Tune Req: That Tumble-Down Shack in Athlone

Subject: Tumble/d down shack in Athlone
From: MartinRyan
Date: 29 Apr 00 - 11:46 AM

Can anyone turn up sheet music for this song on the Web? I've tried some of the sites, but am not familiar enough with them to be confident I haven't missed something. Thanks

Regards

p.s. When I put (d) in the thread title rather than /d - I kept getting an error message! Wonder why?

Subject: RE: Tumble/d down shack in Athlone
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 29 Apr 00 - 05:28 PM

I'm assuming it is a jig/ reel... tune rather than a song. I have just tried John Chambers, Richard Robinsons and the index on Chris Walshaws site with no joy.

Max or Joe Offer will know more about your other question than me but there are certain characters that the create thread form does not like and "()" maybe amongst them. My GUESS is that a query is run to check for related threads and these characters have special meanings to that search.

Jon

Subject: RE: Tumble/d down shack in Athlone
From: MartinRyan
Date: 29 Apr 00 - 07:31 PM

Thanks Jon - I suspect you're right about the brackets!

No - its a song alright. Irish-American, I imagine - great barbershop favourite, in fact. A friend of mine is looking for info on it for a book he's compiling.

Regards

Subject: RE: Tumble/d down shack in Athlone
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 29 Apr 00 - 09:12 PM

It's in The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, THAT TUMBLE-DOWN SHACK IN ATHLONE.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Tumble/d down shack in Athlone
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Apr 00 - 04:33 AM

Thanks Malcolm!

Regards

Subject: RE: Tumble/d down shack in Athlone
From: John Moulden
Date: 30 Apr 00 - 06:15 AM

Martin,

I too have been looking for information - for Declan Coyne - and I suppose he is your inquirer too. I've not been very well since he asked me but I have information on this one including its author and its composer and date of first publication. On the others, I can find nothing though I have yet to ask Tom Munnelly about notations in the NUID Department of Irish Folklore.

Subject: RE: Tumble/d down shack in Athlone
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Apr 00 - 12:23 PM

John

I had turned up the composer/lyricist already - though the "Monte Carlo" was a bit confusing! Malcolm's link to the sheet confirms this. It also states "Copyright 1918" and "Copyright transferred 1918". What have you got on the first date of publication?

Regards

p.s. Hope you're feeling better now!

Subject: RE: Tumble/d down shack in Athlone
From: John Moulden
Date: 30 Apr 00 - 02:46 PM

The earliest publication I have is 1918 when it published in a "war edition" Lyrics R Pascoe: Music: Monte Carlo, Alma Sanders.

At about the same time it was performed on an Edison Cylinder Recording #3876 by W Oakland and Chorus. This later appeared on Edison Diamond Discs in 1919/1920.

Also His Master's Voice 216060A in 1919 by Willie Eckstein's Strand Trio

John McCormack did five takes on it in late 1919 (5 November - [matrix number0 B23456 - 1 -2 -3) (10 December - B23456 - 4 - 5) the last of which was pressed by both Victor and HMV - hence he may not have been the first to record it, though the dates here are exact; the others are not. Still there is no doubt its place in memory is due to McCormack.

Subject: RE: Tumble/d down shack in Athlone
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 30 Apr 00 - 04:54 PM

I neglected to mention that there is another copy at Lester Levy; same publishers and apparantly the same date, (no images of the notation given) with a different, pictorial front cover which says "Successfully Introduced by Chauncey Olcott in Geo. M. Cohan's New Comedy "The Voice Of McConnell".  It has been signed in two places; one dated -I think- Nov 12 1919.  The image is  here.

Malcolm

Subject: Lyr Add: THAT TUMBLE-DOWN SHACK IN ATHLONE
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 04 Oct 10 - 08:09 PM

From the sheet music at The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music:


THAT TUMBLE-DOWN SHACK IN ATHLONE
Words, Richard W. Pascoe. Music, Monte Carlo & Alma M. Sanders.
New York: Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co., 1918.
"Successfully introduced by John McCormack"

1. I'm a long way from home, and my thoughts ever roam,
To ould Erin far over the sea;
For my heart it is there, where the skies are so fair,
And ould Ireland is calling for me.

CHORUS: Oh! I want to go back to that tumble down shack,
Where the wild roses bloom 'round the door;
Just to pillow my head, in that ould trundle bed,
Just to see my ould mother once more.
There's a bright gleaming light, guiding me home tonight,
Down the long road of white cobble stone;
Down the road that leads back to that tumble down shack,
To that tumble down shack in Athlone.

2. There are eyes that are sad, as they watch for a lad,
In the old fashioned town of Athlone;
And I pray for the day, when I'm sailing away,
To ould Ireland and mother, my own.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: That Tumble-Down Shack in Athlone
From: MartinRyan
Date: 23 May 12 - 10:03 AM

The song is used in the opening of an interesting old travelogue now available on Youtube:

Glimpses of Erin

Regards