The Fairy Dance

reel

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on December 7th 2001 by Josh Kane.

This tune has been added to 252 tunebooks.

Also known as Faeries', The Faire's , The Fairies' Dance, Fairy, Fairy Dance, Gows, Largo's Fairy Dance, Old Molly Hare, Quick Scotch.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A Kindly Welcome by Na Fili
• Aly Bain And Young Champions by Aly Bain And Young Champions
• At The Source by Celtic Spring
• Banish Misfortune by Mithril
• Cape Breton Fiddle Music Not Calm by Howie MacDonald And Ashley MacIsaac
• Celtic Dreams (Music Of Turlough O'Carolan On The Hammered Dulcimer, Volume III) by Joemy Wilson
• Edinburgh Hogmany Party Mix by Keltik Elektrik
• En El Bosque Sin Retorno by Tocando El Aire
• Encore by Celtic Fiddle Festival
• Far From Home by Boys Of The Lough
• For As Many As Will by Haste To The Wedding
• Harvest Home by Filska
• In My Hands by Natalie MacMaster
• Kitty Lie Over by Mick O'Brien And Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh
• Legacy Of The Scottish Fiddle Vol. 1 by Alasdair Fraser And Paul Machlis
• Live-Disc 1 by Natalie MacMaster
• Lonely Bird by Aly Bain
• My Joy by Hanneke Cassel
• Northern Light by Valerie Klemetti Blessley
• Scottish Violin Music -Volume 1 by Hector MacAndrew
• Silly Wizard by Silly Wizard
• Swarbrick 2 by Dave Swarbrick
• The Best Of Aly Bain by Aly Bain
• The Bluebell Polka by Jimmy Shand
• The Celtic Ray by Marcille Wallis
• The Coming Of Spring by Eitre
• The Humours Of Derrybeha by Pat O'Connor
• The Legendary Down Home Recordings by Various Artists
• The Mad Buckgoat—Ancient Music Of Ireland by Baltimore Consort
• The Road From Erin—Ireland's Musical Legacy by Dorian Recordings
• The Strathspey King by James Scott Skinner
• Warming Up by Martin Mulhaire, Séamus Connolly And Jack Coen
• Wish You Were Here by Boys Of The Lough

X: 1
T: Fairy Dance, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|: f2fd f2fd | f2fd cdeg | f2fd gfed | cABc defg :|
|: a2af b2bf | g2ge a2ag | f2fd gfed |1 cABc defg :|2 cABc d3 ||

Fairy Dance

This is is a realy old Scottish tune and is in Gow's Original Collection, although there is some debate as to whether he wrote it or merely noted down an existing tune.

# Posted on June 29th 2002 by noelbats

There are all sorts of other names

Including Old Molly Hare and Largo's Fairy Dance

# Posted on September 19th 2002 by mnfiddledragon

Another version

If you are looking for the version on Natalie McMaster's 'In My Hands' CD, it is "a multi-part version evolved from Skinner's set in the Harp and Claymore. Winston Fitzgerald's setting is close...". See cranfordpub.com/natalie/Hands to find a link to Fitz. Have fun!

# Posted on November 17th 2002 by gotfiddle

Another version II

You can also find a longer version at www.minarsas.demon.co.uk/harn/folksongs/fairy.htm

# Posted on November 17th 2002 by gotfiddle

Here is the version played on the uilleann pipes on track 1 of The Chieftains 4.

X: 1
T:Fairy Dance
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:Reel
K:D
g|~f2dg ~f2dg|~f2dB cdeg|~f2df gfed|cABc dfag|
fAdg fAdg|fAdB cdeg| (3fga df gfed|cABc d2~f2|
aAdf bagf|(3gfe ce aeAg|fdBd gfed|cABc d2~f2|
a2 (3fga bagf|(3gfe ce Aceg|fdBd gfed|cA (3GFE D4||

# Posted on February 28th 2004 by turophile

Longer version

You can also find the multi-part version in a book entitled "Session Tunes for Scots Fiddlers" available at all good folk music shops. It also includes a multi-part version of Masons Apron.

# Posted on September 25th 2004 by jakki S

Old Molly Hare

Here's the version of the A part that I play.

d2f2gfeg|f2d2edBA|d2f2gfed|cABcd4

I guess that's the Old Molly Hare version.

# Posted on July 5th 2005 by Emily Horne

Largo's Fairy Dance

Don't know why I got interested in this, this morning. I've looked it up, and I gather that 'Largo's Fairy Dance' actually consists of two Gow tunes, The Fairy Dance, as posted here, and The Fairies Advance. I've found two versions of the Fairies Advance, here:

http://www.village-music-project.org.uk/abc/HARRISON.ABC

To save people having to scroll down and find them, here they are:

X: 57
T:Fairies Advance,The.(primo) RH.043
M:C
L:1/8
Q:120
S:Rev.R.Harrison's MS,c1815,Cumbria
R:March
O:England
A:Temple Sowerby,Cumbria
Z:vmp.Simon Wilson....
K:D
F>G|A2A>A (A/c/d/e/) (f/c/d/B/)|A2F>F F2d>c|\
B/A/G/F/ dA f/e/d/c/ B/A/G/F/|F2E>E E2F>G|!
(Acde) fcdB|A2F>F F2d>c|Bged cbac|d2d>d d2:|!
|:f>g|a2a>f b2b>a|g/f/g/a/ ge a2ag|\
fedc Be/f/ g/f/e/d/|dcBA Bcde|!
f3g/f/ e3f/e/|d3e/d/ c3d/c/|\
Bc/d/ e/f/g/e/ d/c/B/A/ B/d/c/e/|d2d>d d2:|]

X: 58
T:Fairies Advance,The.(secundo) The RH.043
M:C
L:1/8
Q:100
S:Rev.R.Harrison's MS,c1815,Cumbria
R:March
O:England
A:Temple Sowerby,Cumbria
Z:vmp.Simon Wilson....
K:D
D>E|F2F>F (F/A/F/A/) (d/A/B/G/)|F2D>D D2F>F|\
G/F/E/D/ FF d/c/B/A/ G/F/E/D/|D2A>A A2D>E|!
FAFA dABG|F2D>D D2B>A|GBcA FFGE|F2F>F F2:|!
|:d>e|f2f>d g2g>f|e/d/e/f/ ecf2fe|dcBA GA/B/ e/d/c/B/|FAFA GABc|!
d3e/d/ A3d/A/|F3A/F/ A3F/A/|FABG FD AG|F2F>F F2:|]

Both seem to have B parts that are similar to The Fairy Dance B part, but which is the Gow tune? Is either one the Gow tune, or is it something else again?

# Posted on February 3rd 2007 by benhall.1

Chords to Fairy Dance

|D ( F#aug )|D A7|D G(or Em)|A7 D:|
|:D B7|Em A7|D G(or Em)|A7 D:|

# Posted on January 16th 2008 by gian marco

Danu's Version

As written down by Nigel Gatherer

K:D
g |: fAdg fAdg | fAde cdeg | fAdf gfed |1 cABc d4 :|2 cAbc defg ||
a2 ag b>bba | geee aaag | fadf gfed |1 cABc defg :|2 cAbc d4 ||

from http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/17161

# Posted on March 26th 2008 by swisspiper

G Version

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/2944

# Posted on March 26th 2008 by slainte