X:1
T:Cup of Tea, The
M:C
L:1/8
R:Reel
B:Stephen Grier music manuscript collection (Book 2, c. 1883, No. 181)
B: http://grier.itma.ie/book-two#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=37&z=283.4736%2C301.2192%2C2139.6415%2C925.9929
N:Stephen Grier (c. 1824-1894) was a piper and fiddler from
N:Newpark, Bohey, Gortletteragh, south Co. Leitrim.
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:Emin
BAGF GEEF|GEBE GEEc|BAGF GABc|dABG FD D2:|
F|E2 eg fdec|dBAF BEED|E2 eg fdec|dBAG FDDF|
D2 eg fdec|dBAF BE E2|gfef gfge|dBAG FD D2||
CUP OF TEA [1], THE (An Cupán Tae). AKA and see "Unfortunate Cup of Tea," "Green Cup of Tea (The)," "Mayobridge." Irish, Reel. E Dorian ('A' part) & D Major ('B' and 'C' parts): A Minor (Robbins). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (O'Connor): ABB (Breathnach, Feldman & O'Doherty): ABC (O'Neill): ABBCC (Mitchell): AABBCC (Alewine, Mallinson, Miller & Perron): AABB'CC (Harker/Rafferty). "The Cup of Tea" has been a popular reel in Irish sessions for decades. As "Unfortunate Cup of Tea," a rather truncated version of the melody appears in P.M. Haverty's Three Hundred Irish Airs (New York, 1858–1859), although in modern times the title is usually simply "Cup of Tea" and the tune is greatly developed over the Haverty version. The tune was often played by Seamus Ennis, who called it "The Sweet Cup of Tea" which he said was a code phrase for tea spiked with whiskey or poitin.
County Leitrim fiddler and piper biography:Stephen Grier included "Cup of Tea" in Book 2 of his large c. 1883 music manuscript collection. In northern Ireland parts of the tune are played AABBC. See also Canon James Goodman's "Lisburn Lasses (3) (The)," which is the second and third strain of O'Neill's "Cup of Tea" with parts reversed.
Additional notes
Source for notated version : - Belfast fiddler Seán McGuire (1927–2005) & accordion player Joe Burke [Miller & Perron]; piper Andy Conroy (Co. Roscommon, Ireland) [Breathnach]; accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border), recorded in recital at Na Píobairí Uilleann, February, 1981 [Moylan]; piper Willie Clancy (1918–1973, Miltown Malbay, west Clare) [Mitchell]; "from the playing of James Kennedy, one of the famous fiddlers of the Irish Music Club of Chicago"-Kennedy learned the tune from his father, a celebrated local fiddler from Ballinamore, County Leitrim [O'Neill]; fiddler Simon Doherty (County Donegal) [Feldman & O'Doherty]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker]; Rev. Luke Donnellan music manuscript collection (c. 1909, Oriel Region, south Ulster) [O'Connor].
Printed sources : - Alewine (Maid that Cut Off the Chicken's Lips), 1987; p. 14.
Breathnach (Ceol Rince na hÉireann vol. 2), 1976; No. 278, p. 142.
Feldman & O'Doherty (The Northern Fiddler), 1979; p. 104 (appears as "Untitled Reel").
Frank Harding (Harding's Original Collection), 1897; No. 162, p. 51 (a corrupt version of the reel).
Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 137, p. 41.
Mallinson (100 Essential), 1995; No. 73, p. 31.
Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 1977; vol. 1, No. 36.
Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 2nd Edition, 2006; p. 60.
Mitchell (Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1993; No. 107, p. 92.
Moylan (Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra), 1994; No. 68, p. 38.
O'Connor (The Rose in the Gap), 2018; No. 162, p. 88 (as "Green Cup of Tea").
O'Neill (O'Neill's Irish Music), 1915; No. 262, p. 135.
O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 792, p. 137.
O'Neill (Irish Minstrels and Musicians), 1913; p. 135.
Prior (Fionn Seisiún 2), 2003; p. 23.
Robbins Music Corp. (The Robbins collection of 200 jigs, reels and country dances), New York, 1933; No. 171, p. 55.
Recorded sources : - Alia Vox AVSA 9878, Jordi Savall - "The Celtic Viol. II" (2010).
Gennett 5451 (78 RPM), Michael Gallagher (uilleann pipes) {1924}.
Starr 9567 (78 RPM), Michael Gallagher (uilleann pipes) {1924}.
See also listing at :
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1],
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2].
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