The Rover Reformed jig

“Directions for Dancing Country Dances” ~ 1718-1728
John Young, Dancing Master

http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/ROU_ROZ.htm

I don’t have my copies of Playford, wait, I do, and Walsh. If I can dig them out I’ll be back with the dance…

The first Couple Right Hands and Left with the 2nd Couple, All lead up and turn single _.

The 2nd Couple cross over and Figure through the first Couple _:

The first Couple take Hands and lead down the Middle to the 3rd Woman, and turn her round, then lead up to the Top and cast off _.

Source ~ one of the many Playford productions in print…
There, I said I’d be back with it… 😉

by Robin Williamson
Oak Publications OK63164
Music Sales, 1986
ISBN: 0825601657
Dafydd’s source for this tune, from the flexidisc insert, now a CD…

But, here it is in his words, better put than I could:

“Ah,that one. I think that it was on a flexidisc (now I’m showing my age) that someone gave me in the 1970’s. I don’t have it anymore but I think that it was Robin Williamson,but I’m not sure.” Regards, Dafydd

Jordi Savali provides an elegant version in “Celtic Viol II”

Composed by John Playford (1623-1686).

From the playing of Boldwood, on the album “Community Dances”.

It was a welcome surprise to find the wonderful Boldwood version of the Playford (John Young 2nd Edition Number 301) tune here. An excellent transcription. I would tentatively suggest a very slight tweak to the ABC in the C part (they split the B part into 2 in their version as AABBCC). They seem to me to go ABc cBA|BAB G2A| The A in place of the c sounds better. I tried several choices to come to that note. Just seems to fit better to their playing. Most of that bar is a flourish not in the original anyway. Hope there’s no offense taken.

Here’s a youtube link to the Boldwood version. It comes after Lannigan’s Ball, starting around 1 min 33 secs, so there’s a slight Irish connection! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcMieSam_jI

play video