The Smiling Bride jig

Composed by Charlie Lennon. This version comes from Brid Harper and Dermot Byrne. The 1st part stays in Amix for a while before resolving into D for the 2nd part. Often played before The Handsome Young Maidens, also by Charlie Lennon. If going into that tune, as on the Harper/Byrne recording, you can make the last bar lead into the top A: |dgf ef^g||aed cdB|Ace ~a3|…

Note that I chose a source which includes the so-called “composed variation” in the A-part. Mustn’t risk upsetting anyone eh? 😉

We play this pretty much every week. Gorgeous tune, especially when played on the concertina, and especially -ecially if the concertina player is Andrea Patmore.

That’s where I got the tune as well, Dow. (by the way - WHERE’S THAT CD YOU WERE GOING TO SEND ME?) Anyway, any one who has been listening to the Mulcahy Family recording and found this tune via that link, the setting posted here has parts that were left out of the setting on that recording.

There was a train wreck at a session I was in where a fiddler started this tune, but he learned it from the Mulcahy Family CD. I was playing along with him on the concertina. All I’ll say is that we were very fortunate that no lives were lost… but it wasn’t pretty.

Hi Dow
Another great Charlie Lennon tune though I have to say I prefer the tune that follows - Maidens.
Suprised that this hadn’t been posted already.
Cheers
Donough

Jack I haven’t forgotten about it. It’s on my list of things to do that keeps nagging at me every day. I’ll get round to it when Em leaves I promise.

Donough, it’s “The Handsome Young Maidens.”

ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da ta-da-da

(the sound of me drumming my fingers while I wait for Dow to send me the CD)

Key signature: Amajor
Submitted on July 11th 2001 by Jdharv.
https://thesession.org/tunes/190

& ~ Key signature: D Major
Submitted on June 17th 2001 by Jdharv.
https://thesession.org/tunes/145

Brid Harper’s version is pretty close to the original. The only significant difference is bars 7 & 8 of the A-part which appear in the book as |dcA GEC|EDC DAF|.

To me the smiling Bride is as mysterious as Mona Lisa. A great tune, and still after several months of practicing, still trying to learn it, I stumble on the variation part of bars13-14-15-16.

I can´t help but feel that there is something “unfulfilling” surprise playing these measures. It´s like I am longing for an extra bar between 15 and 16 to resolve the tune. You can´t have the cake and eat it kind of thing.

This is not an attempt to change the tune, just to discuss i´ts ingenuity: is this teaser the reason for the bride smiling?

If you watch Frankie Gavin on YouTube play this in the set with with Handsome Young Maidens you´ll notice him smiling at exact that location.

Anyone else noticed this in the tune or know any anekdotes about this tune?

Dow, which book is that?

MGA, you have a link for that video? Seems like there’re a pile of Gavin clips on youtube, most of them without tune names in the title, and I’m having no luck finding it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SoO-mACx1U&feature=related

play video

I think is the link referred to above.
Search for Frankie Gavin Charlie Lennon’s Jigs should do it

My notes are closer to this version - Zoe Conway - which is my source/favorite for this tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypSfmH4rFdg

play video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TrNK8qbs6M

play video

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

play video

Those versions (on the above videos) are great, but the way De Dannan plays those two jigs on Ballroom beats them all imo. That’s where I first heard them.