Hector The Hero waltz

This is from the Johnny Cunningham performance on the CD " Celtic Fiddle Festival - Encore", Track 3 with Kevin Burke and Christian LaMaitre. One of my all time favorite airs. I take the blame for any errors in the transcription as I learned it second hand and had to adjust it once I actually heard Cunningham’s version.

I like this Scottish song performed on flute and guitar, but it’s clearly a fiddle tune, a favourite, i hear, in funerals. Here’s a simpler version which i collated from a few different sources and fixed up a little. Also some history about Hector MacDonald and one set of words, chords, etc.

Notice that i put a couple of rolls in at the end of certain phrases. I play those rolls at glacial speed (i.e.: very slow).

You can repeat the first part on the high octave if you want, i think that’s one of the ways it’s done usually.

There’s also some more info in the "fiddler’s companion", as well as still another ABC, more fiddle-y with doublestops and stuff.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?S11256F23

Enjoy!

X:1
T:Hector the Hero
R:waltz
C:J.S.Skinner
H:Chronology from Nigel Gatherer
H:Major-General Hector A. MacDonald
H:1857 - Born in the Black Ilse
H:1870 - Enlisted in 92nd Gordon Highlanders
H:1879 - Served as a colour-sergeant in the Afghan War
H:1880 - Promoted to 2nd Lieutenant at end of Afghan War
H:1881 - Mentioned in despatches in 1st Boer Ware, South Africa
H:1885 - Led military expedition up Nile (Sudan)
H:1888 - Took part in Battle of Sunkin (Sudan)
H:1889 - Won Distinguished Service Order (DSO) medal (Sudan service)
H:1891 - Took part in Battle of Tokar (Sudan)
H:1896 - Led 2nd Infantry Brigade - the Dunglen Expeditionary Force (Sudan).
H: Was now a Brigadier-General. May have been promoted about this time.
H:1897/98 - Khartoum - Battle of Omdurman
H:1898 - ADC (Ade de Camp) to the Queen (Victoria)
H:1899 - Served as a Brigadier-General in Sirhind area of India
H:1900 - Served as a Major-General with Highland Brigade in South Africa
H:1901 - Knighted
H:1902 - Served as a Major-General with forces in Ceylon
H:1903 - Accused of being a homosexual. Committed suicide.
H:Sources: Campbell, David, "Major-Gneral Hector A. MacDonald", Douglas Howard, London, 1903.
H: Chambers Biographical Dictionary.
N:With help from versions of
N:and James Allwright’s ABC version of the Nottingham Music Database.
O:Scotland
M:3/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=105
K:D
D/E/ | "D"F3/2E/D | "G"B2A/F/ | "D"~A3 | "D"A2D/E/ | "Bm"F2E/D/ | "G"B2A/F/ |
"Em"~E3 | "A"E2F/A/ | "Bm"F3/2E/D | "G"B2A/F/ | "D"A2D | "G"d2B | "D"A2D/F/ |
"A"E2D | "D"D3- | "D"~D2 :: F/A/ | "G"B2G/B/ | "G"d2c/B/ | "D"A2-A/B/ | "D"A2F/A/ |
"Bm"B2A/F/ | "Bm"A2D/F/ | "Em"E2-E/F/ | "A"E2F/A/ | "Bm"B2G/B/ | "G"d2c/B/ |1
"D"A2G/F/ | "G"d2G | "D"F2D/F/ | "A"E2D | "D"D3- | "D"D2 :|2 "D"A2D | "G"d2B | "D"A2D/F/ | "A"E2D | "D"D3- | "D"D2 |]
W:Lament him, ye mountains of Ross-shire;
W:Your tears be the dew and the rain;
W:Ye forests and straths, let the sobbing winds
W:Unburden your grief and pain.
W:Lament him, ye warm-hearted clansmen,
W:And mourn for a kinsman so true
W:The pride of the Highlands, the valiant MacDonald
W:Will never come back to you.
W:
W:O, wail for the mighty in battle,
W:Loud lift ye the Coronach strain;
W:For Hector, the Hero, of deathless fame,
W:Will never come back again.
W:
W:Lament him, ye sons of old Scotia,
W:Ye kinsmen on many a shore;
W:A patriot-warrior, fearless of foe,
W:Has fallen to rise no more.
W:O cherish his triumph and glory
W:On Omdurman’s death-stricken plain,
W:His glance like the eagle’s, his heart like the lion’s
W:His laurels a nation’s gain.
W:
W:O, wail for the mighty in battle,
W:Loud lift ye the Coronach strain;
W:For Hector, the Hero, of deathless fame,
W:Will never come back again.
W:
W:O rest thee, brave heart, in thy slumber,
W:Forgotten shall ne’er be thy name;
W:The love and the mercy of Heaven be thine;
W:Our love thou must ever claim.
W:To us thou art Hector the Hero,
W:The chivalrous, dauntless, and true;
W:The hills and the glens, and the hearts of a nation,
W:Re-echo the wail for you.
W:
W:O, wail for the mighty in battle,
W:Loud lift ye the Coronach strain;
W:For Hector, the Hero, of deathless fame,
W:Will never come back again.

A real hero this guy. His career reads like an inspiration for the writer Bernard Cornwell’s fictional character Richard Sharpe ! The uniforms and weapons of his day may have changed radically, but,unfortunately, the intolerance of some sections of his society that led to his death is still alive and kicking.

I heard this song played in Cape Breton by Buddy MacMaster, a long time ago - didn’t realize it had words, but it’s always a lovely tune

I heard this played at the Military Tattoo in 2002 by a solo fiddle player on a single microphone at Ednburgh Castle in front of full stadium and the second time through he was backed up by over 600 bagpipers. I can tell you the hair stood up on the back of my neck, and I saw people weep at the beauty of it.

