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Jennie’s Frolics reel

By Joseph Lowe

Also known as Cat’s Got The Measles, The Cat’s Got The Measles, The Devil’s Fling, Jenny’s Frolics, Johnny When You Die, Keel Row, The Keel Row Highland Fling, The Keel Row Highland, The Keel Row, Smiling Polly, Weel May The Keel Row, Well May The World Go, Yorkshire Lad, The Yorkshire Lad.

There are 12 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

Jennie’s Frolics has been added to 3 tune sets.

Jennie's Frolics has been added to 44 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Two settings

1
X: 1
T: Jennie's Frolics
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
c2Ac d2Bd|c2Ac BEEB|c2Ac d2Bd|cABG A2A2|
c2Ac d2dd|c2Ac BEEB|c2Ac d2Bd|cABG A2A2||
ceeg f2ed|c2Ac BEEB|ceeg f2ed|cABG A2A2|
ceeg f2ed|c2Ac BEEB|cdeg f2ef|g2fg afed||
2
X: 2
T: Jennie's Frolics
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:GA|B2 GB c2Ac|B2 GB AF D2|B2 GB c2Ac|BGAF G2:|
|:GA|Bddg e2dc|B2 GB AF D2|Bddg e2dc|BGAF G2:|

Nine comments

A lively 18c reel from the Rice-Walsh manuscript and published in Paul Alday’s “A Pocket Volume of Airs,Duets,Songs,Marches”, Dublin 1800.
It is probably a variant of variant of “Well May the Keel Row”, a North of England song tune.

Oops! Delete “of variant” above.

A possible variation is to change the high g# in bars 1, 3, 5 and 7 of the B part to g nat.

Jennie’s Frolics

I know this one as The Keel Row, a strathspey played in A mix.

“The Keel Row” / “Jenny’s Frolics” in A

X: 2
T: Jennie’s Frolics
T: Keel Row, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: strathspey, highland schottische/fling, reel
K: Amaj
|: (3fed |\
c2 A>c d2 B>d | c2 A>c B>EE>B |
c2 A>c d2 B>d | c>AB>G A2 :|
|: e>d |\
c>ee>g f2 e>d | c2 A>c B>EE>B |
[1 c>ee>g f2 e>d | c>AB>G A2 :|
[2 c>de>g f2 e>f | g2 f>g a2 |]

Jennie’s Frolics

This tune, note for note with that posted, goes by the name of “Johnny When You Die” in O’Neill’s Waifs And Strays.

The Keel Row, X:2

This setting is from Dan Herlihy’s 2003 publication of manuscripts given to Padraig O’Keeffe’s pupils (page 40 tune 3). It is listed as a reel. It appears to have a name - Kelró which looks like broken Irish (Gaeilge) for Keel Row. Another title in Irish reads something like “An cicoan cú”, but that is little more a guess. Cú is usually a hound.