The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #3628   Message #18679
Posted By: Bruce O
04-Jan-98 - 01:05 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Sally in our Alley
Subject: RE: Sally in our Alley
"Sally in our Alley" (c 1714-15?) is given in Wm. Chappell's PMOT with Carey's tune and "The Country Lass". Chappell cites several other songs to the tune. His date of 1760 for switch to tune "The Country Lass" couldn't be confirmed by C. M. Simpson in 'The British Broadside Ballad and Its Music', 1966. Simpson cited a copy of 1818 with "The Country Lass" tune. [I wanted to mention this earlier, but had misplaced my second volume of PMOT, and couldn't trust my memory.]

"Moggy Lawther/Lowther [on a day]" is in 8 ballad operas commencing with 'The Quaker's Opera', 1728. According to J. Glen it is in an early edition (c 1725-7?) of Adam Craig's 'Scots Tunes'. In the 1730 edition it is "Maggie Lauder", pp 38-40. It appeared as a rather variant version, "Moggy Lauther" in 'A Choice Collection of Country Dances' published by the Neals in Dublin, c 1726. The song for it is "The Scotch Lass's Lamentation for the Loss of her Maiden Head" in Evan's 'Old Ballads', II, p. 258-60, 1723. "Maggy Lawder" appears to be a later song to the tune. I don't know any very precise date, for it. [Help, Murray S.]