Charlie Mulvihill’s hornpipe

The closest I’ve gotten is someone saying. “I think it’s a girl’s name.”

I learned this from a whistle playing friend who learned it off an informal tape of a a fiddle player from a couple of decades ago. He says he had a name for it, but he couldn’t remember what it was.

The B part is a little tricky on the fiddle, but fun once you get it. I put a couple of slight varriations in. Anyway, I hope you enjoy…

This tune is on Corofin musicians Hugh and Colm Healy’s recent debut album. They call it “The Chancellor,” but I’m not sure if it’s the right title for the tune as they made some mistakes in tune identification.

I know a hormpipe called The Chancellor, but it’s a very different tune in D. Maybe it’s another Chancellor. Thanks for the lead.

Here are just a couple more takes on this one…

K: A Major
|: (3EFG |
A>GA>B c>BA>G | F>cd>B G>EF>G | A>GA>c e>fe>c | B>AG>A B2 c>d |
e>fe>d c>BA>G | F2 d>B G2 (3EFG | A>GA>f e>cA>c | B2 G>B A2 :|
|: (3cde |
a>cg>c f>ce>d | c>Ac>e a>fg>a | b>Ba>B g>Bf>B | e>^de>f g>ef>g |
a>cg>c f>ce>d | c>Ac>e a2 A2 | d>cd>f e>c A2 | B>EG>B A2 :|

K: G Major
|: (3DEF |
G>DG>A B>AG>F | E>Bc>A F2 (3DEF | G2 G>B (3ded d>B |A>GF>G D2 (3DEF |
G2 G>A B>AG>F | E>Bc>A F>DE>F | G>g (3ggg d>B (3BBB | A>D (3FGA G2 :|
|: (3Bcd |
g>Bf>B e>Bd>c | B>G (3Bcd g2 f>g | a>cg>c f>ce>^c | (3ded ^c>e d2 (3def |
g>Bf>B e>Bd>c | B>GB>d g>d (3Bcd | c>B (3cde d>B (3BBB | A>DF>A G2 :|

‘c’, are they your personal takes, or did you get them from a source like a recording?

I’m just pleasantly surprised I knew it to be able to offer up the name, and alternate keys. I should have given sources. If I transcribe from a ‘source’, my preference, and I’m happy with the results, I will usually credit it. Otherwise it is my take on it, or, I’m not completely happy with the transcription doing credit to the source. Sometimes it is scrapped together from ABCs I have, which in some of my notebooks do not give a source. I think I first learned this down south, possibly from Johnny O’Leary or Jimmy Doyle? The G is definitely my take on it. However, by the way the notation is done for the A I suspect some other source. When I do a personal take I’ll use agreement to usually show some variation, which I haven’t done here, which is why I suspect I was honoring some source, since I’ve gone relatively light here. It could also be because it has been a long time since I’ve played it.

Since you’ve reminded me and drawn my attention to thies, here they are again in a semi-skimmed form:

X: 1134
T: Charlie Mulvihill’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: G Major
|: DF |
GDGA BAGF | EBcA F2 DF | G2 GB d2 dB |AGFG D2 DF |
G2 GA BAGF | EBcA FDEF | G2 g2 dBGB | ADFA G2 :|
|: Bd |
gBfB eBdc | BGBd g2 fg | acgc fce^c | d2 ^ce d2 ef |
gBfB eBdc | BGBd gdBd | cBce dBGB | ADFA G2 :|

X: 1134
T: Charlie Mulvihill’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: A Major
|: EG |
AGAB cBAG | FcdB GEFG | AGAc efec | BAGA B2 cd |
efed cBAG | F2 dB G2 EG | AGAf ecAc | B2 GB A2 :|
|: ce |
acgc fced | cAce afga | bBaB gBfB | e^def gefg |
acgc fced | cAce a2 A2 | dcdf ec A2 | BEGB A2 :|

Does anybody have a transcription of Johns version of this reel on his Tripswitch cd ( first tune on track # 7 ).

Taken from Patty Furlong’s playing. She actually played it in F, on the C row of a B/C box, this is pretty straightforward, it would be fun in A on the fiddle or C#/D box, or G on flutes/whistles. Playing in flat keys was a big deal with the musicians in old time NYC so it’s not surprising Charlie would play this in F.

I have a bunch of recordings of the Mulvihill family at home, wonder if this tune is in there somewhere.