Annotation:Carolan's Draught

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 CAROLAN'S DRAUGHT. AKA - "O'Carolan's Draught." Irish, Air or Planxty (4/4 time). G Major (most versions): D Major (S. Johnson). Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB (Johnson): AABB (most versions). Composed by blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738). The air was printed in Petrie's Music of Ireland (1882) with this note: "The following spirited harp melody was obtained from an old MS. music-book sent to me by Father Walsh, P.P. of Sneem, in the county of Kerry; and I found a second setting of it in an extensive manuscript collection of tunes made, within the present century, by Patrick Carew, a county of Cork piper, the use of which has been kindly allowed me by my friend Mr. Richard Dowden, Alderman of Cork. Though hitherto unpublished, and, apparently, unknown to preceding collectors, the peculiarities of its style, and of its flow of melody, can leave no doubt as to its being a genuine composition of the eminent composer whose name it bears: and as it seems to be known only in Munster, it may perhaps be regarded as one of the many tunes composed by the bard during his sojourn in that province; and which, unlike the majority of his Connaught tunes, do not appear to have been ever collected during their author's lifetime." The first two bars are identical to the English country dance tune "Justice Balance," printed in London publisher Charles and Samuel Thompson's Compleat Collection of 200 Country Dances, vol. 4 (1780, pp. 3 & 100). Source for notated version: Collected by Petrie "From Father Walsh MS" [O'Sullivan, Stanford/Petrie]. O'Sullivan notes that Father Walsh, of Sneem, was the original of "Father O'Flynn" in A.P. Graves' song. Printed sources: Complete Collection of Carolan's Irish Tunes, 1984; No. 186, p. 129. Cranitch (Irish Fiddle Book), 1996; p. 99. S. Johnson (The Kitchen Musician No. 3: Carolan), 1983 (revised 1991, 2001); pp. 4-5 (includes harmony part). O'Sullivan (Carolan: The Life, Times and Music of an Irish Harper), 1958; No. 186. Sullivan (Session Tunes), vol. 2; No. 47, p. 20. Stanford/Petrie (Complete Collection), 1905; No. 669, p. 168. Recorded sources: Culburnie CUL110, Abby Newton - "Crossing to Scotland" (1997). Shanachie 79001, De Danann - "Selected Jigs, Reels and Songs" (1978). See also listings at: Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index, Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources , Alan Ng's Irishtune.info.

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