Old Time Tune Lists

[Ptarmigan]

Here is a list of Old Time tunes, taken from the NEMOFOTMAD Chord Book

I wonder how this list compares with the list of tunes you play at your own Old Time Sessions?:

BEGINNER'S TUNES

Flop-Eared Mule (A)(C)(D)
Girl I Left Behind Me (C)(G)
Golden Slippers (D)
Ida Red (D)
Liberty (C)( D)
Over the Waterfall (D)
Peek-a-Boo Waltz (D)
Road to Lisdoonvarne (Em)
Red Wing (G)
St. Anne's Reel (D)
Soldier's Joy (D)
Year of Jubilo (D)(G)

BREAKDOWNS and REELS

Angeline the Baker (D)
Arkansas Traveler (D) (G)
Back Up and Push (C)
Banish Misfortune (D)
Barlow Knife (D)(G)
Bill Cheatham (A)(G)
Billy in the Lowground (C)
Blackberry Blossom (G) AKA - Black Hairy Possum (G)
Boil 'em Cabbage (G)
Cherokee Shuffle (A)(D)(G)
Chinese Breakdown (C)
Cindy (A)(E)
Cluck Old Hen (A)
Cooley's Reel (Em)
Cripple Creek (A)
Darlin' Nellie Grey (D)(G)
Devil's Dream (A)
Drowsy Maggie (Em)
Dubuque (D)
Ducks on the Mill Pond (D)
Dusty Miller (D)
Ebenezer (G)
Eighth of January (D)
Flop-Eared Mule (A)(C)(D)
Flowers of Edinburgh (G)
Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss (D)
Flying Cloud Cotillion (G)
Forked Deer (C)(D)
Give the Fiddler a Dram (G)
Golden Slippers (D)
Gravel Walk (A)
Green Willis (D)
Grey Eagle (A)
Growling Old Man and Cackling Old Woman (A)
Hell Among the Yearlings (C)(D)
Hobart's Transformation (Am)
Ida Red(D)
I'm Too Young to Marry (D)
John Stenson's #2 (A)
June Apple (A)
Liberty (C)(D)
Liza Jane (A)
Love Won't You Marry Me? (C)(G)
Maid Behind the Bar (D)
Mason's Apron (A)(G)
Merry Blacksmith (D)
Mississippi Sawyer (D)
Miss McLeod's Reel (G)
Money Musk (A)
Morpeth Rant (D)
Nail That Catfish to a Tree (G) © 1973 Steve Rosen used with permission.
Nelly Bly (A)(C)
Old French (D)
Old Joe Clark (A)
Overthe Waterfall (D)
Paddy on the Railroad (D)
Paddy on the Turnpike (G)(Gm)
Petronella (D)
Quince Dillon’s High D (D)
Ragtime Annie (C)(D)
Red-Haired Boy (A)
Red Wing (C)(G)
Reel du Montreal (D)
Ross’s Reel (F)
Sail Away Ladies (C)(G)
Sailor’s Hornpipe (D)(G)
St Anne’s Reel (D)
St. Paddy’s Day in the Morning (G)
Salamanca Reel (D)
Sally Gardens (G)
Sally Goodin’ (A)
Salt Creek (A)
Sandy River Belle (D)(G)
Seneca Squaredance (D)(G)
Shady Grove (Am)
Ships Are Sailing (Em)
Soldier’s Joy (D)
Squirrel Heads and Gravy (G)
Stoney Point (G)
Swingin’ on the Gate (G)
Tam Lin (Glasgow Reel) (Am)(Dm)
Teetotalers Reel(G)
Temperance Reel (G)
Too Young to Marry (D)
Turkey in the Straw (C)(G)
West Fork Gals (D)
Whiskey Before Breakfast (D)
Wind That Shakes the Barley (D)
Woodchopper's Reel (D)
Year of Jubilo (D)(G)
Yellow Rose of Texas (D)

HORNPIPES

Blackberry Blossom (G)
Boys of Blue Hill (D)(Em)
Cuckoo's Nest (D
Durang's Hornpipe (D)
Fisher's Hornpipe (D)
Flowers of Edinburgh (G)
Harvest Home (D)
Huckleberry Hornpipe (G)
Off to California (G)
Old French (D)
Petronella (D)
Red-Haired Boy (A)
Rights of Man Hornpipe (Em)
Sailor’s Hornpipe (D)(G)
Ships Are Sailing (Em)
Soldier’s Joy (D)
Staten Island Hornpipe (D)

