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Carolan’s Favourite jig

By Turlough O’Carolan

Also known as Carolan’s Favorite, Planxty Mary O’ Neill, Planxty Mary O’Neill.

There are 13 recordings of this tune.

Carolan’s Favourite has been added to 2 tune sets.

Carolan's Favourite has been added to 36 tunebooks.

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Three settings

1
X: 1
T: Carolan's Favourite
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
A|dAG F2D|G2E F2D|dAG F2D|E3 GFE|
dAG F2D|G2E F2D|GAB cBA GEc|E/F/GE||
f2d d/e/fd|afd e/f/ge|f2d d/e/fd|gec efg|
fed edc|dcB cBA|GAB cBA|GEc E/F/GE||
FED d2D|FED d2D|FED d2D|GEc E/F/GE|
FED d2D|e2A f2A|g2A f2A|GEc E/F/GE||
# Added by JACKB .
2
X: 2
T: Carolan's Favourite
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
dAG F2D|G2E F2D|dAG F2D|ECE GFE|
dAG F2D|G2E F2D|GAB cBA|GEC EGE||
f2d dfd|afd ege|f2d d/e/fd|gec ege|
fed edc|dcB cBA|GAB cBA|GEC EGE||
FED d2D|FED d2D|FED d2D|GEC EGE|
FED d2A|e2A f2A|g2A f2A|GEC EGE||
# Added by Jesse .
3
X: 3
T: Carolan's Favourite
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
A|dAG F2D|{EF}G2E F2D|dAG F2D|ECE GFE|
dAG F2D|{EF}G2E F2D|GAB cBA GEC|E/F/GE||
f2d d/e/fd|afd e/f/ge|f2d d/e/fd|gec efg|
fed edc|dcB cBA|GAB cBA|GEC E/F/GE||
FED {F}d2D|FED {F}d2D|FED {F}d2D|GEC E/F/GE|
FED d2D|e2A f2D|g2A f2D|GEC E/F/GE||
# Added by Moxhe .

Seven comments

C#s?

Shouldn’t the Cs in the first six measures of the first part be sharp? The version in O’Neill’s sounds right to me.

C#s?

I assume you mean the second part, not the first. Harps were diatonic in O’Carolan’s time (levers were invented much later), so if any of the Cs are natural, they all are.

Chromaticism in O’Carolan’s tunes

GaryAMartin-According to Bunting, harps of the time were frequently tuned to include the raised 4th and/or flatted 7th scale degrees. While some maintain that the chromatics in many of O’Carolan tunes were Bunting’s additions it seems to me that he took great pains and pride in researching the music to try to be as accurate as possible-at least that’s the way he presents himself.

C’s

Play them how YOU think they sound best! There is no RIGHT or WRONG.

Posted by .

Carolan’s Favourite, X:3

Here is the version of “Mary O’Neill or Carolan’s Favourite Jig” as published by Donal O’Sullivan in O’Carolan. The Life Times and Music of an Irish Harper, Cork, 2001, p. 175, no. 137.
About the Cs, O’Sullivan writes (p. 273) : “The original has a key-signature of two sharps, but the note C is marked natural in bars 7, 8, 15, 16 and 24, and also where it first occurs in bar 14.”
Therefore, I think these C’s must be played natural. Don’t forget O’Carolan’s tunes were written…

Posted by .