Willy Atkinson’s Schottische barndance

Will Atkinson - border shepherd - mouth-organ extrordinaire
https://thesession.org/recordings/display/2524

Whether he wrote the tune or where he heard it, no-one knows? Whatever, it bears his name now.

Alister Anderson played this and said that Will Atkinson remembered it from a very young age, something like six years old, before he played any instument. He had heard it at a Kirn Supper, end of harvest get together. I’ve got it named as the Kirn Supper Schottische on an old tape but that’s probably just what I made up from the story for want of any specific name.
Nick

That name will do for me, though I seem to remember this one with a few differences, if not a name, as yet. I’m not sure where I first learned this. I’d love to see a transcription of how Alistaire Anderson plays it. Has he recorded it anywhere? Here’s some of the ways I find myself taking it ~

X: 2
T: Will Atkinson’s Schottische
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: schottische
K: Gmaj
|: D>G |\
B2 B2 B<dd>B | c>Bc<d e2 f>e | d2 (3gfe d>cB>A | G>A (3BAG D2 D>G |
B2 B2 B<dd>B | c>Bc<d e2 f>e | d>gf>e (3ded (3cBA | G2 g2 G2 :|
|: d>B |\
c<AF>A D2 e>^c | d<BG>B D2 g2 | (3fgf A>B c2 e2 | e<d^c>d B2 d>B |
c<A (3FGA D2 e>^c | d<B (3GBd g2 a>g | (3fgf A>B c<de>f | g2 d2 G2 :|
|: (3FGA |\
B2 B2 B2 A>G | F>^EF>G A2- A>B | c2 c2 (3cdc (3cBA | G>DG>A B>D (3FGA |
B2 B>^A (3BcB =A>G | F>^EF>G A>^GA>B | c2 c2 c2 (3DEF | G>gd>B G2 :|

I heard this played at a session last time I was in Northumberland. It’s stuck in my head ever since. Next time I go there I’ll ask them to play it again and see if I can note down the ABC and whether they have a different name for it.

Memory is slightly selective, having found my practise tape of Alistair Anderson playing it, I found I had Will Atkinson playing the tune aswell. Track 3 of ‘Will Atkinson - Mouthorgan’ 1989 titled simply Scottische sleeve notes for this track are :-
‘In fact he remembers learning the Schottische at the age of 8, long before he could play an instrument, but he whistled and danced to it and it has stayed in his memory ever since.’ - Alistair Anderson
The ‘Kirn Supper’ comment came from a longer version of this anecdote when Alistair played it.
Nick

I’ve done a bit of detective work for this one and found that Will Atkinson probably got this (or at least the 1st and 3rd parts of it) from an old recording of Michael Gorman playing a tune he called James Gannon’s Barndance (#1). In modern CD format it can be found on track 6 of this recording https://thesession.org/recordings/display/1163. It has also been recorded by Matt Cranitch and Jackie Daly under the title "Green Mountain Boys" on this recording https://thesession.org/recordings/display/3728. Not sure where the middle part comes from though.

https://thesession.org/tunes/3536

Nice one Doc, appreciated… 🙂 ~ and you’ve added the link on the other side too…

X:3 - The version as played at the session at the Golden Guinea pub, Redcliffe, Bristol (UK).

It’s the same version as in the tunebook: "Hardcore English".

In that book is says: "From the playing of Northumbrian mouth organ player Will Atkinson."

Barndance ~ Will Atkinson’s Schottische, played on the English Concertina, Mandolin, Fiddle & Hammered Dulcimer.

A two part version of this tune is also played in Ireland, known as James Gannon’s Barndance or the Green Mountain Boys. … See Dr Dow’s comment above for links to those.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ0x0j4yAwM

play video

Cheers,
Dick