The Sailor’s Wife jig

… at least that’s the way we play it at the Starry Plough in Berkeley on Sunday nights….

Great tune either way!

This tune was used in Joss Whedon’s 2003 science fiction TV series ‘Firefly’ - in the episode called ‘Safe’ as a dance tune being played on a planetary colony some 500 years in the future. Nice to know traditional tunes have that kind of staying power.
🙂

Jacey Bedford

"Gan Ainm"
Key signature: d minor
Submitted on October 18th 2007 by cilla.
~ /tunes/7875

X: 1
T: Gan Ainm
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: mazurka (jig)
K: d minor
A, |:
(this transcription was identical to the one that next follows as 6/8)

This lovely unknown tune ~ I learned this sweet but sad tune in Edinburgh around 1982 when I lived there for the year. I wish I knew it’s name. I’ve been playing it ever since. It’s not really a mazurka, but it’s not a waltz either. Maybe a dirge? I’m so bad at remembering names. Hope the key is right, too, not so great at that either. But I love this tune. Also, does anyone know what type of tune it is (air, waltz?) I love this site, you all are a wealth of information, and I’m learning lots following the discussions. Well here it is, it took me all day to figure out the ABCs…

X: 2
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dm
O: Scottish
S: The Folk Song Society, Edinburgh @ 1982
A, |:
DEF E2 D | d2 e f2 g | agf edc | AcA GEC |
DEF E2 D | d2 e f2 g | afd efe | d3 d3 :|
|: fga fga | fga agf | efg efg | efg gfe |
fga agf | efg gfe | fdf e=ce | d3 d2 :|

# Posted on October 18th 2007 by cilla

The Sailor’s Wife
Sorry it’s already here in e minor, though Alasdair Fraser plays it in d minor as you transcribed it.

# Posted on October 18th 2007 by Pere

QUESTION ~ what exactly is copyrighted by The Folk Song Society of Edinburgh? Is this a recent compositions by someone, and if so, by who? Or, is this more of that silliness of changing a few notes and copyrighting the ‘arrangement’? 😏

I like this version from Jack Campin’s "illustrated tutorial on modes and tonality in Scottish music" www.campin.me.uk.
It uses sharp leading notes, and has (to my ears) a more traditional Scottish B part.

X:1
T:The Sailor’s Wife
M:6/8
L:1/8
Q:3/8=112
K:DMin
% hexatonic, sharpened C leading notes
E|DEF E2D|d2e f2g|agf edc |AcA GEC|
DEF E2D|d2e f2g|agf ed^c|d3 D2:|
e|f>ga fga|fga agf|ecg ecg |ecg gfe|
f>ga agf|efg gfe|def ed^c|d3 D2:|

http://www.campin.me.uk/

K: Dmin

Just in case anyone was wondering, but I haven’t a clue who the band is. If you play winds, flute or whistle, don’t take the supposedly ‘easy’ option of playing this on a C instrument, it is much nice played on a standard old D flute or whistle, and much cooler, especially the light slur from E to F natural… It ain’t difficult either… Have fun giving it a go, in the past and speculative future sense…

Aside from being a recent convert to "Firefly", we’ve come across this jig being played for early and Scottish country dance (Playford and RSCDS approved and regulated ~ and not), New England/American contras, and Maritime quadrilles (Cape Breton and its neighbours)…

Another take in d minor can be found here, a lovely little collection of assorted dance tunes, now in 2 volumes ~

"The Portland Collection (#1):
Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest"
Susan Songer & Clyde Curley ~ who regularly play for contra dances in Portland, Oregon and elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest…

Page 171: "The Sailor’s Wife"
There are welcomed notes on all tunes, including this tune on page 272

I have yet to chase up volume 2, but going by volume 1, I’m sure it will be a valued addition to our library… 😉

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M1sOgK4haTU

play video

An early sighting here:-
http://folkopedia.efdss.org/wiki/List_of_historical_tunebooks,_some_of_which_are_available_on_the_internet

X:189
T:New Shields. JJo4.189
M:6/4
L:1/4
B:J.Johnson Choice Collection Vol 4, 1748
Z:vmp.Mike Hicken 2014 www.village-music-project.org.uk
N:* two repeat signs are shown in the original
Q:3/4=100
K:Dm
DEF!trill!E2D |d2ef2g|agf edc|Afd cAF|
DEF!trill!E2D |d2ef2g|agf ed^c|d3D3 :|
|:fga fga|fga !trill!g2f| ecg ecg|ecg !trill!f2e|
fga agf|efg gfe|fga Ad^c|d3D3 "*":|

This what I heard from Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas version.

Starts about 25s in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RSX1O-XrfE

play video

Some combination of variations from Alasdair Fraser, among others.

Other possible alternatives:
- "agf gec" in 7th bar of A Part
- "agf gfe" in 7th bar of A Part
- "e2 g gfe | def ed_d" in the 6th & 7th bars of B Part
- "e2 g gfe | fed ed_d" in the 6th & 7th bars of B Part
- "e2 g gfe | def gfc" in the 6th & 7th bars of B Part
- passing notes which were dropped for staccato effect + breathes ("fga agf" in 5th bar of B Part, "efg gfe " in 6th bar of B Part)

One of the previous settings, X7, with a few different routes for the melody, as found in other settings.

The d-flat in the 7th bar of the B Part could instead be a c-natural, and the 6th and 7th bars of the B Part could also be replaced with |e2g gfe | fed edc|.

It’s also found in Scottish collections and used in dance arrangements. It is old.
Sylvia Miskoe, Concord NH USA

Here’s the video from Firefly- it’s not the full dance though :(
https://youtu.be/4sxLMADpgXg

play video