Annotation:Elizabeth's Big Coat

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 ELIZABETH'S BIG COAT (Cota Mor Ealasaid). AKA- "Effie's Big Coat," "Lasses of Glendale (The)," "Lassies of Glenaodale," "Mabou Reel (1) (A)," "Old Timer Reel," "Poirt Mabou" (Port Mhabu). Canadian, Reel. Canada, Cape Breton. A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Dunlay & Reich/MacMaster, Dunlay & Greenberg/MacDonald): AABBCCDD (Shears): AABB'CC'DD (Dunlay & Greenberg/Donald MacLellan). The melody is played as both a two and four-part reel on Cape Breton, where it is often known simply as "A Mabou Reel" (Poirt Mabou), remark Dunlay & Greenberg (1996). The third and fourth turns are credited to fiddler Ronald MacLellan, who maintains they were composed by his father, Big Ronald MaLellan, writes piper Barry Shears (1986). Gaelic mouth-music words for "Cota Mor Ealasaid" are given by John Shaw in the booklet accompanying Topic 12TS354.  Source for notated version: Buddy MacMaster (Cape Breton) [Dunlay and Reich]; Mary MacDonald and Donald MacLellan, son of Ronald MacLellan (Cape Breton) [Dunlay & Greenberg].  Printed sources: Dunlay & Greenberg (Traditional Celtic Violin Music of Cape Breton), 1996; pp. 42-43. Dunlay and Reich (Traditional Celtic Fiddle Music of Cape Breton), 1986; p. 43. Shears (The Gathering of the Clans Collection, vol. 1), 1986; p. 63 (four parts).  Recorded sources: Celtic CX 20, "The Five MacDonald Fiddlers" (c. 1957. Appears as "Lassies of Glenaldale"). Celtic CX 41, Paddy "Scotty" LeBlanc - "This is Sydney" (appears as "Old Timer Reel"). DMP 6-27-1, Doug MacPhee- "Cape Breton Piano III" (`98`. Appears as "Effie's Big Coat," played in four parts). Rounder 7001, Joe Cormier - "Scottish Violin Music from Cape Breton Island" (1974. Appears as "Lassies of Glenaodale"). Smithsonian Folkways Records, SFW CD 40507, The Beaton Family of Mabou - "Cape Breton Fiddle and Piano Music" (2004). Topic 12TS354, Mary MacDonald- "Cape Breton Scottish Fiddle" (1978. Various artists).  See also listing at: Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index

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