Annotation:Nine Points of Roguery (The)
X:1 T:The Nine Points of Roguery M:4/4 L:1/8 K:D FE|"D"D2 FD GEFE|"D"DEFG "A"ABAF | "D"D2 FD GEFA | "Em"BE E2 "A7"BEGE | "D"D2 FD GEFE|"D"DEFG "A"ABAF | "D"D2 FA "G"GB"A"Ac | "D"d2 dc d2 :| AB|"C"=c3 A "G"B3 G|"A7"A2 AB AGFE | "D"D2 FD GEFA | "Em"BE E2 BEEB | "C"=c cA "G"B2 BG|"A7"Adcd "D"fdAF | "D"D2 FA "G"GB"A"Ac | "D"d2 dc d2 :| fe|"D"d2 fd gefe|"D"defg "A"abaf|"D"d2 fd gefa|"Em"bege bege | "D"d2 fd gefe | "D"d2 ad "A"bdad|"D"dfaf "A7"gece|"D"d2 dc d2 :| AB | "C"=c3 A "G"B3 G | "A"A2 AB AGFE|"D"D2 FD GEFA|"Em"BE E2 BEEB | "C"=c2 cA "G"B2 BG | "A"Adcd "D"fdAF|"D"D2 FA "G"GB"A"Ac|"D"d2 dc d2 :||
NINE POINTS OF ROGUERY, THE (Naoi nArda na Rógaireachta). AKA and see "Black Fanad Mare (The)," "Black Mare of Fanad (The)," "Kiltyfanad Reel (The)." Irish, Reel. D Major ('A' and 'C' parts) & D Mixolydian ('B' part) {Brody, Mallinson}: D Mixolydian ('A' and 'B' parts) & D Major ('C' part) {Breathnach}. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Songer): AA'BB'CC'BB' (Brody): AABBCCBB (Martin & Hughes): AABBCCAABB (Breathnach): AABBA'A'BB (Mallinson). The title remains somewhat of a mystery. According to chivalry the nine points of knightly virtue were honor, loyalty, liberality, pride, good faith, bravery, glory, unselfishness and courtesy, and it may be surmised that the nine points of roguery were the opposite. The way the Boys of the Lough play the tune, after the three parts of the tune are played through once, the 'B' part is repeated, and only then the 'A' part is played again. One of the parts is often an octave transposition of another, as is occasionally the custom in Donegal fiddle tradition; for example Breathnach's transcription of Doherty's version has a third strain that is simply the first strain set an octave higher. In County Donegal the tune is known as "Annotation:Black Mare of Fanad (The)" (see note for this tune for a story of the origins of the title); see The Northern Fiddler (1979, p. 65).
The title may be a variation of that of a tune called "Nine Points of Knavery (The)" collected by County Cork Irish music enthusiast William Forde (c. 1759-1850) and printed by P.W. Joyce. While the titles are similar, the melodies are different. The melody and title of "Nine Points of Knavery" is similar, however, to the Scottish Reel "Nine Pint Coggie (The)." It may be that "Nine Points of Roguery" refers not to nine anti-virtues, but rather is also a corruption of "Nine Pint Coggie" via the "Nine Points of Knavery" name.
