Annotation:Princess Margaret's Fancy

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PRINCESS MARGARET'S FANCY. English, Jig. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCCDD. Both a dance and tune composed by Peter Kennedy (1922–2006) in 1949 in honor of Princess Margaret (1930-2002), only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. She was President of the English Folk Song and Dance Society in the mid-20th century.

A 1949 photograph of Princess Margaret dancing Princess Margaret's Fancy. Peter Kennedy is her partner, at the right.

Kennedy, in whose 1951 book the tune appears, reportedly once tried to teach Princess Margaret to play the melodeon.



Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Kennedy (Fiddlers Tune Book, vol. 1), 1951; No. 100, p. 49.

Recorded sources: Folktrax FTX-323, The Haymakers' Band - "Everybody Swing: Community Dances" (1949. The band was led by Peter Kennedy). RCA Victor ‎57-5055 (45 RPM), The Haymakers' Band (1951).




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