Beautiful Gortree reel

I’ve been trying to find the sheet music for the lead piece on John McCusker’s self titled album. He calls it “Tommy Peoples’ Reel” I’ve searched several data bases and found some nice reels (One in G that I’ve introduced to our local sessions) but can’t find anything resembling the one on the recording. Does anyone know if this has an alternative title, or where I might find the sheet music?

Beautiful Gortree?

I thought that might be it, but then couldn’t find the notation on this sight. I’ll see if I can find that title on another.

Yes, that was it. THANK YOU!

Can you post the song here?

The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round…

Thanks so much…really, I appreciate it like…never mind.

I didn’t do this transcription myself, but got it off another site. I hope that’s within the posting rules. The transcription is attributed to Ted Hastings.

I said E Major but it might be E Mixoydian.

John McCusker plays this as the lead track on his self titled album.

It’s posted

Thanks so much (for real this time)

Oh that really showed him.

shhhhhh…. Dow thinks tunes are "songs."

Don’t spoil it, it’s a secret.

I wonder if Ted Hastings is a doctor. I can’t read his writing…

Yeah, the John McCusker album is where I first heard this tune, and is what I tend to think of as the definitive version for me. Then I heard Tommy’s own way of playing it on his "Quiet Glen" album and was thoroughly confused — he plays it quite fast, like any other reel, and to me, having heard McCusker’s version first, Tommy doesn’t seem to be doing justice to his own tune! But it’s all relative, I guess. Tommy works in mysterious ways…

Luke Daniels also does a slow version on Broderick’s Kissing Fishes with an extra third part. I’ve just got the Quiet Glen - it’s a great tune.

Ooops, no he didn’t! Serves me right for not listening properly.

I learned this tune a little while ago from the Quiet Glen. I learned it as a 3 part reel, but the order is very different here. The way I’ve heard Tommy Peoples play it twice is as follows:
Part A is not here (see below), Part B is what is posted here as part B, and Part C is what is posted as part A.

Here is what I have for Part A:
X: 1
T: Tommy Peoples’
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Emaj

|:E2GB ~c3B|g~f2e cBGF|E2GB cG (3GGG|G2eG F2GF|E2GB ~g2bg|fegf|ecBe|~g2fe cBec|BEGF E4:|

However, it’s a really cool tune and very restful after you get a hang of it.

Transcription based on solo playing of Tommy Peoples on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHqFlS3gNMs. I’ve tried to include as many of his variations as poss.

play video

X: 1
T: Beautiful Gortree
C: Tommy Peoples’
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Emaj
E2GB ~c3e|gffe cBGF|~E2GB cGBc|ecBG F2GF|
E2GB g2bg|fBgf ecBe|~g2fe cBec|BEGF E4|
E2GB ~c3e|~g2ge cBGF|~E2GB cG (3GGG|G2eG F2GF|
E2GB g2bg|fBgf ecBe|~g2fe cBec|BEGF E4||
g2fe bege|efge ceBe|gffe b2ge|ceBe ceef|
~g2ge bege|efge ~c3e|bgfe fgec|Bcef geef|
g2fe be (3eee|e2ge ceBe|gffe bege|~c3B ceef|
~g2ge bege|efge ~c3e|bgfe ~g2ec|Bcef geec||
BE (3EEE E2GB|cBGB ~g2bg|~f3a gffe|bgfe c2BG|
E2BE GFEG|(3BBB GB egbg|feea g2ec|Bcef geec|
BE (3EEE GFEG|(3BBB GB egbg|feea ~g3b|bgfe BcBG|
E3B GFEG|(3BBB GB egbg|feea g2ec|Bcef geez||

X: 1
T: Beautiful Gortree
C: Tommy Peoples’
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Emaj
E2GB ~c3e|gffe cBGF|~E2GB cGBc|ecBG F2GF|
E2GB g2bg|fBgf ecBe|~g2fe cBec|BEGF E4:|
|:g2fe bege|efge ceBe|gffe b2ge|ceBe ceef|
~g2ge bege|efge ~c3e|bgfe fgec|1 Bcef geef:|2 Bcef geec||
|:BE (3EEE E2GB|cBGB ~g2bg|~f3a gffe|bgfe c2BG|
E2BE GFEG|(3BBB GB egbg|feea g2ec|1 Bcef geec:|2 Bcef geez||

X: 1
T: Tommy Peoples’
S: John McCusker
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Emaj
ec|:BE (3EEE E2GB|cBGB g2bg|fegf ecBe|fgfe cBGF|
E3F GFEG|(3BBB GB g2bg|f3e gfec|1 BGFG E2ec:|2 BGFG Eefe||
|:fgfe bege|ef (3gfe ceBe|fgfe bege|BccB Bcef-|
fgfe bege|ef (3gfe ceBe|fgfe ceec|1 BGFG Eefe:|2 BGFG E2ec||

In D Maj.

"I named it after the area where my mother was born. It is situated on Dooish mountain looking out on Lough Swilly just three or four miles from my birthplace. The tune is in E Major, a lovely bright key, that reminds me of that area on a summers day and the sound of a cuckoo." - Tommy Peoples

You can hear this played on this recording of a session in Newcastle (third tune):

https://soundcloud.com/dan-foster-7/black-pats-green-fields-of

I was wowed by this tune when I first heard it. I got a copy of the "Quiet Glen" very shortly after its release. I learned the tune straight away and then wound up going to Ireland. I caught up with its composer in Doolin. He was shocked when I threw the tune in the mix. I had to bow to the master when he insisted on NOT repeating the third part. We played the tune 4 times ‘round and he never repeated that section. We talked about it afterwards. He insisted that that was the way it is supposed to go! So, totally the composer’s prerogative, eh?!

This is a transcription of John McCusker’s arrangement from his eponymous CD. I found Tommy Peoples’ version in his O Am Go hAm tunebook, but John’s treatment is significantly different, while still obviously remaining the same tune. I have included John’s trademark ornamentation (triplets, slurs, dotted bowing, etc) as I am trying to approach his deft bowing and uplifiting sound.

John plays his version at a comfortable 70 bpm (cut time, 2 beats per bar). Tommy’s notes describe this tune as "a happy, hopeful tune", and that is what John has achieved.

Just a note, in Tommy People’s tunebook O Am Go hAm (From Time To Time), this is a 3-part reel, with repeats in each part. However, I can understand why he would suggest that the C part should only be played once, as the C2 part has changed enough that in the 7th measure it sounds like it is naturally coming to a close.

This is Ross Ainslie’s gorgeous version from Symbiosis II. He plays it in B major on the album.

Aberfoyle Whistler — very nice setting! Thanks!