Moran’s Return barndance

Someone requested this one, so here it is!
I really like this -simple- tune, it’s one of the first I learnt.

Being in F, it sounds a little different but still quite traditional despite that. Was it composed by an Irishman?

It’s a good tune for practicing B flats and F naturals because you can play it slow (being a barndance).

London, Longmans, Green and Co, 1909 ~ this has also been available as a reprint… This lovely tune is in this collection in the key of F… As a barndance it would be swung…

A note on how the tune would be played:

”Moderately slow" ~ "tender”… I like that. 😉

Sorry, I should have added, having just been reminded, that it is listed as an ‘air’ and as being AB instead of AABB, and as having been "written down from singers about 1844"… This reminder was courtesy of that great site "The Fiddlers Companion", maintained by Andrew Kuntz:

http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/index.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/MOO_MORM.htm

Joyce notated it with swing…

Wow, that was quick. I put it on as a request only a few days ago 🙂

R: Air
K: F Major
Major
(3ABc |
d2 G2 G2 c>B | A2 F2 F2 f>g | agfe fdcA | G2 G>A B2 B>c |
d2 G2 G2 c>B | A2 F2 F2 f>g | agfe fdcA | G2 F2 F2 ||
A>G |
F2 f>e f3 g | agfe d2 c>A | d2 g2 g3 a | bagf g2 f>g |
a2 ba g2 ag | fgfd c2 f>g | agfe fdcA | G2 F2 F2 ||

K:G Major ~ or F on a C wind instrument
(3Bcd |
e2 A2 A2 d>c | B2 G2 G2 g>a | bagf gedB | A2 A>B c2 c>d |
e2 A2 A2 d>c | B2 G2 G2 g>a | bagf gedB | A2 G2 G2 ||
|: B>A |
G2 g>f g3 a | bagf e2 d>B | e2 a2 a3 b | c’bag a2 g>a |
b2 c’b a2 ba | gage d2 g>a | bagf gedB | A2 G2 G2 ||

K: D Major ~ or F on a Bb wind instrument
(3FGA |
B2 E2 E2 A>G | F2 D2 D2 d>e | fedc dBAF | E2 E>F G2 G>A |
B2 E2 E2 A>G | F2 D2 D2 d>e | fedc dBAF | E2 D2 D2 ||
|: F>E |
D2 d>c d3 e | fedc B2 A>F | B2 e2 e3 f | gfed e2 d>e |
f2 gf e2 fe | dedB A2 d>e | fedc dBAF | E2 D2 D2 ||

Oops ~ for the last example given that would be Bb on a Bb instrument, of F on an F instrument…

However, I really feel this melody resolves as Dorian, so in the above offerings:

F = G Dorian ~ ending ~ | agfe fdcA | G6 ||
G = A Dorian ~ ending ~ | bagf gedB | A6 ||
D = E Dorian ~ ending ~ | fedc dBAF | E6 ||

Maybe Joyce didn’t like Dorian?

K: E Dorian
|: (3FGA |

B>E (3EEE E2 A>G | F>D (3DDD D2 d>e | f>ed>c d>BA<F | E2 3DEF G2 (3FGA |
B2 e2 E2 d>B | A2 d2 D2 d>e | f>ed>c d>BA<F | E2 (3EEE E2 :|
|: (3GFE |
D2 d>c d3 e | f>e (3dcB A2 (3AGF | E2 e>^d e3 f | g>fe<d B2 d>e |

f2 g>f (3eee f>e | d>c (3dcB (3AAA d>e | f>ed>c d>BA<F | E2 E2 E2 :|

Don’t let ‘button’ see this, he’ll get unstuck…

K: E Dorian
|: (3FGA |
B>E (3EEE E2 A>G | F>D (3DDD D2 d>e | f>ed>c d>BA<F | E2 3DEF G2 (3FGA |
B2 e2 E2 d>B | A2 d2 D2 d>e | f>ed>c d>BA<F | E2 (3EEE E2 :|
|: (3GFE |
D2 d>c d3 e | f>e (3dcB A2 (3AGF | E2 e>^d e3 f | g>fe<d B2 d>e |
f2 g>f (3eee f>e | d>c (3dcB (3AAA d>e | f>ed>c d>BA<F | E2 E2 E2 :|

I kow this is a slow air ( from Arty and Nollaig’s record ). To see it as a barn dance is a big surprise.

