Annotation:Fare You Well

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FARE YOU WELL. AKA and see "End of the Mission," "Sinners' Lament," "Weeping and Mourning," "Rough Little Heathy Hill" (An garbh Cnoicin Fraoigh), "Sliabh Geal gCua na Feile." Irish, Slow Air (2/4 time). G Major (O'Neill/1915): D Major (O'Neill/1850). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. O'Neill (Irish Folk Music, p. 67) states:

During the last week of a mission given at Bantry during my school days, the man who presided at a stall erected against the end of the schoolhouse for the sale of church wares, attracted trade by singing a rather depressing song to a fine melody which I memorized unconsciously and never forgot. Following is all I remember of the song- 'Where sinful souls do mourn form whence they can't return But there to weep and mourn bound in fiery chains.' No doubt this direful picture of perdition was intended to call attention to the need of prompt repentance, so I named the Air "Fare you Well" or the "Sinner's Lament." This melody was unknown in that part of the country and no trace of it had ever been discovered in our experience until recently a version was found in (Stanford/Petrie's Complete Collection, 1905), under the title "An garbh Cnoicin Fraoigh" (The rough little Heathy Hill").

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: O'Neill (O'Neill's Irish Music), 1915; No. 17, p. 18. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 2, p. 1 .

Recorded sources:




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