Ophelia’s Ghost reel

A few days ago I watched Michael’s Almereyda’s modern re-make of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ starring Ethan Hawk as Hamlet, Kyle MacLachlan as Hamlet’s uncle, Bill Murray as Polonius, Julia Stiles as Ophelia etc. Of course we are all familiar with this famous tragedy. I myself have read the play two or three times way back in the day. The movie was really good; I recommend it.

Somehow the movie really ended up shaking me up a bit. It’s hard to explain. I was particularly shaken up for some reason by the tragic death of Ophelia who we all know ends up drowning herself. In this version, however, poor Ophelia ends up drowning herself in a swimming pool located in one of the uppermost floors of an office tower majestically overlooking what looks to be New York City. Something about the scene with Ophelia tranquilly floating face down in the glowing blue water stuck with me.

This tune sort of composed itself over the course of the next few days….almost as if by a ghost. If anyone is entitled to being a ghost, surely poor Ophelia is. So this tune is for you, Ophelia, and I hope you find peace.

Seems that playing it slow or fast has a peculiar effect. Playing it slow turns it into a dirge whereas playing it fast makes the second part a bit frenetic and maddening. Both seem fitting.

I wonder if this is the reel setting of “Humours of Tullycrine”: https://thesession.org/tunes/980

wow, humours of tullyscrine is a lovely tune. seem to be a few likenesses. there as also a few likenesses to ‘Rainy Day’ (https://thesession.org/tunes/1807), a tune i am pretty familiar with. no doubt i drew on alot from the jumble soup of tunes that float around in my head. i’m also starting to think my tune my be more of a hornpipe than a reel.

More than just a few likenesses in first part I’m afraid - it IS the Humours of Tullycrine

The first half is very much like it indeed (with a few minor differences). The second half, not so much. I’d still consider it its own tune. After all, there are plenty of trad tunes that we play that have an A part that is nearly identical to part of another tune, etc.

and sometimes a B part too like the Tinker’s Daughter and the Green Mountain!

if you can, please post links to the tunes that have likenesses. there are lots o’ versions of tunes flying around out there. thanks.

Submitted on October 7th 2004 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/3659

I Love this tune especially when goes up to tthe high c’s in the second part.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KgQzQXePH0

play video