For myself, I play it in Key of G, and after I played on a flute at a concert in 1992, a patron offered to but my flute from me. I still have that flute.

Please note the alternative title. :-)

I thought this was a strathspey ?

I believe it was composed as an air, and therefore with no specific time-signature. Waltz is probably closest, but it loses a lot if played too "regularly". Pretty sure it was never a strathspey though. In passing, I don’t think "John J’s" alternative title is either necessary or funny.

Sorry, Kenny. That was an "in joke" by others in a recent discussion here so I was just carrying it on, so to speak. On reflection, it was in bad taste as it’s a lovely tunes.

I think I’ve been muddling this up with Sweetness of Mary.

That’s it ! It’s down on the Bothy Band album as a Strathsey !

Yeah, it seems usually played in G, at least in Cape Breton. Fiddlers love to play the first part one actave lower. D major may be best for solo flute.

Here’s a plain setting in G:

K: Gmaj
GA|B3 AG2|e3 dB2|d6-|d4 GA|B3 AG2|e3 dB2|A6-|A4 GA|
B3 AG2|e3 dB2|d3 GA2|B g3 e2|d3 GB2|A4 G2|G6-|G4:|
Bd|e3 fe2|g3 fe2|d6-|d4 Bd|e3 dB2|d3 GB2|A6-|A4 Bd|
e3 fe2|g3 fe2|d3 GA2|B g3 e2|d3 GB2|A4 G2|G6-|G4:|

I still can’t believe Scott Skinner composed such a simple tune.

BegF is wrong above. The Bothy Band played this as an air - which it is - not a strathspey. The strathspey they played was "The Laird O’ Drumblair".

and Skinner composed it in the key of A.

There is a good video of James Alexander playing Hector the Hero at http://www.celtscot.ed.ac.uk/fiddle/clips.htm

Just wanted to clarify what the notation "4 slide" in this tune means - does it imply 4th finger on fiddle sliding down from the A on the D string to the open D ?

.anyone know what ‘4slide’ means in the notation?

domnull, I think that your theory from Sept. 20 is correct — slide your pinky down from an A.

You can view JScottSkinners original manuscript for this at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/scottskinner/display.php?ID=JSS0176

It’s written as a 6/8 Coronach. Not a waltz, and definitely not a Strathspey! Just goes to show that common lowest denominator is maybe fine for imperial measurements but not when it comes to music….otherwise we’d be playing 1/2 marches, 1/1 reels, and 3/2 ballads.

The website http://www.abdn.ac.uk/scottskinner is a fantastic resource, and you can even hear recordings of the man himself.

Sometimes 3/4 does better justice to a melody than the previously used 6/8, as does 4/4 for some black and dense scores that were originally scored as 2/4. It doesn’t reduce the quaility or pleasure in a good tune, it just works better in some cases, IMHO…

Yes, one of my favourite sites sandhbell, brilliant, priceless…

X:1
T:Hector the Hero
S:Kevin Burke
R:waltz
M:3/4
L:1/4
K:D
z D/E/ |\
F3/2E/D | B3/2A/2F | (A3 | A2)D/E/ |\
F3/2E/D | B3/2A/F | (E3 | E2)D/E/ |
F3/2E/D | B3/2A/F | A D E | F/d3/2B |\
A/D3/2F/G/ | E2-E/D/ | D3- | D3/2 :|!
|: A/ d/c/ |\
B3/2A/B | d3/2c/B | A2 B | A2F/A/ |\
B2A/F/ | A D F/D/ | (E3 | E3/2) A/ d/c/ |!
B3/2A/B | d3/2c/B | ADE |F/d3/2B |\
A/D3/2F/G/ | E2-E/D/ | D3- | D3/2 :|!

X: 3
T: Hector The Hero
T: Hero, The
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: air
K: DMaj
|: z DE |\
F3 E D2 | B2 A3 F | A6- | A4 DE |\
F3 E D2 | BA- A2 F2 | E6- | E4 D>E |
F2 (3EFE D2 | B2 A3 F | AD- D2- DE | Fd- d2- dB |\
AD- D2 D/E/F | E4- ED | D6- | D3 :|
|: A dc |\
B3 ^A Bc | d2 (3cdc B2 | A6- | A4 AB |\
AD- D2- DF | Ad- d2- dF | E6- | E3 A dc |
B3 ^A Bc | d2 c2 B2 | AD- D2- DE | Fd- d2- dB |\
AD- D2 F<G | E4- ED | D6- | D3 :|

This air seems to be played in A major/mixolydian for the most part down in Cape Breton. Dougie MacDonald plays it in A mixolydian on his CD "A Miner." He plays it crossed tuned AEAE as well.

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards did a version of this song, and it is amazing. So emotional.

I bought the CD titled "Kavan From Cavan" and Kavan Donoghue plays a stunning version of this tune, when I first heard it, the world suddenly fell silent and all I could hear was this beautiful melody. It’s just a beautiful rendition. The dots I have submitted are as close as I could get them to Kavan’s beautiful playing.

hearing that fiddle pulse … Nice

I just love this version of it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCwut-wg7fE

play video

in 6/8…

N: Added by paul95 27/11/15 - adjusted from 6/8 to 3/4 for comparison’s sake…

A friend gave me a CD with a Tommy Peoples version of this, starts on Bb, a beautiful haunting version. Can’t find it online, am learning it, have decided to learn this version. Anyone familiar with it and what do you think?