The Woman Of The House reel

one of the first I ever heard and/or learned live

This one was played by the late great West Clare fiddler Bobby Casey. He played it after the Bank of Ireland (which he played double) to make a very effective pair of reels.

This tune is very commonly played as a set with “The Morning Dew” preceding it.

DGBG cABA|GBdg e2dB|GABG A2(3Bcd|e~A2 eAcA|
DGBG cABA|GBdg e2dB|GABG A2GB|dBAd BGG2 :||

gfeg fedf|efge dcBA|GABG A2(3Bcd|e~A2 eAcA|
gzeg fedz|efge dcBA|GABG A2 GB | dBAd BGG2 :||
This version does not include the cuts, strikes, and tongueing or grace notes that were given with it. She wrote it out, in the class, which was then copied as a handout to the students.

I learned this “Mary Bergin” version in the 1999 E. Durham class, as well (Whistle Bare: I’m curious to know who you are?). I’ve sinced played this tune many many times, and I’m always asked, “What is the name of that tune?” I respond, “The Woman of the House”, to which I am told, “That’s not ‘The Woman of the House’. This is ‘The Woman of the House’,” and they play the setting posted by brieux.

So, getting to the point… after several years, I finally have the more common name of the “Mary Bergin setting” of this tune… “Lasses Keep Your Legs Together”… this title has been corroborated by two experienced flute players.

Coincidentally enough, I’ve now stumbled upon a few more people who call it “another version of ‘The Woman of the House’”, too.

Cheers.

Mike Rafferty taught this “other version” at E. Durham this year - but didn’t have a name for it.

Hey browndog – I think this is Lady of the House? https://thesession.org/tunes/1116

I think this “other” version of “Woman Of The House” is actually in O’Neils as “Woman of the House”. 🙂 My PDF file has it as #1300 in “O’Neil’s Music Of Ireland”, and my copy of O’Neils “Dance Music of Ireland” has it at 565. But these are not print copies of the book, they were generated based of online abc transcriptions.

I like Paddy Keenan´s version. Who has it?

I bought a recording of a tune on iTunes, and while it’s called “The Woman of the House,” it is in A minor, and is not the tune listed here. It’s haunting and beautiful, and highly ornamented. The second tune in this two-tune track is “The Man of the House,” I’m quite sure.

I’m working to learn it by ear but would love to know what I am learning. Because I bought this on iTunes, I have no access to any information except that the album is “copyright 1999” by Mary Custy. I’ve looked in various places on the web but can’t find anything more about this track.

CD labeled “Champions of Ireland: Uilleann Pipes” featuring Con Durham. This is the best version I’ve heard so far.

here’s a zippy version
http://www.youtube.com/jiggage

…………it comes in at about 1:50

@domnull: I believe you meant to post this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1jZbqqPjH8

play video

That is Blake Ritter (jiggage) playing George White’s, then Eel in the Sink, then Woman of the House. The final tune starts at ~2:08.

Pipes version as teached at Willy Clancy School 1993 by Sean Talty.

Piping version

I’ve taken some of the ornaments used by Blackie O’Connell in this setting.

Great version from Dale Russ : http://www.deezer.com/track/11179231?utm_source=deezer&utm_content=track-11179231&utm_term=451743551_1503593709&utm_medium=web

Taken from ‘A Fine Selection of Over 200 Irish Traditional Tunes for Sessions’, compiled by David Speers with a Forward by Matt Cranitch.

I do not have the Frankie Gavin CD “Frankie Goes to Town” to hand, which Oisín credits as the source of this version of the Woman of the House.

I find it strange that there are already 9 versions of this tune here, but yet no version actually reflects the setting on the album.

Frankie Gavin’s version is great stuff, haven’t listened to it for quite some time 🙂
IMHO, X:10 isn’t really that version as well……
Who is Oisin?

I scooted here via Oisín Mac Diarmada’s CD, https://thesession.org/recordings/5123

The second and third settings that JACKB added are close to what Mary MacNamara Plays.

Setting in G Major with chords. For the ornamentation and small variations in melody I had the diatonic harmonica in mind. It consists of cuts, couples of semiquavers and triplets. For the main melody I am very influenced by the sessions held in Galway city and Cork city.

Why are some of the playbacks playing ABAB even though it is written as AABB?