The Tempest reel

This is a setting for wind instruments. I first heard it on a tape of Robbie Hannan playing and was urged to learn it by a good friend of mine. At first I wasn’t so rapt in the sound of the tune. Now I can’t leave it alone.

A great reel and again one that’s not heard very often! Has anyone any suggestions on a set that this tune would fit into?

Although C major works for posting the abcs, this tune lands in D dorian (same signature: no sharps or flats) by repeatedly returning home to the D tone.

Curious though why this would be a wind setting. I’ll give it a try on whistle, but it fell easily onto my fiddle at first go. Nice version of an underplayed tune.

Yes, I see all the low C’s are gone to make it work on whistle or flute. Some days I’m just slow (last night’s session went a bit late)….

I’ve heard this one played before Mama’s Pet, another D dorian tune.

I like this tempest.

…or did I mean Mother’s Delight?

Oisin Mac Diarmiada recorded this for me while in town and said it’s generally followed up by McFadden’s. A friend of mine likes to precede or follow it up with Exile of Erin, a Tony Sullivan tune. Once I learn McFadden’s, I suppose I’ll play it Exile, Tempest, McFadden’s, but we’ll see. 🙂

Here’s a more or less transcription of the version Oisin recorded for me. He said it was “a Sligo variant of The Tempest, but it’s The Tempest all the same.” 🙂

(3ABc|:d2 cA GE ~E2|DEcE dEcE|AdcA ~G2 cG|EDCD ED (3ABc|
d2 cA GE ~E2|DEcE dEcE|DEFA GEcE|EDCD ED ~D2:|
|:d2 ed cAGc|AdcA GE ~E2|d2 ed cdef|edcA d2 ag|
efdf ec ~c2|cAG cAE~E2|DEFA GEcE|EDCD ED (3ABc:|

Does anyone know where the Tempest reel comes from? I get asked about it all the time.

http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/TE.htm#TEMPEST_[5]

http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/TE.htm#TEMPEST_[5]

Goddammit

O, NOW I get it.

So its probably American… I thought as much.

eh?

So like -- there’s no story behind it?

From Ceolas:

"X:2
T:The Tempest
S:Paddy O’Sullivan
N:Paddy says it was brought from America by Tom Carmody,
N:who played box with James Morrison and who retired to
N:Ballybunnion, not very far from Paddy’s home in Ardfert."

Michael Gorman played it as well, so I’d figure it to be a Sligo/Donegal tune. At least I assume it’s Donegalish, Robbie Hannon and other pipers seem obsessed with it. I don’t think Gorman used any of those Fnats either, for whatever that’s worth.

B] part
|:d2 ed cAGA|Addc AGEG|d2 ed cdef|edce d2 ag|
efdf edcA|cAGc AGFE|DEFA GEcE|EDcG ED D2:|

Slight change in B part 4 & 6 measure.
Played b4 Julia Delaney

Rhythm for The Tempest:

||: Dm C | C | Dm C | Am Dm :|| (x4)

Portneuf Valley Brewing Company ~ Pocatello, Idaho, U.S.A.
Submitted on December 28th 2005 by nipdigler.
https://thesession.org/sessions/1197

X: 1
T: Tempest, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Cmaj
|:d2 cA GE E2|GEcE dEcE|d2 cA GEE^F|GEcE ED D2|
d2 cA GEE^F|GEcE dEcE|DE (3EFG ABcA|GEcE ED D2:|
|:d3e cAGc|AdcA GE E2|d3e cdef|edcA d3e |
f3d edcA|(3AcA Gc AcGE|DE (3EFG AGcA|GEcE ED D2:|

I’ve got a recording of PJ and Martin playing this somewhere, I’ll dig it out and have a look at transcribing it.

sounds dorian to me thought there isn’t one single 6th in this beautiful heptatonic reel.

This setting should make it readily readable and available to more musicians…

X: 1
T: Tempest, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Edor
e2dB AFF2|EFdF eFdF|e2dB AF F2|EFBF AFEF|
e2dB AFF2|EFdF eFdF|EFGB AFdF|FEdA FEE2:|
e2fe dBAB|Beed BAFA|e2fe defg|fedf e3B|
fgeg fedB|edBA BAFA|EFGB AFdF|FEdA FEE2:|

“there isn’t one single 6th in this beautiful heptatonic reel”

Perhaps you should learn the meaning of “heptatonic”.

