The Maid In The Cherry Tree reel

A different tune, to my ears, than the “Maid in the Cherry Tree” posted here by Kenny some time ago. This is based on the version in O’Neill’s and the playing of a fiddling friend of mine here in Helena.

A perky little thing… at speed ’tis fun fun fun…

The very different ‘other’ one:
https://thesession.org/tunes/1760

The Merry Sisters of Fate: https://thesession.org/tunes/623
Con Cassidy’s Highland: https://thesession.org/tunes/2093

T:The Maid In The Cherry Tree
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:ORION - Restless Home
R:reel
Z:gian marco pietrasanta
K:ADOR
gfa|eA~A2 eABA|GBde dBGB|eA~A2 eABA|GBdB BAfg|
(3ege dg e^cdB|GABG dGBd|cBAc ~B2ge|1dBGB A2:|2dBGB BAAB|:
cdef gc~c2|gceg dBGB|cdef gceg|dBGB BAAB|
cGEG ~g3e|dedc BGBd|cBAc ~B2ge|1dBGB BAAB:|1dBGB A2|

% ABC2Win Version 2.1 09/03/2009

I found this little pearl while digging through my latest tunebook find, “The Roche Collection of Traditional Irish Music” (Volume 1). It is but one of many fine collections that have been made available for free download (sorry, ABC-ers, PDF only) from the Na Piobairi Uilleann website. I’m posting this from my soon-to-be-antiquated mobile “not so smart” phone, so please excuse the ugliness of the ABC’s- I will correct them to 4 measures per line as soon as I can get to a real computer (if Jeremy doesn’t get to it first, that is!) Enjoy (to the best of your ability)!

This tune has been going through the hands of pipers, from Patsy Touhey to Micke Carney to Willie Clancy and on to the present day:

T:Gardiner’s Daughter
M:4/4
S:Willie Clancy
R:Reel
K:AMix
eAAD ~G2 (3Bcd|eA ~A2 (3gfe fd|eAAD ~G2 Bc|dBgB BA ~A2:||!
ea ~a2 bgag|eaaf (3gfe fd|ea ~a2 b2 af|~g2 dB BA ~A2|!
ea ~a2 bgag|eaaf ~g3 a|(bag af (3gfe fc|dBgB BA ~A2||
% Written by ABC2Win 2.2.124 BETA on 22-Jan-08

John McKenna and Tom Ennis recorded a tune ‘Gardiner’s Daughter’, the name of which was supposedly a nod to one of John Joe Gardiner’s sisters.

Thanks, Prof.- the melody wasn’t entirely alien to my ears, and now that you’ve given me a little history, it absolutely strikes me as a piping tune. Here’s my go at the setting from the Roche Collection:

X: 1
T: Gardener’s Daughter, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
Q:1/4=200
R: reel
K: Ador
gf|eAAB GABd|eAAf (f~g2) d|egdB GABc|dg ~g2 ag ~g2|
eAAB GABd|eAfA gAfd| e/f/g dB GABc|d/c/B gB A2||
Bd|eaag efge|d2 ef (f~g2) d| .e2 dB GABc| dg ~g2 afgf |
eaag efge | d2 ef ~g2 fd | eBdB GABc|.d2 gd BA A2||

it’s a little “kitchen sink-y” I know- I just wanted to illustrate some places one could go with the tune. That’s probably how the tune lasted this long, anyway…it’s pretty malleable!

The reel that John Carty plays after “The Galway (or Galloway) Hornpipe” listed on his 2005 album “I Will if I Can” as “The Maid in the Cherry Tree” is also known as “The London Lasses”

Only one ‘recordings of a tune by that name’ so far: how surprising. Is it known by any other name?
It is not that uncommonly heard…

The first tune in the ‘Brolum Set’ from the CD ‘In Concert’ with Barra MacNeils.
I’ve never heard it before, so if anyone know the name of this tune, it will be great.
I play the second tune in the set, but i don’t know it’s name…….so anyone.

X: 1
T: Gan Ainm
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amix
cd|eAAA G2 cd|eAAA gefd|eAAA G2 Bc|dBgB BAcd|
eAAA G2 cd|eAAA gefd|eAAA G2 Bc|dBgB BAcd||
eaaa bgag|eaag e2 d2|eaaa bgaf|gedB BA A2|
eaaa bgag|eaag e2 ga|bgaf geef|gBdB BA A2||

D’oh, bad cut and paste, and too fast on the click… I meant to just post:
https://thesession.org/tunes/5195

Thx for the name of the first tune Nico, now I just need the name of the second tune……

Actually, the point was that this is a duplicate, so you should post your setting there, and hopefully Jeremy will delete this post.

OOOOH sorry Nico, my mind was’nt going that far. Done now.

‘The Maid In The Cherry Tree’ is the first tune in the ‘Brolum Set’ from the CD ‘In Concert’ with Barra MacNeils.
I play the second tune in the set, but i don’t know it’s name…….so anyone.

Found out myself……The Red Haired Lass

🙂

I think it’s because it usually goes by a different title - go here https://thesession.org/tunes/5195

Go here for another transcription under a different name https://thesession.org/tunes/11548

X: 5 is from Patsy Touhey’s 1904 cylinder recording.

I found the tunes in Breathnach CRE4.195 as I was going through the “Open The Door For THree” (self-titled album). From the book notes from Jack Wade, “this reel starts like “The Maid In the Cherry Tree” but do not judge it by the first two bars. It is a completely different reel”.

source: O’Neill’s
id:hn-reel-366