Drops of Brandy

Subject: Drops of Brandy
From:
Date: 22 Jan 98 - 09:14 AM

In my obsessive reading of historical novels I came across a fragment of a song called "Drops of Brandy," which was described as an old song at the time of the novel, 1755. The fragment goes like this:

And Johnny shall have a new bonnet
And Johnny shall go to the fair,
And Johnny shall have a blue ribbon
To tie up his bonny brown hair.

Any info? Bruce O, maybe? Anyone?

Subject: RE: Drops of Brandy
From: Bert
Date: 22 Jan 98 - 09:21 AM

I seem to recall an English Folk Dance or dance tune of that name. Years ago though. Don't remember much about it.

Subject: RE: Drops of Brandy
From: Bruce O.
Date: 22 Jan 98 - 10:10 AM

There is a song to this tune that fits this title so well, in an Edinburgh ballad opera of 1738, that if I didn't know the tune was older I'd think I'd found the original song. I'll go dig it up and come back later.

Subject: RE: Drops of Brandy
From: Bruce O.
Date: 22 Jan 98 - 10:18 AM

The song fragment at the beginning is part of "Jockey/ Johnny to the Fair" which seems to have first appeared around 1785.

Subject: RE: Drops of Brandy
From: Bruce O.
Date: 22 Jan 98 - 11:15 AM

Tune "Drops of Brandy" is said to be also called "Dribbles of Brandy" but I have not found it under that title. Tune is member of "Mad Moll" family [see addenda below], and seemingly first appears in a David Young MS, 1734, at Drummond Castle. Tune is more common in MSS than printed collections.

Tune "Dribbles of Brandy" is called for as Air #30, in Adam Tomson's ballad opera 'The Dissapointed Gallant, or, Sandy Buckram in Armor', Edinburgh, 1738, and the following is the song there, Sandy in verse one being Sandy Buckram. The song is also found in NLS MS 6299, a Scots song manuscript of the 1740's. Drops of Brandy: Drummond Castle - David Young MS of 1734: Drops of Brandy [Mad Moll family]; Vicker's Northumberland MS MS 299 (c 1772) [Printed as 'The Great Northern Tune Book']: Drops of Brandy; BL MS Add'l 23971 57b: Drops of Brandy; Longman and Broderip's 5th selection of Country Dances, 23 (c 1792-5):

Tune-Dribbles of Brandy

When I'm carousing all the Day What care I what comes of Sandy E'en let his do whatsoever he may I'm for a posset of Brandy

I'le turn tipsy and scold him well May be be he'll call me a randy But if he likes he may hang himself I'm for a posset of brandy

When he gets drunk upon my time And my command not attend to 'Tis among Scoundrels not worth the while And this is all he pretends to

Does it become such a silly knave Either to kiss or command me since that I can make a knight my slave So that he cannot withstand me.

[Extract from another file] Tune families Family 1: [See R. D. Cannon's article, English Bagpipe Music, in Folk Music Journal, 1972. He suggests the Scots jig 'Up with Aley' may be the progenitor of the family. Many of the tunes he cites are much earlier than the copies he found Mad Moll, Virgin Queen, Yellow Stockings, A Drop/Drops of Brandy/Whiskey, Brose and Butter, Ride a Mile, Hey my Nanny/Nancy, The Faraway Wedding [c 1742], The Kitten (from song in Scots Musical Museum, where tune is considerably different from that on single sheet, c 1720-30], Jerry Houlihan, The cudgel, The dusty Miller [c 1726], Follow her over the Border, (one among many called) The Honeymoon, Cumilium/Cumilum, Is Cuma Liom = I don't care, Fairest put on awhile (from T. Moore's song to Cumilum). [Others deleted]

'Scots Musical Museum', V #494 (1797)

O! dear what can the matter be Dear! dear! what can the matter be O! dear what can the matter be Johnny's sae lang at the fair. He promised to buy me a pair of leve buttons A pair of new garters that cost him but two pence He promised he'd bring me a bunch of blue ribbon To tye up my bonny brown hair.

[Another verse]

This is rather variant from the verse posted, and the tune in SMM is not "Drops of Brandy". Is this really the same song? The relationship is obviously very close.

An earlier copy of the song is in the Scots manusript known under two titles, the Mansfield/ Elizabeth St. Clair MS, c 1775-88. The tune in SMM doesn't seem to be "Drops of Brandy".

Murray S. may be able to shed more light on this.

Subject: RE: Drops of Brandy
From: Bruce O.
Date: 22 Jan 98 - 12:10 PM

Well I screwed that up pretty good. After '1740's' end pargraph and insert 'Copies of the tune are:'
After 'Cumilium).' change to 'Other tune families deleted.'

Subject: RE: Drops of Brandy
From: Elektra
Date: 22 Jan 98 - 12:30 PM

I have an instrumental called "Drops o' Brandy" on one of my cd's... (_Good Companions_, by The Guerilla Gypsy Band with Jim Hancock)it then segues into "The Little Beggarman", interestingly. It is listed on the liner notes as a slip jig. If that helps any.

Subject: RE: Drops of Brandy
From: Bruce O.
Date: 22 Jan 98 - 12:53 PM

Slip jig or hop jig is correct. Experts seems to distinguish between the two terms, but I can't. To speed it up a little increase the number after the Q:

X:1 T:Drops of Brandy L:1/8 Q:56 M:9/8 K:D mixolydian G3/2A/2B B3/2A/2B B3/2A/2B|G3/2A/2B dBG d2g|G3/2A/2B B3/2A/2B B3/2A/2B|B3/2A/2B g3/2d/2B c2d::B3/2A/2B g3/2d/2B g3/2d/2B|G3/2A/2B dBG d2g|G3/2A/2B g3/2d/2B g3/2B/2e|f3/2g/2a c3/2A/2F c2d:|]

Subject: RE: Drops of Brandy
From: Bruce O.
Date: 22 Jan 98 - 04:14 PM

Drops of Brandy

The casting off of the ship the Culloden in 1804 is quoted from 'Landsman Hay - Memoirs of Robert Hay', 1753, in Stan Hugill's 'Shanties from the Seven Seas', p. 7, 1961.

Here from the 'Sam Spritsail' series (by Robert Hay according series to MS additions in my copy) in 'The Paisley Magazine', p. 414, 1828, is an extended copy of the same quotation:

"Ship the capstain bars there carpenter, bring too forward, jump down there, tie men and coil away the cable. Are you ready there forward? All ready Sir. Heave away. What kind of a drawling tune is that for you Fifer? Strike up, "Off she goes," or "drops of brandy. Aye, that the tune. Keep step there all of ye, and stamp and go. Keep step there, all of ye, and stamp and go. Light round the messenger there, aft, hand forward the nipers, you boys. The anchor is a-peak, Sir. Very well. Thick and dry for weighing there below. All ready with the topsails, Sir. Let fall, sheet home, hoist away, brace sharp there up forward."

Subject: RE: Drops of Brandy
From: Bruce O.
Date: 22 Jan 98 - 11:46 PM

Agah! Drop 'series' in 2nd paragraph and add " after brandy in 3rd.

Subject: RE: Drops of Brandy
From: John Nolan
Date: 23 Jan 98 - 05:13 PM

In my younger days (early '60s), in Berwickshire, this was a popular dance tune at the harvest kirns in wee villages like Leitholm and Swinton. Bands such as the Cheviot Ranters and Watty Frater & his Hawaiian Serenaders would crank it out - I think we whirled around drunkenly doing a six-some reel to it.

Subject: RE: Drops of Brandy
From:
Date: 09 Mar 98 - 09:54 PM

Top top