If the tune only contains six notes per octave, how can it be heptatonic?

Not only are your inane comments filling this database with unnecessary gunk, you are feeding misinformation.

Hexatonic is right.

First, thank you for correcting this unfortunate mistake.

Second, as numerous small contributions I’ve made on the subject of modes in the Tunes section show, I am not one to easily mistake ‘hexa’ with ‘hepta’. Unfortunately you seem to be obsessed with the slippery tip of the iceberg of my contributions which, as humble as they are, are far more various than you’d like to believe.

You seem to be a fairly articulate person; I am sure you know many decent ways of correcting people, pointing out their mistakes or typos. So why do you to chose to be so mean with me?
What you have been doing for the last few days Weejie is akin to stalking. You seem to have an issue with me over a matter of etiquette. That’s one thing. But the type of intimidation you seem happy to use with me is an altogether more serious moral issue! Are we that far gone? Please reassure me!

I can see you have a problem with the kind of post you would like to read in the Comments section of the Tunes, apparently not SOME of the stuff I posted recently. You see, I would be more than happy to discuss the matter with you (and, of course, with anybody here at the session -which is not your private hunt) only I had a feeling that there was too much of a negative bias with you to start with and that made me postpone it until I saw a bit more of you. Well: Here we are. I’ll start as soon as I feel I’m dealing with a decent person, happy to behave, and discuss in an open manner.
Thanks for listening.

…Well, you got me going in the end, so there: https://thesession.org/tunes/8916/comments
(this is also a link for those who might be reading this and haven’t a notion of what this is about, and would like to express their support to one or the other side of this argument! Please, mind that the links bring you to to the Comments section of a tune: it might be wiser to start a new Discussion in the appropriate section…)

Sorry to upset you, but you also have made errors concerning scales elsewhere. Far from me stalking you, you are the one spamming this section. I find it hard to believe that people are unable to work out the meaning of “holly bush” - or other “factoids” related to the words in the title rather than the tune itself - especially one that was submitted years ago. You are making a nonsense of the tunes section. There are enough people here who deride this section as it is. Umpteen posts a day saying very little of worth.
As for your suggestions regarding “new discussion in the appropriate section”, you should really practise what you preach.
I don’t doubt that you are able to make some constructive comments regarding the actual tune (blatant errors aside) - it would be nice if you did more of that instead of citing vaguely related verse and congratulting people who haven’t posted in years.

Just added a version as played by Bobby Casey, in a bar, in about 1975. (Setting No.7 above)

X:8 from the fiddling of Michael Gorman, The “Sligo Champion.” It fleshes out the Casey setting Jerry provided above with trebles and triplets. His setting has no F natural which I always thought made this tune a bit dismal. Actually it has no F sharp either, a “gapped tune” as they say. I’ve always wondered where the D minor setting came from.

https://youtu.be/RAe6c-X2k7U

play video

First reel, followed by “The Bird In The Bush”.

I had a go at The Tempest today, paired with The Beauty Spot. First tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbdpSLpW1Tc

play video

This the flowing version played yesterday in The County Clare Irish Pub (Milwaukee) by fergal Scahill and Karen & Mike from Palatine, Illinois.
Video find directly from Fergal Scahill : a tune a day 2019, day 61
https://www.facebook.com/FergalScahillMusic/videos/574595999688869/?v=574595999688869
not yet on youtube

The precise name of the page is : Fergal’s tune a day 2019 (day 61), from Fergal Scahill Music

which should be Day 62… and not Day 61 as written on Fergal’s page. It should be corrected soon.

Actually there is a confusion of date on Fergal’s page and it might become Day 62…

I did this setting trying to keep it simple and trying to avoid rolls as much as possible. Not sure where exactly I got the melody line, maybe from Galway city sessions, I see it is not too different from the one Fergal Scahill plays for example.