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Tom Billy’s jig

Also known as Apples In Winter.

There are 2 recordings of this tune.

Tom Billy’s has been added to 18 tune sets.

Tom Billy’s has been added to 108 tunebooks.

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Five settings

1
X: 1
T: Tom Billy's
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Ador
e3 gfg|fge edB|~G3 BAB|GBd g2f|
e3 gfg|fge edB|GBd gfg|edB ABd:|
|:e2a age|aba agf|~g3 ged|GBd g2f|
eae aea|dgd gdg|e3 gfg|edB ABd:|
2
X: 2
T: Tom Billy's
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Bdor
fBB aBB|fec cBc|ABA cAc|efg a2g|
~f3 ~a3|fec cBc|Ace aga|1 fec Bce:|2 fec BcA||
|:fbb baf|abb baf|aba aec|Ace aga|
fbb fbb|eaa eaa|fec aba|1 fec Bce:|2 fec BcA||
3
X: 3
T: Tom Billy's
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Ador
eAA gfg|edB BAB|~G3 ~B3|def g2f|
eAA gfg|edB BAB|GBd gfg|edB A3:|
|:e2a age|aba age|~g3 gdB|GBd g2f|
eaa eaa|dgg dgg|edB gfg|edB A3:|
4
X: 4
T: Tom Billy's
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Ador
ABA ABd|edB G3|dBB gBB|def gfg|
ABA ABd|edB G3|dBB gBB|ABA A3:|
|:e(3aaa aga|bab age|(3efg e GBd|ede ged|
eaa aga|bab age|efg dBG|BAG A3:|
5
X: 5
T: Tom Billy's
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Ador
|:eAA gAA|edB BAB|G2A BAB|def g2f|
eAA gAA|edB BAB|GBd gag|edB A3:|
|:eaa age|aAa age|g2g gdB|GBd gag|
eaa eae|dgg dgg|edB gag|edB A3:|

Eleven comments

Tom Billy’s

I got this from some musician friends but the original source was apparently Jean Michel Veillon. The title they gave me was “Tom Billy’s”. There’s a nice variation you can do for bars 3-4 of the B-part: |gdg ada|bda gdf|.

This also appears in Bdor on Dervish’s Harmony Hill in the first set of jigs:

X: 1
T: Gan Ainm
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Bdor
fBB aBB|fec cBc|ABA cAc|efg a2g|
~f3 ~a3|fec cBc|Ace aga|1 fec Bce:|2 fec BcA||
|:fbb baf|abb baf|aba aec|Ace aga|
fbb fbb|eaa eaa|fec aba|1 fec Bce:|2 fec BcA||

The jigs aren’t named separately, but in true Dervish style, the whole set is given the name “Apples In Winter”, a jig which bears a passing resemblance to this tune, particularly in the A-part.

This one sounds a bit bland but theres something about it I like.

Its also called “The Flowers of Spring”.

No it’s not. That’s a different tune that goes by the name Tom Billy’s https://thesession.org/tunes/1283. Did you actually look at the tune or just the name?

I don’t find this jig bland at all. I think it’s a beautiful tune, but there you go.

An Ador setting of this also appears on Muintir Lewis’ Weeds In The Garden https://thesession.org/recordings/1420. I haven’t got the album so the setting I heard is 2nd hand, but from memory it was more like the Dervish version, something along the lines of this:

X: 1
T: Tom Billy’s
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Ador
eAA gfg|edB BAB|~G3 ~B3|def g2f|
eAA gfg|edB BAB|GBd gfg|edB A3:|
|:e2a age|aba age|~g3 gdB|GBd g2f|
eaa eaa|dgg dgg|edB gfg|edB A3:|

Clare Variation

The way play tom billy’s is slightly different
T: Tom Billy’s
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Ador
ABA ABd|edB G3|dBB gBB|def gfg|
ABA ABd|edB G3|dBB gBB|ABA A3:|
|:e(3aaa aga|bab age|(3efg e GBd|ede ged|
eaa aga|bab age|efg dBG|BAG A3:|

That’s a different tune called the Flowers of Spring. People, before you post different “versions” in the comments of tunes, please check to see that it is not actually a totally different tune by the same name.

Grumble, grumble, grumble… 😏

So many ‘different’ tunes attributed to dear old and long departed Tom Billy…

I learned this setting as a gan ainm from Dan Compton here in Portland Oregon. A bit of searching to see if I could find a name for it turned up a very similar “Rattle the Quilt” taken from Ceol Rince na hÉireann vol 5, which also mentioned Tom Billy’s as another name that finally helped me find it here.