JIGS

Apples in Winter (Em)
Bannish Misfortune (D)
Behind the Haystack (D)
Biddy of Sligo (D)
Blarney Pilgrim (D)
Cherish the Ladies (D)
Coleraine (Am)
Connaught Man's Rambles (D)
Fair Jenny (D)
Father O'Flynn (D)
Fox Hunters' Jig (D)
Gary Owen (C) (G)
Haste to the Wedding (D)
Irish Washerwoman (D)
Kesh Jig (G)
Larry O'Gaff (G)
Leitrim Fancy (Em)
Love Won't You Marry Me? (C)(G)
Maggie Brown's Favorite (G)
Morrisson's Jig (Em)
Off She Goes (D)
Over the Moor to Maggie (G)
Pipe on the Hob (Am)
Road to Lisdoonvarne (Em)
Rocky Road to Dublin (Em)
St. Paddy’s Day in the Morning (G)
Smash the Windows (D)
Sunday is My Wedding Day (Em)
Swallowtail Jig (Em)
Ten Penny Bit (Am)
Top of Cork Road (D)

MARCHES

After the Battle of Aughrim (Em)
Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine (D)
Girl I Left Behind Me (C)(G)
Lord Mayo (Am)
Morgan Magan (G)
the Return From Fingal (Em)
Rose Tree (D)
Scotland the Brave (G)
Under the Double Eagle (C)
White thingyade (G)
Yankee Doodle (D)

MISCELLANEOUS TUNES

Anniversary Song (E7) dance tune
Bonaparte's Retreat (D) set dance
Colored Aristocracy (G) cakewalk tune
Crested Hens (Em) 3X Bouree
Fiddler's Green (G) air, or song tune
I Don't Love Nobody (C) air, or song tune
King of the Fairies (Em) set dance
Morgan Magan (G) air, or song tune
Merrily Kiss The Quaker (G) slide
the Parting Glass (D) air, or song tune
Rakes of Mallow (G) air, or song tune
Sally Gardens (G) air, or song tune
Whiskey in the Jar (C)(D)(G) air, or song tune
Wild Mountain Thyme (C)(D) air, or song tune
Wild Rose of the Mountain (A) air, or song tune
Wildwood Flower (C)(D)(G) air, or song tune

POLKAS

Ballydesmond Polkas (Am)
Jenny Lind Polka (G)
John Ryan's Polka (D)
Scarteglen Polka (D)
Sweeney’s Polka (G)

RAGS

Beaumont Rag (C)(F)(G)
Black Mountain Rag (A)
Dill Pickle Rag (G)
Levi Jackson Rag (G)
Peathingy Rag (D)
Pig Ankle Rag (D)
Stone’s Rag (Lone Star Rag) (C)
Yellow Rose of Texas (D)

WALTZES

Amazing Grace (D)
Ashokan Farewell (D) (G)
Carolan's Concerto (D)
Fanny Power (G)
Green Valley Waltz (
I'll Be All Smiles Tonight
Midnight on The Water (D)
O’Carolan’s Concerto (D)
Peek-a-Boo Waltz (D)
Planxty Irwin (D)(G)
Rose of Sharon (G)
Rosin the Bow (D)
Si Bheag, Si Mohr (D)
Southwind (G)
Star of the County Down (D)
Waltzing Mathilda (D)
Westphalia Waltz (G)

All tunes are in the public domain except where noted.

[dulcimike]

It would be interesting to know when some of these tunes made it into the American Old-Time repertoire. For instance, here's a list of tunes I'd be interested in knowing when they came into the repertoire because some of them I have not been able to find anyone here in the States (in the NC, specifically) that says some of these are part of the Old-Time repertoire:

Boys of Blue Hill (D)(Em) (I think it's called Beaux of Oakhill in Old-Time here)
Flowers of Edinburgh (G)
Harvest Home (D)
Petronella (D)
Red-Haired Boy (A)
Rights of Man Hornpipe (Em)
Carolan's Concerto (D)
Fanny Power (G)
O’Carolan’s Concerto (D)
Planxty Irwin (D)(G)
Rose of Sharon (G)
Rosin the Bow (D)
Si Bheag, Si Mohr (D)
Southwind (G)
Star of the County Down (D)


The thing is, these are originally Irish or Scottish tunes, not that they couldn't become part of the American Old-Time repertoire. I'd just like some specific information as to when and where they became part of it.

I also have not found any jigs in American Old-Time music. But in this list there are quite a few. Is it possible this list isn't only American Old-Time tunes?

Well, I just answered my own question - going to the website linked above, it says tuens from teh Celtic and Old-Time traditions, so all these tunes in the original list above are not all Old-Time tunes, and many of them wouldn't be played in Old-Time session in the US.

