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Annotation:Comhra Donn (An)

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X:1 T:An Comhra Donn T:The Brown Coffin T:An Cofra Donn T:The Brown Chest C:Traditional R:Hornpipe B:Music for the Sets - The Blue Book, David J. Taylor Z:Gordon Turnbull M:C K:D A>BA>G F>Ad>e | f>gf>e d>cd>A | B>Gd>B A>FD>E | F>EE>D E2 F>G | A>BA>G F>Ad>e | f>gf>e d>cd>A | B>cd>B A>FE>G | [1 F2 D2 D2 F>G:|[2 F2 D2D2 f>g || |:a>fe>d g>fe>c | d>cd>e f>dA>F | G>AB>G F>Ad>e | (3fed g>f e2 f>g | a>g (3fed g>fe>c | d>cd>e f>dA>F | G>AB>G F>AE>G | [1 F2 D2 D2 f>g:|[2 F2D2 D2 F>G |]
Sheet Music for "An Comhra Donn"An Comhra DonnThe Brown CoffinHornpipeTraditionalAn Cofra DonnThe Brown Chest123312Book: Music for the Sets - The Blue Book, David J. TaylorTranscription: Gordon Turnbull



COMHRA DONN, AN. AKA and see "Cófra Donn (An)," "Brown Casket (The)," "Ó Murchú's Hornpipe," "O'Connor Donn's (2)," "Star of Bethlehem (The)." Irish; Hornpipe or Barn Dance. Ireland, County Donegal. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The first strain of "An Comhra Donn" is structurally and melodically similar to the Scottish "Caledonian March (1)" and the American "Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine (1)," though the second parts are different. Whether the Irish tune is derivative of the Scottish one is undetermined, though one may have been 'informed' by the other. "An Comhra Donn" is usually classified as a hornpipe, but in County Donegal it is considered a German or Barn Dance. The title harbors a similar distortion: according to the site Donegal Fiddle Music [1] there is no real translation of the name "An Comhra Donn", though it is often given to mean "Brown Casket," "Brown Casked" or "Brown Chest" which in Irish is "An Cófra Donn". The Donegal title for the tune is "Comhrá na dTonn (An)", which refers to the phenomenon of the Atlantic storm surge and waves, which can be heard far inland. "An Comhrá na dTonn" literally translates as "conversation (i.e. sound) of the waves."

The alternate title "O'Connor Donn's" is a corruption (a 'Mondegreen') of the Gaelic title. See also the melodically similar (in the 'A' part) "Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine (1)," "Centenary March (The)," "Caledonian March," as well as the English "Durham Rangers" family of tunes.

The Chieftains have recorded tune twice, first as "An Comhra Donn" on their eponymous 1963 album, and again in 1991 under the title "Ó Murchú's Hornpipe."


Additional notes
Source for notated version : - accordion player Sonny Brogan (County Sligo/Dublin, Ireland) [Breathnach]; Chieftains [Carlin, Sullivan]; set dance music recorded at Na Píobairí Uilleann, late 1980's [Taylor].

Printed sources : - Breathnach (Ceol Rince na hÉireann vol. 1), 1963; No. 210, p. 85. Carlin (English Concertina), 1977; p. 33. Sullivan (Session Tunes, vol. 3); No. 29, p. 11. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Blue Book), 1995; p. 22. Vallely (Companion to Irish Traditional Music), 1999; p. 190 (as "Humours of Tullycreen"). Vallely (Learn to Play the Fiddle with Armagh Pipers Club), 197?; No. 31, p. 30.

Recorded sources : - Green Linnet GLCD 1127, "Martin Hayes" (1993. Appears as "The Brown Coffin"). June Appal JA 016, Malcolm Dalglish & Grey Larsen - "Banish Misfortune (1977). RCA 09026-60916-2, The Chieftains – "An Irish Evening" (1991, Appears as "Ó Murchú's Hornpipe").

See also listing at :
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]



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