Farewell Marian waltz

Nice, and unusual, changes from what is effectively 6-8 to 3-4 and back again.

Nice, and unusual, changes from what is effectively 6-8 to 3-4 and back again. Guaranteed to baffle the less than competent rhythm player!

Trevor,
that’s a strange but intersting tune - where does it come from?
The classification as Fmaj waltz is a possibility to show it here, but I think it’s neither nor.
Thanks for posting!

Sorry Urs, I didn’t post it! Bunyip did. I merely commented (twice, apparently, for some mysterious computer reason!) on a rather interesting and compelling rhythmic structure.
Trevor

PS A bit more research reveals that this is a Welsh tune that Bunyip has posted Dafydd’s new Welsh tune site http://www.welshtraditionalmusic.com/, and the entry there will give more details. BTW, the correct translation of the Welsh title is “Farewell to the Shore” - “marian” means “shore” or “stony ground” in Welsh, and apparently isn’t a personal name in this context.

the tune is from the welsh tunes book Blodaur Grug.

there are two variations of the title: ‘ffarwel marian’ meaning ‘farewell marian’ and ‘ffarwel i’r marion‘ meaning ’farewell to the shore’

its a waltz but i just said its in fmajor as i dont really understand modes yet.

there are some beautiful in welsh tradition and fairplay to dafydd for making a good website for them

I always thought of this piece as Scandinavian and I have been led to believe that. Thanks for the clarificiation.

Gwyn Williams, Bangor
Cymdeithas Ddawns Werin Cymru, 1967

Waltz - “Ffarwèl i’r Marian”
Dance - “Ffarwèl Marian”

“Dawnsie Twmpath” (55 Welsh Folk Dances)
Eddie Jones
Y Lolfa, 1987 - page 66

Waltz - “Ffarwèl i’r Marian”
Dance - “Ffarwèl Marian”

“Blodau’r Grug: 100 Popular Welsh Folk Dance Tunes”
Cymdeithas Ddawns Werin Cymru
The Welsh Folk Dance Society, 1992

Waltz, page 20, #34 - both names given
“Ffarwèl Marian” & “Ffarwèl i’r Marian”

In Cymru, and I was reminded of this by noelbats, these two are often found together in a set of two or more waltzes…

“Merch Megan”
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on November 20th 2006 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/6395

There was another that was often in the mix but it does not come to mind at the moment…

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on December 1st 2006 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/6444

“changes from what is effectively 6-8 to 3-4 and back again.”

Actually, I think the note groupings have gone a little awry. The sections that look like 6/8 are actually 3/4 - it should be
x-x x-x x-x,
not
x-x-x x-x-x

if you get my drift.

“The classification as Fmaj waltz is a possibility to show it here, but I think it’s neither nor.”

D minor, rather than F-major (although there is a brief modulation to the relative major in the 1st bar of the B-part). As for whether or not it’s a waltz, that’s a matter for the dance experts. It’s in 3/4, so you probably could dance a waltz to it, if it were played at the right speed. But, if i had to assign a dance form to it, I’d call it a minuet.

What a mess. I’m surprised I didn’t deal with this sooner. 😏 ~ or you for that matter dear CMO? - or anyone else with a sense of this. 😀 I’m adding bunyip’s copy from “Blodau’r Grug: 100 Popular Welsh Folk Dance Tunes” but without that collections way with it, which, different from Bunyip’s only in groupings, has things grouped in 6s rather than 3s ~ in other words:

|: AdA=B^cd | e2 A4 | fgfede | ^c2 A4 |
AdAGAF | BdBABG | FA F2 E2 | D6 :|

As I’m doing that I might as well also give additional emphasis to the 3/4 of this waltz by just one other consistent change, keeping to the 3 beats to a bar:
| A2 c3 A | ~ to ~ | A2 c2- cA |

This is one we regularly played with others for a big circle mixer given the Welsh name “Clawdd Offa” / “Offa’s Dyke”, another borrowed dance, and one that also has a wide spread across different continents.