But - another twist - it actually is the tune to an old Scottish song, and may not be an irish tune despite the name. I’ll try to find out the name of the song by asking a friend the next few days.

It sounds like a march to me. Some sort of slow march? Maybe one for tired soldiers…

Yes, as said earlier, it is an ‘air’ (R: air), but because it was placed under this heading I decided to have some fun with it and tried it as a ‘barndance’, for which it might be passable, but I’m of the same mind as Dow, it actually comes out as a nice march, if better at a funerary pace… 😉

Even so, when I take it at a good clip (see the heading ~ 165-170 bpm) and dance barndances / schottisches to it ~ it was a kick, is fun, so it can work there too…

Burns had a song to this air - "To Daunton Me"

Here is the tune "To Daunton Me" for comparison:

X: 1
T: To Daunton Me
S: Kerr’s Merry Melodies Bk 2
Z: Nigel Gatherer
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: Highland Schottische
K: Em
G>A | B2 E2 E2 A>G | F>GE>F D2 d>e | f>ed>B d<BA>F | B2 E2 E2 :|
F>E | D2 d2 d2 B>^c | d>ed>B A2 d>^c | B2 e2 e2 e>f | g>fe>d B2
e>f | f2 (3agf e2 (3gfe | d>ed>B A2 f>ed>B d<BA>F | B2 E2 E2 |]

https://youtu.be/mEeRtF0751A

play video

https://thesession.org/discussions/30286

First heard this tune on Jerry O’Sullivan’s "O’Sullivan Meets O’Farrell, Volume 2". Its a tune off of O’farrell’s pocket companion. Jerry plays it a bit different than the O’farrell original and I could not find any other ABC tunes like the way he plays it. So I tried my own transcription using Sibelius and then using EasyABC to convert to ABC. Its missing the ornaments but its pretty close. Love the tune. This is my first time doing this and my first post to The Session.

from PW Joyce:
https://www.itma.ie/digital-library/score/pw-joyce-old-irish-folk-music-4

Lovely tune, my setting for this tune.

A lovely version in G from the Celtic Passion album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV2BYV0uJOY

play video

As it’s the day after Burns Night, here’s his 1788 poem to that tune:

TO DAUNTON ME

The blude-red rose at Yule may blaw,
The simmer lilies bloom in snaw,
The frost may freeze the deepest sea;
But an auld man shall never daunton me.
Refrain.-To daunton me, to daunton me,
And auld man shall never daunton me.

To daunton me, and me sae young,
Wi’ his fause heart and flatt’ring tongue,
That is the thing you shall never see,
For an auld man shall never daunton me.
To daunton me, &c.

For a’ his meal and a’ his maut,
For a’ his fresh beef and his saut,
For a’ his gold and white monie,
And auld men shall never daunton me.
To daunton me, &c.

His gear may buy him kye and yowes,
His gear may buy him glens and knowes;
But me he shall not buy nor fee,
For an auld man shall never daunton me.
To daunton me, &c.

He hirples twa fauld as he dow,
Wi’ his teethless gab and his auld beld pow,
And the rain rains down frae his red blear’d e’e;
That auld man shall never daunton me.
To daunton me, &c.

This is Ceolachan’s Ador/Gmaj setting from 12 years ago, which looks like it translated to dots incorrectly back in the day.

So is there a “right name”? Is the Scottish or Irish name right?
And what does To Daun’t On Me mean?!?
lovely tune. I’m learning it off of Natalie MacMaster’s A Compilation; first in the set Johnny Wilmot’s Fiddles. Rousing set!

"To Dauntin Me" - with 8 parts - is in James Oswald’s "Collection Of Curious Scots Tunes [ Vol. 1 , I think ] - published in 1742. I don’t think you’ll find it in any Irish publication before then.
The "right" name in Scotland, is "To Dauntin Me". The "right" name in Ireland is "Moran’s Return".
"Dauntin / daunton" - = subdue