Annotation:Dress Her Out in Fine Clothes

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DRESS HER OUT IN FINE CLOTHES ("Cuir Eadaige Deasa Uirri" or "Cuir Eadaig Deas Air I"). AKA and see "McCarty's Jig," "Booley House (The)," "Dress Her Up Fine," "Maid's Compliant (1) (The)," "Maid's Request (The)," "Top It Off." Irish, Slip Jig (9/8 time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB (O'Neill): AABB (Kennedy). Collector P.W. Joyce [1] (1827-1914) collected the tune (he called a 'hop jig') in the 19th century from David Grady, a flute player from Ardpatrick, although he did not record a title (Ancient Irish Music, 1873, No. 7). County Cork uilleann piper and Church of Ireland cleric James Goodman entered the tune as an untitled slip jig into his mid-19th century music manuscript collection [2]. The tunes are members of the "Top it Off/Tip it Off" family of slip jigs.

John McFadden

Source for notated version: "McFadden" [O'Neill]. O'Neill refers to Chicago fiddler John McFadden, born c. 1840's in the townland of Carrowmore, near Westport, County Mayo. McFadden was an excellent fiddler with an stiff, ideosyncratic style, perhaps learned from his father and brother, who also played. Nevertheless, he was an inspired fiddler who learned his entire repertoire by ear and was skilled at impromptu variation sets. He typically 'never played a tune the same way twice'. He also composed tunes, several of which are in the O'Neill collections. McFadden was well-regarded in the city, although he was known (and somewhat feared) as a practical joker (See O'Neill, Irish Minstrels, pp. 296-397).



Printed sources: Kennedy (Fiddler's Tune-Book: Slip Jigs and Waltzes), 1999; No. 14, p. 5 (appears as "Dress Her up Fine"). O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 86. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 1165, p. 219. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 439, p. 86.

Recorded sources:

See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [3]




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