Annotation:Be Easy You Rogue

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X:1 T:Stad ero Roguíre, Stad, Stad! T:Be Easy You Rogue M:6/8 L:1/8 R:Air S:James Goodman music manuscript collection (mid-19th cent., County Cork, p. 95) F: http://goodman.itma.ie/volume-one#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=98&z=520.9029%2C809.4567%2C7374.2874%2C4466.6667 Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:A E|A>cA BAF|d2z d2z|A/B/cA BAF|B2z B2z| A>cA BAF|ded de!fermata!a|ecA BAF|A3 A2|| c/d/|ecA ecA|d3 dfa|ecA e{d}c{B}A|B3 B3| A{c}c{B}A BAF|DFA dfa|ecA BAF|A3 A2|| d|cAA BFF|AFF dfa|cAA BAF|B2z B2d| cA/B/c/A/ BF/G/A/F/|D/F/A/F dfa|ecA BAF|A3 A2|| f|afa f/e/d/c/B/A/|ddd d2f|afa ed/c/B/A/|BBB B2 f/g/| afa g/e/d/c/B/A/|DFA dfa|ecA BAF|AAA A2||



BE EASY, YOU ROGUE (Fan Go Socair A Roguire). AKA and see "Phelim O'Neill (1)," "Priest with the Collar (The)," "Sheelah in Sorrow," "Stay Easy You Rogue Stay Stay" (Stad erro rogura stad stad)," "Stop You Rogue Stop!" "Tá an coileach ag fógairt an lae." Irish, Double or Single Jig (6/8 time). A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (O'Farrell): AABBCCDD (O'Neill). "Be Easy, You Rogue" is O'Neill's 'free translation' of the Irish title "Stadh a rogaire stadh!" O'Neill also remarks that his version is a "florid setting of an old jig or march in four strains. Its relationship to 'The Priest with the Collar' in the Petrie collections is plainly evident." Uilleann piper O'Farrell printed a two-part version (as, indeed, most versions are) in the beginning of the 19th century as "Stad Erro Rogura Stad Stad," a phonetic approximation of the title in Irish Gaelic; they are, as Paul de Grae points out, very close to the first two strains in O'Neill's setting[1]. Collector George Petrie's two settings of "A "Róg"-aire! Stad!" (Rogue! Stop!) are similar to one another, states de Grae, and close to O'Neill's setting (although less than O'Farrell's), at least in the first part[2].

The first strain is shared with a number of tunes including the double jig "Stagger the Buck" (also printed by O'Neill), "which is actually closer to Petrie's settings cited above"[3]. O'Neill also prints another version of the jig under the title "Priest with the Collar (The)" in his Music of Ireland (1903), a title given as an alternate title for "Be Easy, You Rogue" in O'Neill's later volume Dance Music of Ireland (1907). O'Sullivan and McCandless (2005) identify the melody as a version of "When the Cock Crows it is Day," which de Grae clarifies is the version called "Tá an Coileach ag Fógairt an Lae" in Breathnach's Ceol Rince na hEirreann, vol. 2 (No. 68)--"note that O'Neill's "When the Cock Crows it is Day (1)" is considerably different. Stretching the connections a little bit further, Bunting's "Beardless Boy (The)" and "Dissipated Youth (1) (The)" might be considered part of the same tune family[4]."


Additional notes
Source for notated version : - from the manuscript collection of retired businessman and Irish music enthusiast John Gillan, collected from musicians in his home county of Longford and the adjoining Leitrim [O'Neill].

Printed sources : - O'Farrell (Pocket Companion, vol. 1), c. 1805; p. 31 (appears as "Stad Erro Rogura Stad Stad"). O'Neill (O'Neill's Irish Music), 1915; No. 165, p. 92. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 1109, p. 209. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 299, p. 64.

Recorded sources : - Jerry O'Sullivan - "O'Sullivan meets O'Farrell" (2005).




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  1. Paul de Grae, "Sources of Music in the O'Neill Collections", 2017
  2. ibid.
  3. ibid.
  4. ibid.