Lyr/Tune Add: Mary of Argyle

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: MARY OF ARGYLE
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 14 May 99 - 12:48 AM

The lyrics and tune for this are courtesy of Barry Taylor's excellent but soon to be defunct web site. I first came across the sheet music for this song at the UNC Chapel Hill music library, started work on it - and had temporarily forgotten about until I visited Lesley's link to her new home for the Barry Taylor tunes. When I find it again I will post the details. From what I can remember it was written by an American lady last century, published as sheet music in the US, and had an annotation such as "in the Scotch style". I had examined only a small portion of the UNC collection - Mary of Argyle was the only song that jumped out at me at that time.

Regards
John

Mary of Argyle

I have heard the mavis singing
His love song to the morn
I have seen the dew drop clinging
To the rose just newly born
But a sweeter song has cheered me
At the evening's gentle close
And I've seen an eye still brighter
Than the dew drop on the rose
'Twas thy voice my gentle Mary
And thine artless, winning smile
That made this world an Eden
Bonnie Mary of Argyle.

Tho' thy voice may lose its sweetness
And thine eye its brightness too
Tho' thy step may lack its fleetness
And thy hair its sunny hue
Still to me wilt thou be dearer
Than all the world shall own
I have loved thee for thy beauty
But not for that alone
I have sought thy heart, dear Mary
And its goodness was the wile
That has made thee mine forever
Bonnie Mary of Argyle.

Repeat first verse

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Click to play

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ABC format:

X:1
T:Mary of Argyle
M:2/4
Q:1/4=52
K:C
A7^A|c3AG2F2|DF5A2|G2d2c3^A|A4A3^A|c3AG2F2|
D2F4FG|A2F2A3G|F4A3A|A2d2^c2d2|e2A2A3A|A3^AA2G2|
F4A3A|G2G2A2B2|c2G2G3G|G2c2e3d|c2^A2A3^A|
c3AG2F2|DF5AA|G2d2c3^A|A4A3^A|c3AG2F2|^AA^Acd2fd|
cA3Gc2E|F4||

Subject: Bonnie Mary of Argylle?
From: Jeremiah McCaw
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 05:50 PM

Okay. So I successfully did my niece's wedding (with able help from Andrew Kerth) and we sang some more songs for the folks the next day. But now my Uncle Mike (who is "Himself", and the head of the clan) who liked what I did with "Red is the Rose" and (blush) "Danny Boy", tells me I have to learn "Men of Harlech", "The Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls" and "Bonnie Mary of Argylle". It's the last of these that has me stumped. Can't find anything in the DigiTrad, or on any web search I've done. Anybody? Pretty please?

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: Clinton Hammond2
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 06:02 PM

Ya sure he didn't mean "The Queen Of Argyle"? The Andy M. Stewart song?

[~`

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 06:13 PM

I don't think so, it is definately Bonny Mary. Been recorded by Phil Coulter as a medley with Lak a Rose. Available to purchase Here. . It's also on his "Scottish Tranquility" album.

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: Clinton Hammond2
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 06:33 PM

Goes to show what I know eh!

LOL!!!!

{~`

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 06:53 PM

Well, dinna fash yersel, Clint. I wondered that too, until I did a search for it. Still not dots/midis.

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: mg
Date: 12 Jul 00 - 10:20 PM

here you go of what i remember of mary of argyle...I sing it but never have heard anyone else do it..I got it out of a book years ago.. and I mix up a cuople of lines..

I have heard the mavis singing its love song to the morn
I have seen the dew drop clinging to a rose just newly born
But a sweeter song has cheered me at even's gentle close
I have viewed a scene much fairer than the dewdrop on the rose
------and thine artless winning smile
That made this world an Eden Bonny Mary of Argyle..

Though thy voice should lose its sweetness thine eye its brightness too
Though thy step could lose its fleetness and thine hair its sunny hue
To me thou still art dearer than all the world shall own
I have loved thee for thy beauty but not for that alone
I have watched thy heart dear Mary and thy goodness was the wile
That made thee mine forever bonny Mary of Argyle

Men of Harlech...should be somewhere...

Men of Harlech to the Battle...great tune..

Harp ...

The harp that once through Tara's halls the soul of music shed
Now hangs as mute on Tara's halls as if that soul were dead..

.....of bygone days...

...as when the soul indignant breaks to prove that still she lives...

...if you need the tune you can call me...just send me an email and I'll send you my #.

mg

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: Barry T
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 12:39 AM

Is it Mary of Argyle? I have midi with lyrics here.

Men of Harlech is over here... but it's also worth checking ye olde threads here at Mudcat for variations of the lyrics (such as the version that was sung in the movie Zulu).

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: Big Mick
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 01:08 AM

Thanks, Barry. I just came in to type the lyrics. I do this song. You have, indeed, posted the appropriate lyrics. But I do believe the title is Bonnie Mary of Argyle.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: Jeremiah McCaw
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 01:58 AM

Bless you all, you lovely people. I thank you, my Uncle Mike thanks you (well, he will).

