Key: D
Form: Reel (rant*)
MP3:
Download this MP3 If it plays, right-click on the page and “Save as”. (Detailed instructions)
ABC:
X: 1 T: 104. The Morpeth Rant M: 4/4 L: 1/8 R: reel K:Dmaj |:"D"d2AG FDFA|"G"BGBd "A"cAce|"D"f2fd gfed|"A"c2e2 e2Ac| "D"d2AG FDFA|"G"BGBd "A"cAce|"D"f2fd gfec|"A"A2d2 "D"d4:| |:"D"dfaf dfaf|"G"gfef g2ef|"A"gfed cdeg|"D"fefg e2e2| "D"dfaf dfaf|"G"gfef g2ef|"A"gfed caag|"D"f2 d2d2:|
Youtube:
Sheet Music: Click image to enlarge. To download, right-click in enlarged image and "Save as...".
Source: Traditional
Other Tunes in Set:
Region: Northumberland, England
*Notes: “[This tune] originated in Northumberland sometime before 1800. It is not a reel, but a rant. The rant is the National Dance of Northumbria and has specific footwork.
“The definitive version, for me, is on a recording by Alastair Anderson, Willy Atkinson and others called Good Old Boys and made at Whitby Festival. It is slower than a reel and less dotted than a hornpipe but swings nicely and goes like a train.”
–from Noel Jackson on The Session
“Northumbria shares with southern Scotland the long history of border ballads, … Many dances from the region have the characteristic rant step.
“One rhythm characteristic of the region is the rant, used for figure dances such as The Morpeth Rant with a characteristic step; musically it is similar to a reel, though somewhat slower, and with more of a lilt.”
–from Wikipedia
fave