The Eagle’s Whistle waltz

Source: Michael Tubridy
Transcription: g.m.p.

Tune requested by Kath

MARCH, not polka.

Gian Marco, this tune is usually played as a 3/4 March which I know sounds like a contradiction unless you have 3 legs. There are several settings around but most often it is in my experience, encountered as a 3/4 March. There is one old setting from pre-1885 that was in 2/4. I don’t know if that proves that this was the authentic Marching version. There are a few other examples of 3/4/or 6/8 marches.
The punchline is that as an O’Donovan I have to point out that this is the O’Donovan Clan March so I have to be excused if the tune gets me a little fired up in sessions.
Cheers
Donough

I have to support Odono on this one. This is a very special, very beautiful old march tune that dates back at least 300 years.

I have nothing against it being recycled as a Polka, but it’s worth learning as the grand old clan march.

sigh!

I was at workshops with Cathal McConnell of Boys of the Lough and he taught this tune. He played it in 3/4 then 4/4. He had the class playing first time round the first part in 3/4 then the repeat in 4/4 and same with the second part. A wee bit of a challenge for the rhythm players.

I also know this tune learned from Peter Phelan, Dublin Piper
in his class many moons ago as a March and a quite lovely one at that.

Here’s a simple take on the tune in 3/4:

T: Eagle’s Whistle, The
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: march
K: Gmaj
|: ed |
B2 dB AG | B2 dB AG | B2 AA Bd | B2 AA GA |
B2 dB AG | B2 dB Ad | A2 GG Bd | A2 GG Bd |
g2 ed Bd | g2 ed BG | B2 AA Bd | B2 A2 (3Bcd |
gd ed (3Bcd | g2 ed BD | A2 G2 Bd | AG G2 :|

More information about this tune (and more titles) can be found at
https://thesession.org/tunes/4192 and https://thesession.org/tunes/9853

Does any-one out there know if there is a particular story - folktale or legend - attached to this tune? Such an evocative title is worthy of one.

I don’t know about any eagle’s whistle story but there are stories connected to this tune. See: https://thesession.org/tunes/9853/ (9/8 version) or https://thesession.org/tunes/4192 (3/4 version) for references to Seamus Ennis’s father story or the fairy origin of the tune on the Isle of Man.

http://youtu.be/wCECUeBB9UI

play video

This tune can be written in 3/4 or 9/8 not 2/4.

This tune CAN be written in 2/4 or 4/4 if you listen to the source recording (Michael Tubridy, The Eagle’s Whistle 1978). It may be more commonly heard as a 3/4 tune, but it exists in other forms as well.

I’ve edited my original post to 4/4 as this sounds better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjVbIpiwmSU

play video

Beautiful treatment here.

Anyone happen to know what tuning Caoimhín uses on his hardanger fiddle for this tune (from his album "Where the One-eyed Man Is King)? It doesn’t seem to be the standard "B E B F#" nor normal violin tuning of "G D A E."

As played by Jenna Moynihan on her album Woven.

Prefer the slower version, as in the video posted by Jason van Steenwyk above: they are playing in A which is the key I’ve most often heard it in. Sounds nice on Lowland pipes too.
3/4 marches (and even 9/8 and 5/4) : perfectly possible to march to them, albeit asymmetric: one pace per beat! (Or per dotted crotchet in the case of 9/8s).

from the version played by Boys of the Lough and Aly Bain

(it’s also the version played by Blazin Fiddles on their album Magnficent Seven)

Haunting arrangement by Adam Agee and Jon Sousa on their album Suantrai. A clip is here but do check out the album version. I am really struggling to hear how he is playing this?

https://youtu.be/IkauC1BNxKU

play video

I’m new to this tune, is it usually 3/4 or 4/4? I think I’ve heard both. Also how old is it? It sounds rather old to me. Is it Scottish?

I think you’ll find your answers in the posts (and links) higher up the thread, Kaeleigh.
I learned it in 3/4, but see what others have said. Irish, I think.

Has anyone added guitar chords to The Eagle’s Whistle? (Not needed for my flute, but my guitar-playing friends get cranky when they are left out. ;) )

-Thom

Try this (based on X:3):
: G - - /Em7 - - /Am7 - - /D7 - -
G - - /Em7 - - /G - D7/[1]G - - ://[2] G - -
: C - - /Em7 - - /Am7 - - /D - -
C - - /Em7 - - /G - D /[1]G - G7 ://[2] G - -

Thanks Bazza!

Interesting to hear how ‘The Eagle’s Whistle’, that ancient Irish clan March of the O’Donovan’s, of Co. Limerick, evolved into the jolly Old Time Appalachian tune - ‘Bonaparte’s Retreat’.

I played both tunes here on Hammered Dulcimer, English Concertina, Tenor Guitar, Fiddle & Tenor Banjo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFrlxx0-l3c

play video

Cheers,
Dick

@Caiterzmarie - You’ve probably figured this out by now, but I believe Adam and Jon are playing this in F - so something like this:

|:C | A2 cAGF | A2 CAGF | G2 GAGF | G2 GAGF |
A2 CAGF | A2 CAGA | F2 FAGA |1 F2 C2 C2 :|2F2 FGAC||

@Caitersmarie and nmcshea: indeed Adam Agee and Jon Sousa play this tune in F. The way Adam makes his fiddle sound so haunting is by tuning the fiddle down a whole step to F-C-G-D. That way it’s the same fingering you’d use to play it in G.

One addendum to the above comment….Adam’s top string is actually tuned to C, so the tuning is F-C-G-C. That gives more droning options. To play it in G, you could cross-tune your fiddle to G-D-A-D to get a similar effect.

Just found this tune under ‘waltz’ having failed to find it under ‘marches’. A bit strange as it is apparently the clan march of the O’ Donovan’s ……………?