Annotation:Morgan Megan

Find traditional instrumental music
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Back to Morgan Megan

X: 29 T: Morgan MacGann B: A COLECTION of the most Celebrated Irish Tunes2 p.3b M: C| L: 1/8 F:http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/book/CMCIT/allCMCIT.abc K: G D2G2 G2A2 | B2AG Bcd2 | e2A2 A2E2 | F3E D2EF | G4- G2A2 | G2D2 C2E2 | FGA2 A2E2 | F3E DEFD | G4 AGAF | G6 B2 | c2A2 A2Bc | d4 e4 | d2B2 cBAG | F3E D2EF | G4 AGAF | G8 |] B2d2 d2ef | g2G2 Bcd2 | g2G2 Bcd2 | e2A2 A2c2 | Bcd2 d2B2 | e2c2 d2B2 | c2A2 d2G2 | F3E D2G2 | E2C2 C2D2 | E2C2 C2E2 | F2D2 D2E2 | F2D2 D2Bc | d4 edcB | cBAG FGA2 | D2(GF) FGA2 | D2(GF) G4 |]


MORGAN MAGAN. AKA - "Planxty Morgan Megan," "Welch Morgan." Irish; Slow Air, Planxty or March (4/4 time). G Major (Barnes, Brody, Johnson, Miller & Perron, Ó Canainn, Sullivan): A Major (Complete Collection.., Keegan, O'Sullivan): D Major (Wright). Standard tuning (fiddle). One Part (S. Johnson, Keegan): AB (Barnes, Brody, Sullivan, Wright): AABB (Complete Collection..., Miller & Perron, Ó Canainn, O'Sullivan). The air was composed by the blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670–1738) in honor of one Morgan Magan of Togherstown, County Westmeath. Magan died in 1738, and is probably the "Captain Magan" referred to in another of O'Carolan's tunes. Donal O'Sullivan (1958) finds he was a younger son of Morgan Magan of Cloney, Westmeath. His sister Susanna married Sir Arthur Shaen, the subject of another O'Carolan air that bears Shaen's name. The melody appears to have been first published by John and William Neal in A Collection of the Most Celebrated Irish Tunes (Dublin, 1724, p. 23) as "Morgan Macgann." Another early version of "Morgan Megan", according to the Appendix to the 2001 edition of O'Sullivan's seminal work, appears in Daniel Wright's Aria di Camera (London, c. 1730) as "Welch Morgan." It was collected by Edward Bunting (1773–1843) and appears in his General Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland (London, 1809, p. 71).

The tune is a "revival" favorite and is one of the most enduring of Carolan's compositions, still played in Irish sessions today and frequently recorded. See also the anecdote told about Magan's sister's wedding circumstances in another of Carolan's compositions, "annotation:Sir Arthur Shaen."

Turlough O'Carolan


Additional notes

Source for notated version: - Chieftains (Ireland) [Brody, Sullivan].

Printed sources : - Barnes (English Country Dance Tunes, vol. 2), 2005; p. 60 (appears as "Hillingdon Heath", the name of a dance by Charles Bolton set to the tune). Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; p. 196. Complete Collection of Carolan's Irish Tunes, 1984; No. 92, p. 72. S. Johnson (Kitchen Musician's No. 1: Waltz, Air and Misc.), 1991; p. 3. S. Johnson (Kitchen Musician No. 3: Carolan), 1983 (revised 1991, 2001); p. 8. Keegan (The Keegan Tunes), 2002; pp. 96-97 (piano arrangement). Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music vol. 1), 1977; No. 68 (untitled). Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 2nd Edition, 2006; p. 145. John & William Neal (A Collection of the Most Celebrated Irish Tunes), 1724; p. 3. Ó Canainn (Traditional Slow Airs of Ireland), 1995; No. 109, p. 92. O'Sullivan (Carolan: The Life, Times and Music of an Irish Harper), 1958, No. 92. Sannella (Balance and Swing), 1982. Sullivan (Session Tunes, vol. 3), No. 35, p. 14. Wright (Aria di Camera), London, 1727; No. 44 (as "Welch Morgan").

Recorded sources: - Castle Music CAS 36205-2, Dave Swarbrick – "It Suits Me Well: the Transatlantic Anthology" (2005). Claddagh CC14, Chieftains – "Chieftains 4." Front Hall 05, Fennigs All Stars – "Saturday Night in the Provinces." Green Linnet GLCD 1128, Brendan Mulvihill & Donna Long – "The Morning Dew" (1993). June Appal 028, Wry Straw – "From Earth to Heaven" (1978). North Star NS0031, "Dance Across the Sea: Dances and Airs from the Celtic Highlands" (1990). Rounder 0113, Trapezoid – "Three Forks of Cheat." Shanachie 79024, "Chieftains 4" (1972/1983). Shanachie 97011, Dave Evans – "Irish Reels, Jigs, Airs and Hornpipes" (1990). Transatlantic 341, Dave Swarbrick – "Swarbrick 2."

See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]


Back to Morgan Megan


Retrieved from "https://tunearch.org/w/index.php?title=Annotation:Morgan_Megan&oldid=389115"
Cookies help us deliver our services. By using The Traditional Tune Archive services, you agree to our use of cookies.
More information