A Fig for a Kiss is a Slip Jig and its meaning is like the phrase, a penny for your thoughts.
The Black Rogue is also known as Come Under My Plaidie and has been referred to as a Munster Double Jig.
The Chanter’s Song is simple but when played with the accents and staccato marks, can be a rousing fun piece of music.
Give Me Your Hand is a Double Jig written at Eglington Castle in Scotland by a well respected blind harper who had disagreement with Lady Eglington regarding his rank. This piece became his best composition and caused King James VI to send for him.
Haste to the Wedding is a traditional Celtic Jig that was published in James Oswald’s publication, Caledonian Pocket Companion.
John O’Conner is a Jig written by blind harper Turloguh O’Carolan, who wrote many pieces attributed to his patrons.
Kemp’s Jig is an English Country Dance that was published in John Playford’s, The English Dancing Master published in 1651. This tune was used as a Round Dance for six dancers.
Shepherd’s Hey is another English Country Dance and was popular with Morris dancers who wore bell pads on their shins. The music was often accompanied by clapping.
Planxty George Brabazon is by Turlough O’Carolan and was written for a patron as a tribute. O’Carolan either invented the word, Planxty, or popularized the word.
Sheebeg Sheemore is believed to be O’Carolan’s first composition and is about an Irish legend that exists about a battle between Kings of the gentry (fairies). Sheebeg and Sheemore mean Little Mountain and Big Mountain between which the battle took place.
La Volta means “the turn” and was a Renaissance dance for couples. This piece was written by William Byrd (1543-1623).
Scarborough Fair is an English Folk Song and this particular tune was collected by Cecil Sharp in 1913. The Medieval fair in the town of Scarborough, England was very popular between 1400s and 1700s. Seven stanzas are included.
Lannigan’s Ball is a Jig that was published in 1884. It was written about Jeremy Lannigan who throws a big party to celebrate inheriting a farm and spends entirely too much time learning to dance in preparation for the ball.
The Ash Grove is a Welsh Tune with English words by Thomas Oliphant that was first published in 1802. The tune appears in The Beggar’s Opera written in 1728.
Annie Laurie is a Scottish folk song based on the legend of a romance between William Douglas and Annie Laurie. Annie’s baronet father opposed their marriage and she later married the 14th Laird of Craigdarroch.
Barbara Allen is a Scottish folk song that became popular in the United States. It was published with fifteen stanzas on a Broadside in 1690 in London.
Early One Morning is an English folk song with lyrics that were first published in 1787. Today there are many versions of the lyrics.
She Moved Through the Fair is an old Irish ballad with text that was reworked by Padraic Colum. The original Donegle Air was collected by Herbert Hughes. It was published in Sam Henry’s Songs of the People with the title Our Wedding Day (part of the lyrics). The tune is also popular with harpers today.
The Rose of Allendale is an English song composed in 1840. The fairest maid of a village or a region was referred to as a Rose, which meant that the maiden was as beautiful and romantic as the the rose flower.
The Minstrel Boy, an ancient Irish Air, seems to represent an idealistic, inexperienced young man who knew nothing of warfare but was willing to fight for his country. This songs yields a victory in that an oppressor cannot break his spirit and that his harp will never be played by the enemy. This song was used during the grand opening of the World Trade Center Memorial in New York on September 11, 2011.
The Salley Gardens uses the tune, Maids of Mourn Shore, and a poem by W.B. Yeats. A salley is a willow tree and its weeping branches made good meeting spots for young lovers.
Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms is an Irish Air written by Thomas Moore for his wife and published in his Irish Melodies. Many people know the tune as Fair Harvard, the alma mater of Harvard University.
Lady Forbes is a reel written for Caroline Battye, also known as Lady Forbes, wife of Sir Charles Forbes of Castle Newe in Scotland. Alexander Walker, a fiddler who composed this tune, was also an inventor of surveying instruments and eventually he moved to Massachusetts and was a reputed surveyor.
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