Help: Curiosity about tunes

Subject: Curiosity about tunes
From: GUEST,fenian
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 05:32 AM

I'm looking for some info and curiosity about these tunes: Cooley's reel, High reel, Tobin's favourite jig, Cliffs of Moher jig, The butterfly slip jig, Kid on the mountain slip jig, Monaghan & Kilfenora jigs. Someone could help me? I really thank you.

Fa'

Subject: RE: Help: Curiosity about tunes
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 10:16 AM

Andrew Kuntz's  The Fiddler's Companion  is the best online resource for background information about dance tunes.

Subject: RE: Help: Curiosity about tunes
From: GUEST,sheila
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 11:59 AM

Does anyone have any information on the tune "Hi Oro 'S Na Horo Eile?" Thank you.

Subject: RE: Help: Curiosity about tunes
From: radriano
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 12:09 PM

Dear fenian:

Cooley's Reel, also known as Luttrell's Pass, was composed by Joe Mills of Galway (1938).

The High Reel is also called Sandy Duffy or Duffy the Dancer and is considered Scottish in origin.

The Butterfly slip jig was composed by Tommy Potts.

There are a lot of Kilfenora jigs. Any one in particular?

The Monaghan Jig is a lovely four (or is it five?) part tune.

Subject: RE: Help: Curiosity about tunes
From: MMario
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 12:18 PM

sheila - that tune has been discussed in several threads. try typing the phrase into the search box for the forum.

Subject: RE: Help: Curiosity about tunes
From: GUEST,Sheila
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 12:42 PM

MMario, thank you. I did go to the forum which says the tune was composed in 1880. It has been suggested to me (should this be in another thread?) that Hi Oro was the tune used by Burn's for "Ae Fond Kiss," but Burns died in 1796. So what do you suggest for my tracking down the tune to this verse? Thanks.

Subject: RE: Help: Curiosity about tunes
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 02:16 PM

That thread was  Haunted by a song.  As I said there, Burns' song (1791) was originally set to Rory Dall's Port.  This melody was attributed to Ruaidhrí (Rory) Dall Ó Catháin, an Irish harper resident in Scotland from around 1603, though some authorities consider that it was in fact composed by James Oswald; at any rate, Oswald gave the tune its title when he published it around 1756.  To confuse matters, there are three tunes of this name, which may or may not be related.

When John MacLean of Tiree wrote Hi Oro 'S Na Horo Eile, he set it to an existing tune, which is attributed to Roderick (Rory) Dall Morison, a completely different blind harper, who was a Scot and lived from 1656 to c.1714; he was harper to MacLeod of Dunvegan.  The attribution may or may not be accurate; offhand I can't find a reference to it in William Matheson's book about Morison (The Blind Harper, 1970), but then, the book lacks a proper index.

Both tunes easily pre-date Burns' song, of course, but so far as I know it was Keith Norman MacDonald (in The Gesto Collection of Highland Music, 1895) who set Burns' text to Morison's (unnamed) melody, to which it is now commonly sung.  Perhaps he confused tunes, or harpers; or perhaps the connection had already been made by somebody else; there is a certain similarity between the tunes, though I don't know if they are actually related.  At all events, there need be no confusion in your mind over dates.  I gave links to examples of both tunes in your original thread on the subject.

Subject: RE: Help: Curiosity about tunes
From: GUEST,Sheila
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 02:58 PM

Malcolm, it sounds almost impossibly complicated to me!! I'm everlastingly grateful to you for your knowledge and expertise. I was unable to get through to The Gesto Collection, but at least I'm no longer "haunted." Thank you. Sheila