One other thing: those midi & lyric links just start to play when I go to them. How do I save the midi part of it?

And thanks again. The best part about the net is not the information that's on it; it's the people that have the data and share it so willingly.

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: Scabby Douglas
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 03:14 AM

As far as I can remember, Burns wrote the song in tribute to Mary Campbell who was one of his lady friends. She was from Dunoon, in Argyll, or thereabouts.

There is s statue at Castle Hill in Dunoon commemorating her and the song.

Cheers

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: Scabby Douglas
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 03:31 AM

Link to info on Mary Campbell

...Extracts from the info on that site...

Campbell, 'Highland' Mary (1763 — 86) Burns's 'Highland' Mary was born to Archibald Campbell of Daling, a seaman, and Agnes Campbell of Auchamore, by Dunoon, who had married in 1762. She was the eldest of a family of four. She lived with her parents, first, near Dunoon, then at Campbeltown, and finally at Greenock. In her early 'teens, she went to Ayrshire and became a nursemaid in Gavin Hamilton's house in Mauchline.

Burns may have asked Mary to go with him to Jamaica;

Mary Campbell died, possibly from a fever contracted when nursing her brother Robert, possibly as a result of premature childbirth, she was buried in the old West Highland Churchyard at Greenock, in a lair owned by her host and relation Peter Macpherson.

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: Scabby Douglas
Date: 13 Jul 00 - 03:37 AM

Whoops! Scabby Doug gets it wron - not for the first time!

No trace of that somg as having been written by Burns.. It may have been written about her after the event by A N Other - I will search for it.

Let you know....

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: Barry T
Date: 14 Jul 00 - 12:42 AM

Jeremiah asked...

One other thing: those midi & lyric links just start to play when I go to them. How do I save the midi part of it?

Just back up a level to the Scottish tune menu. Find Mary of Argyle and right-click on the title (not the lyrics link). That will pop up a File Save dialog box.

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: GUEST,Robert Field
Date: 14 Jul 00 - 04:26 AM

I've just bought an excellent double CD of songs sung by Bob Hart, production by Musical Traditions, title "A Broadside". One of the 46 songs is "Bonny Mary of Argyll". Robert Field

Subject: RE: Bonny Mary of Argylle?
From: Jeremiah McCaw
Date: 14 Jul 00 - 05:44 PM

Thank you Barry T. And a thousand blessing on you and yours. (Jeez, ya get into that Irish mode and ya just can't get out of it, can ya?)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Add: Mary of Argyle
From: GUEST,archie blyth tranent burns club
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 10:26 AM

Please confirm that Mary Campbell is Mary of Argyle.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Add: Mary of Argyle
From: GUEST,Guest TF
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 03:25 PM

Mary Campbell is Burns' "Highland Mary".
"Bonnie Mary" is from a broadside written after Burns' death so unlikely to be the same woman.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Add: Mary of Argyle
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 10:20 AM

I like the tune, so I've downloaded the MIDI. I've changed the key, changed the time, changed the note lenghts, changed the metronome marking, and now I've got something that looks like a song, not a hornpipe.

We can see the original on the Lester Levy site. Here's the data:

1864
Words: C. Jefferys
Music: S. Nelson
Key:    G

Here's something new to me. It was registered in the Confederacy. For some reason it has never occurred to me that the rebels would have a copyright office.

"Registered by George Dunn (the printer and publisher) in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Confederate States of America for the Eastern District of Virginia."

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Add: Mary of Argyle
From: GUEST,crazy little woman
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 10:38 AM

Let's see. In the second verse, he sings about her losing her charms as the years pass. Why don't we ever see songs about men losing THEIR charms as the years pass?

Tho' thy belly may grow fatter
And thy pate show bald and clear
Tho' thy feet may be much flatter,
and thy voice grow hoarse from beer...
========
I think we need to clear things up about the spelling of a word. Apparently Argyle socks come from Argyll. (There is no Argylle.) Apparently Argyll has been joined with Bute to form a larger, more efficient governmental district.

There's also an argyll which is some kind of fancy, silver gravy boat, but that definition comes from Princeton, so I intend to ignore it. Who has time for Ivy Leaguers putting on airs?       :)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Add: Mary of Argyle
From: GUEST,Guest Guysboay
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 05:40 PM

The song "Mary of Argyle" (I have heard the mavis singing) was written by a team of songwriters in London in mid 19th century. Lyrics by Charles Jefferys, music by Sydney Nelson. They were also reponsible for "The Rose of Allandale".

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Add: Mary of Argyle
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 07:56 PM

Here you are, from the National Library of Scotland! So it seems the song was about Burns' Highland Mary, although not written by him.
http://digital.nls.uk/broadsides/broadside.cfm/id/20798
Various recordings of it, including John Cormack, but I particularly remember Kenneth McKellar doing it.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Add: Mary of Argyle
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Jan 14 - 11:11 AM

Hello, Guysboay. That makes sense about Charles Jefferys and Sydney Nelson. Perhaps George Dunn, the publisher in Virginia, was their agent.

I have the Rose of Allandale in my book of piano music. You've inspired me to play it again.