Some have made their way over, though. As I noted "Boys of Bluehill" is called "The Beaux of Oakhill" over here.

Interesting there is one I haven't seen in the list, unless I missed it - "Campbell's Farewell to Redcastle" which is called "Campbell's Farewell to Red Gap" over here. We don't normally have red castles, but we do have red gaps. It's too bad it isn't in the list since, being a descendant of the Lamonts and having a friend who is a McDonald, I'm always glad to see the Campbells go somewhere else.

[Ptarmigan]

Well Rick, of course someone over there will need to answer your questions.

However, there is one thing that does interest me about those Irish Tunes being on the list & perhaps you can answer this question. When Old Time musicians over there play these tunes, do they sound more or less the same as they sound over here, or are they very, very different, with a real Old Time character & flavour to them?

If so, then to my mind they could well be part of the Old Time repertoire now, but if not, then quite honestly, surely all they are, are just Irish tunes being played by Old Time musicians, nothing more.

Of course there's absolutely nothing wrong with Old Time musicians playing Irish tunes & who knows, if they are played by them for long enough they may well, eventually develop a unique Old Time flavour of their own, making them different from the original tunes we know over here.

As you know I have lots of similar questions about the so-called Ulster Scots repertoire, folks are talking about over here & I know, for my part, most of what I hear is just Scottish music, plain & simple, being played by Ulster musicians, which to me doesn't constitute another tradition.

So, do these Old Time Irish tunes sound Irish or Old Time, that is the question?

Cheers
Dick

[dulcimike]

admin said:

Well Rick, of course someone over there will need to answer your questions.

Well, as I said earlier, this is a combined list of Celtic and American Old-Time tunes they have in their tune chord book.

admin said:

However, there is one thing that does interest me about those Irish Tunes being on the list & perhaps you can answer this question. When Old Time musicians over there play these tunes, do they sound more or less the same as they sound over here, or are they very, very different, with a real Old Time character & flavour to them?

If so, then to my mind they could well be part of the Old Time repertoire now, but if not, then quite honestly, surely all they are, are just Irish tunes being played by Old Time musicians, nothing more.

Of course there's absolutely nothing wrong with Old Time musicians playing Irish tunes & who knows, if they are played by them for long enough they may well, eventually develop a unique Old Time flavour of their own, making them different from the original tunes we know over here.

As you know I have lots of similar questions about the so-called Ulster Scots repertoire, folks are talking about over here & I know, for my part, most of what I hear is just Scottish music, plain & simple, being played by Ulster musicians, which to me doesn't constitute another tradition.

So, do these Old Time Irish tunes sound Irish or Old Time, that is the question?

Cheers
Dick

When they are truly in the Old-Time tradition, they are played in that style, not as an Irish tune. For instance, First of May, an Irish tune, is played by James Bryan (see Rounder Records page on this CD), but it's played in a definitely Old-Time style, not an Irish style.

And "Campbell's Farewell" is played faster than a March (which is what it is as a Scottish tune), and a third part is added.

Another example is Uncle Joe, also known as "Hop High (Light) Ladies" or "Mrs. McLeod of Raasay's Reel". The A and B parts are switched, and i would think that when it's played here, it's played with an Old-Time style rather than a Scottish style. (I think I've paired the right two tunes here.)

Now, when I heard Jim Taylor's Civil War Collection CD, he has Garry Owen in there because it was an Irish tune that was popular in the Civil War era here. Though I don't find any other jigs in Old-Time. Most of what he plays I would consider Old-Time, but not this one. In fact, I believe he even has Patrick Sky play the uilleann pipes on it.

I definitely understand what you mean about an Old-Time player just playing an Irish tune, and it not being Old-Time. In fact, I'm an Old-Time player, but I also play Irish, Scottish and a bit of English, but don't consider these tunes to be in the Old-Time repertoire just because I do play Old-Time as well. And, of course, you'd need to know how wide-spread the playing of a tune is in Old-Time circles here to know if a tune was part of "the repertoire" or not.

Another example closer to home for you - John Rea played both Irish and Scottish tunes, and even his Irish tunes were influenced by Scottish music to some extent. But I wouldn't call his another tradition, necessarily, because he was influenced by both Irish and Scottish. It might be better described as a style rather than a tradition. He played Irish and some Scottish music, and his style was informed by both, as is the style of Co. Fermanagh, and probably Donegal, though I'm no expert on Donegal musical style(s). Can't exactly say I'm an expert on these others - I can just tell you what I think I know.