A Ha’penny For A Cotton Ball reel

Also known as A Halfpenny For A Cotton Ball, A Letter From Home, Pride Of Roxbury.

There are 7 recordings of this tune.

A Ha’penny For A Cotton Ball appears in 1 other tune collection.

A Ha’penny For A Cotton Ball has been added to 2 tune sets.

A Ha'penny For A Cotton Ball has been added to 8 tunebooks.

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Three settings

1
X: 1
T: A Ha'penny For A Cotton Ball
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
(GA)|:B2 BA Bc d2|efed ef g2|BcBA GAB(G|1 AG)EF G2 (GA):|2 AG)EF G2 d2||
gfed edBd|gfed e2 (ef)|{a}g(fed) edBA|BGEF G2 (ef)|
{a}gfe(d ed)Bd|gfed e2 (ef)|gbaf gfed|egfa g2 (GA)||
2
X: 2
T: A Ha'penny For A Cotton Ball
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
F2FE FGAd|B2BA BcdA|F2FE DEFD|1 EDB,C D3E:|2 EDFE D3c||
dcBA BAFA|dcBA B3c|dcBA BAFD|EDCE D2FA|
dcBA BAFA|dcBA B3c|dfed cedc|B3c dBAG||
3
X: 3
T: A Ha'penny For A Cotton Ball
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
F2FE FGA2|B2BA Bdd2|F2FE DEFD|EDB,C D3E|
F2FE FGA2|B2BA B2AG|F2FE DEFD|EDEF D2FA||
dcBA BAFA|dcBA B3c|dcBA BAFD|EDEF DEFA|
ddcd BAFA|dfed B3c|dfed cdec|BABc dcAG||

Nine comments

A Ha’penny For A Cotton Ball

Pleasant reel from O‘Neill’s Music Of Ireland (the 1850), where it is #1279. It also appears in O’Neill’s Waifs And Strays, where it goes by the name of A Letter From Home. Maybe it’s just coincidence, but it does remind me of the reel Far From Home (https://thesession.org/tunes/1164).

Gan Ainm

A lovely simple reel from session recording. Seems very familiar but couldn’t find a version of it, any names or sources appreciated!

Re: Gan Ainm

Unusual setting of “The Roving Bachelor” ? [ 2nd of the 2 “Tommy Peoples” reels which start the Frankie Kennedy / Mairead ni Mhaonaigh recording “Ceol Aduaidh”].

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Re: Gan Ainm

I can see some similarities to it alright. I’m not sure there’s enough to make it a setting of it though! Particularly as the first part has a very different switch to a B (G maj/B min) in the second bar. And the phrases in the second part head towards different notes too.

Re: Pride Of Roxbury

From Nathan and Laura’s liner notes, this the same as:
https://thesession.org/tunes/15067
Which is in O‘Neills twice (different publications) as A Letter From Home and Ha’penny for a Cotton Ball.

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Re: A Ha’penny For A Cotton Ball

Never spotted this at the time. Cheers!