A new tune each Wednesday (more or less), chosen arbitrarily by your Webmaster, a mixture of traditional and new but traditional in style tunes. Site visitors are encouraged to nominate tunes for this page.
This week’s tune:
November Waltz, aka Valse du mois d’Novembre, by Jean-Claude Mirandette, originally from Quebec, but very popular in New England, this lovely waltz seems to eloquently express the closing-in of the weather and the shortening days as winter approaches.
Last week’s tune:
Neil Gow’s Lament for the Death of his Second Wife. A haunting slow air by Niel Gow, the most famous Scottish fiddler of the eighteenth century.
Recent Tunes of the Week:
- Lay Down Your Weary Tune, well, actually a song this week, which many consider Bob Dylan’s greatest.
- Bussen, a haaling from Sweden. Suggested by Susan Reid who describes a haaling as “a vigorous dance culminating in kicking a hat off a broomstick held by a young lady standing on a chair…. or something like that.”
- Burnt River Jig by Canadian composer Brian Pickell, inspired by the story of that Ontario town’s interesting name. See the Notes section to learn that story.
- Da Brig, From Shetland, this jig plays well in a set with Lay Dee at Dee and da Slockit Light.
- Brenda Stubbert’s Reel, by the late incomparable Jerry Holland, a great example of the Cape Breton reel.
- The Boys of Bluehill, one of the most popular traditional Irish Reels.
- Blind Mary. Turlough Carolan, aka O’Carolan, was a blind harper in late 17th and early 18th century Ireland. It seems likely that he composed this beautiful slow air to honor a fellow blind (musician?), Blind Mary.
- La Belle Catherine, a traditional Québecois reel in three parts. Louis Boudreault plays it AAABBAAACCAAABBAACCAAABB. Site visitor Jean Rhéaume wrote, “It is from the Holiday, La fete de la Ste-Catherine, specially dedicated to those women who never married and when we prepare the Ste-Catherine taffy.”
- Banish Misfortune, probably one of the most played Irish jigs of all time.
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- Background: I started this site about twelve years ago largely for my own convenience, but it quickly grew to be useful for a number of other musicians in my area. Since then it has grown far beyond my original vision, with over 1,100 tunes posted and around 6,000 user sessions per month from more than 30 countries. Until now I have built and maintained the site out of my own pocket but its increasing size and complexity is requiring more outside resources and costs; hence this appeal. So if this site is helpful to you, please consider a small contribution.