Lady Anne Montgomery reel

This is a sprightly, jolly little tune. The first part is like an inverted version of "The harvest home".

In the second part, I’ve shown the high F three different ways, each one holding the note longer than the last. Another variation is to turn the F into a triplet; a quick FAF.

Players of D-whistles are on their own with this one: I can’t see any way of playing that first part without those low notes.

As a D-whistle player let me add that it isn’t a problem to play the fourth/last measure of the A-part like this:

DBAB D4, just moving the offending notes up an octave. It’s no different form Home Ruler, Kitty’s Wedding, Whiskey Before Breakfast etc. etc.

Sounds all right to me. =)

T:Lady Anne Montgomery
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Laurence Nugent
R:-reel
N:Version for Flute (or whistle)
Z:g.m.p
K:D
AG|FADA FADA|FADA BAdA|FADF EDEF|DBAB D2AG|
FADF ADFA|DEED BABc|d2AF EDEF|DBAB d2:||ze|:
f3a fede|fedB ABde|fafa fede|f2af fede|
f3a fede|fedB ABde|fded BdAB|1deed d2ag:|2deed d2||

Any thoughts on how to bow the first part…start on a down bow ? and individual bowing until the first high D in the second phrase? would love any ideas that are out there for the bowing… NH Fiddler

Hi can anybody tell me if there are a few notes missing from the dots on this tune?

https://thesession.org/tunes/59

Specifically the first measure of the last line.

Thank you.

I think the issue is that the ABC is written with some half notes, but they aren’t showing as "hollow" when they’re over one of the lines. The first and last notes in the last line are both half notes (f4 …. d4)

Pete

Ah. Thank you. I do find the dots to be a little hard to read sometimes.

I find this sort of thing is apparently an irritating function of some monitors (all the ones I’ve used, anyway). What often happens that the dot of a high b can look like a high a, or a high g can look like an f#.
Sing, or play, the dots to yourself, to see if they make musical sense. A printout is generally ok, but always go back to the ABC when in doubt.

I know how she feels.

"A printout is generally ok, but always go back to the ABC when in doubt."

Wouldn’t it be better to go back to an aural source?

Dow, yes; but in this instance my mind was on the Tunes section as the source.

The sheetmusic quality is a bit poor on my screen, but the ABC and the MIDI confirm that what looks like f - crochet is f minim (ie f4 not f2)

You can get sharper, less ambiguous printout by pasting the ABC into the Concertina net tune-a-tron or ANCNavigator or ……….

anyone know who she was, historically?

thanks.

Monty’s wife

thanks for that, dave. i would have guessed this was an older tune than that. i suppose it might’ve been renamed…

Lady Montgomery following Yellow Tinker is a different tune than this.

https://thesession.org/tunes/1577
2 different ladies.

where is this tune from originally? What’s the story of this tune - anyone?

And if she isn’t Monty’s wife, who was she……….?

The Lady Anne Montgomery who this tune is dedicated to is most probably the 2nd wife of Sir William Montgomery of Macbiehill (near West Linton, Tweeddale). William Montgomery moved to Dublin, where he was an army contractor, and sat in the Irish Parliament as MP for Ballynakill, from 1768 until his death in 1788. Anne (née Evatt) was from Mount Louise, Co Monaghan, and married William in 1768. She died in 1777. William also had a daughter named Anne by his first marriage.

Thanks!

Variant heard on an album by Ellis Island

Quite close to Jeremy’s first setting. The main difference is the addition of the bits that lead from the end of one line into the next, but there are a few other small changes as well.

Thanks Weejie for that info. The only source I’ve found for this tune is in the Gunn ms (Fermanagh 1865). A popular tune in Fermanagh, it became a popular session tune following recording by Cathal McConnell. In the Gunn ms, it is followed by Miss Montgomery’s Reel, a tune which also appears in the Skye Collection (key Bb). I would think think Lady Anne Montgomery is the person of the tune, especially given her Monaghan roots. I will attempt to add Miss Montgomery as a separate tune.

This is the version from the Gunn ms, Fermanagh 1865. The first 4 bars should be repeated; the ms generally does not specify repeats. It’s followed by Miss Montgomery, which I will enter as a new tune.

This tune is played in Cape Breton

Played by Kevin Loughlin…

https://youtu.be/mtF0AFNSFnI

play video

…. followed by "George White’s Fancy".

Great playing there by Loughlin, and the track with him and Maguire is similarly fun. Wish he had made more recordings, this recording at least rivals Shand himself. I only know of one he did with tracks from Joe Burke, John Whelan, and another boxplayer…

That would be this, Thady…………..

https://thesession.org/recordings/1796

I think I have another by him which as far as I know only made it onto cassette tape. I’ll have a look - watch this space.

For those interested in a version that works on flute/whistle/pipes, McGovern’s version really hits the spot for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdla2t8DJoc (BTW, there’s nothing wrong with you monitor, whoever filmed this decided to turn their phone while recording, so it’s all sideways except the first few seconds!)

play video

Final tune of this lovely set, https://youtu.be/14MFdUzDHrg

play video

This variation is one I learned from “Music and Song from The Boys of the Lough,” published in 1977. The notes for it say, “This is a great reel, which was carried by Tommy Gunn, the fiddler from Derrylin, Co, Fermanagh. When he let it out, it became a great favourite throughout Ireland. We think the tune may be originally Scottish.”