAMBOE/SHAMBOY BREEKS/BREECHES. AKA and see "Bernard's Well" or "St. Bernard's Well." Scottish. John Glen (1891) finds the earliest appearance of the tune in Neil Stewart's 1761 collection (pg. 35). Kidson (1890) names this as one of the "Keel Row" family of tunes.
SMILING POLLY. AKA and see "The Twin Sisters," "The Keel Row." English, Country Dance and Air (2/4 time). F Major (Chappell): D Major (Kidson). Standard. AB (Chappell): AABB (Kidson). Ralph Rinzler traces the Old-Time tune "Bile Them Cabbage Down" to this tune (though I think Kidson's "The Wedding Ring" just as easily could be another of probably many similar source tunes), which appeared in print in 1765 in Thompson's 200 Country Dances and/or Thompson's Dances for 1763. Kidson (1890) points out the similarity of this tune with "Yorkshire Lad," "The Dumb Glutton" and the more famous "Keel Row." Chappell (Popular Music of the Olden Time), Vol. 2, 1859; pg. 185. Kidson (Old English Country Dances), 1890; pg. 18.
TWIN SISTERS [4]. AKA and see "The Keel Row," "Smiling Polly." English, Country Dance Tune (2/2 time). G Major. Standard. AB. Published before 1730. Karpeles & Schofield (A Selection of 100 English Folk Dance Airs), 1951; pg. 9. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 23.
WEEL MAY THE KEEL ROW (THAT MY LAD'S IN). AKA and see "The Keel Row." Scottish, English; Reel and Air. England, Northumberland. D Major. Standard. AB. The tune appears in James Johnson's McLean Collection, printed in Edinburgh in 1772. 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. Cole (1001 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 46.
WELL MAY THE KEEL ROW. See "Keel Row," "Weel May the Keel Row,"
YORKSHIRE LAD, THE. English, Country Dance Tune (4/4 time). A Major. Standard. AABB. The piece is found in Johnson's Country Dances (1748). Kidson finds in this tune the "earliest germ" of the more famous "Keel Row" or "Well May the Keel Row" (see note for "Well May the Keel Row") and the 'A' part indeed is quite similar. "Smiling Polly" and "The Dumb Glutton" also show strong resemblances to this tune family. Kidson (Old English Country Dances), 1890; pg. 18.