The King Of The Cannibal Islands slide

This is transcribed from the playing of the fiddler John McCusker, of the famous Armagh ceili band “The McCusker Brothers”.

I have a few other takes on this and will add them here later, and if nobody gets here first, maybe some of the lyrics, as politically incorrect as they may be ~ though they tend to accompany other airs. This dance tune was a popular number with the ceili bands in Ulster, from Down to Donegal, so must have also been a favourite of the dancers too. It was also used in a different form as a tune for the quadrilles.

National Library of Scotland
http://www.nls.uk/
http://www.nls.uk/broadsides/broadside.cfm/id/16439
http://www.nls.uk/broadsides/broadside.cfm/id/16439/transcript/1

http://www.folk-network.com/
http://www.folk-network.com/products/notes/cannibal.html

“The tune itself was written by John Charles White, and was originally published as a Quadrille in The Two Rivals, then later as a Country Dance, Vulcan’s Cave. Bennett quotes the title page of the latter, which is also reproduced in facsimile, as follows:

The celebrated dance of Vulcan’s Cave, introduced at the Theatre Royal Covent Garden, performed at the Amicable Society’s Balls, Willis’s Rooms, and all Fashionable assemblies in London, Bath, Cheltenham, Brighton etc. Originally composed as the Quadrille of Les Deux Rivales in White’s third set, and now adapted as a Country Dance, by John Charles White. Bath, published at White’s, Music & Piano Forte Warehouses, 1, Milsom Street & 3, George Street.“

“Vulcan’s Cave” ~ a country dance
K: D Major
|: A |
f2 e d2 c | c2 B A2 A | GFG E2 G | F2 G A2 D |
B3 d3 | A3 d2 d | cde ABc | d3- d2 :|
z |
f2 f f2 e | f2 f f2 e | f2 f g2 f | e>fe e3 |
d2 d d2 c | d2 d d2 c | d2 d e2 d | cde ABc |
d3 cBA | B2 c d3 |d3 cBA | B2 c d2 f |
e2 d e2 f | e2 d e2 f | e2 a ABc | d3 d2 ||

& here it is with some parts played up an octave ~

|: A |
f2 e d2 c | c2 B A2 a | gfg e2 g | f2 g a2 d |
b3 d’3 | a3 d’2 d | cde ABc | d3- d2 :|
z |
f2 f f2 e | f2 f f2 e | f2 f g2 f | e>fe e3 |
d2 d d2 c | d2 d d2 c | d2 d e2 d | cde ABc |
d’3 c’ba | b2 c’ d’3 | d’3 c’ba | b2 c’ d’2 f |
e2 d e2 f | e2 d e2 f | e2 a ABc | d3 d2 ||

“The Quadrille”
K: D Major
e |
f2 e d2 c | c2 B A2 F/A/ | GFG E2 G | F2 G A2 D |
B2 D d2 D | A2 D d2 D | cde ABc | d3- d3 ||

f2 f f2 e | f2 f f2 e | f2 f g2 f | e>fe e3 |
d2 d d2 c | d2 d d2 c | d2 d e2 d | cde ABc |
d3 c>BA | B2 c d3 | d3 c>BA | B2 c d2 f |
e2 d e2 f | e2 d e2 f | e2 a f2 a | eAB cde |
d3 c>BA | B2 c d3 | d3 c>BA | B2 c d2 f |
e2 d e2 f | e2 d e2 f | e2 a f2 a | eAB cd ||

http://www.village-music-project.org.uk/
http://www.village-music-project.org.uk/abc/HARRISON.ABC

X: 554
T: Vulcan’s Cave. RH.496
T: King of the Cannibal Islands, aka. RH.496
T: Cumberland Reel, aka. RH.496
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
Q: 120
C: King of the Cannibal Islands,Cumberland Reel
S: Rev.R.Harrison’s MS, c1815, Cumbria
R: Jig
O: England
A: Temple Sowerby, Cumbria
N: Nottingham Swing, Hilly-go Filly-go all the way, aka.
Z: vmp. Simon Wilson..
K: G Major
|: d |
b2 a g2 f | f2 e d2 B | cBc A2 c | B2 c d2 G |
e2 G g2 G | d2 G g2 G | fga def | g3 g2 :|
.b2 .b .b2 .a | .b2 .b .b2 .a | .b2 .b .c’2 .b | a>ba a2 z |
g2 g g2 f | g2 g g2 f | g2 g a2 g | fga def |
g3 fed | e2 f g2 z | g3 fed | e2 f g2 b |
a2 g a2 b | a2 g a2 b | a2 d’ def | g3 g2 ||

This is a fun tune for sure, it’s written down here as a double jig, but it has more the feeling of slides and polkas in it -no idea what that kinf of tune should be called….

Yes, I struggled with that. It is a single jig, and it has a two measure phrasing, which really means it is basically a slide. The McCuskers played this in a number of sets, on the Folktrax recordings it is given twice, with John and Vincent McCusker on fiddles playing it with “I Lost My Love and I Care Not”, and as a band ~ “Biddy the Bowl Wife” / “I Lost My Love and I Care Not” / “The King of the Cannibal Islands”…

“Biddy The Bowl Wife” ~ but different from this posting…
Submitted on July 27th 2005 by Martin Dobson concertina.
https://thesession.org/tunes/4785

“I Lost My Love and I Care Not”
Submitted on May 20th 2003 by gian marco.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1680

Which really is the slide:
“This is My Love Do You Like Her?”
Submitted on June 30th 2003 by nobu.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1791

All can be played as single jigs with an emphasis on a clear two measue phrasing… SIngle Jigs popular in the 1800’s for the quadrilles…

I had resisted my normal temptation, but really, it sits better with members of its own family ~ single jigs and slides…

Also swisspiper, I let the older sources I have for it influence my notation. They were all barred as 6/8, but the barring of slide melodies as 12/8 is a growing practice…one I think does more clearly set out the flow of the shlide…

A fw little bits of info ‘c’ which you may or may not be aware of, as follows: ‘A’ music = I know this as the chorus of a song, which used to be sung by a Geordie friend of mine many, many years ago, called ‘the famous fiery clock face’, words = “faldy raldy raldy ray, faldy raldy raldy ray, faldy raldy raldy ray, the famous fiery clock fiace.”
‘B’ music = the ‘A’ music in a tune called ‘Dem Golden Slippers’.
In 4/4 or 2/4 timing.
‘C’ music = the basic structure for the 2nd part of the ‘B’ music in a schottishe/hornpipe called ‘Phillebelula all the way’,

Worthless onfo?? maybe to many but hopefully not to you.

Never worthless hetty and why I’m glad the likes of you are about. ‘Information’ is always valued by someone. I do have some assortment of other versions gathered together, airs and lyrics, but was hoping others would contribute first, much appreciated… Airs and melodies perpetuate and show up in all sorts of forms and ways, all part of the magic…

Hetty ~ do you have time to offer up some ABC’s for comparison?

ABC’s for the relevent bits not full tunes however.
‘Fiery Clock Face’
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: D
Jig
f2e d2c | d2B A3 | G2G F2E | F2G A3 | B2b d2B | A2A d2d | cde ABc | d3 d3 ||

‘Dem Golden Slipper’
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: D
Reel?
de | f2 f2 f2 de | f2 f2 f2 de | f2 f2 g2 f2 | f2 e2 e2 cd | e2 e2 e2 cd | e2 e2 e2 de | e2 e2 e2 cd | e2 g2 f2 e2 | d6 ||

‘Phillebelula All the Way’ whole tune this time.
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: D
Hornpipe
f>e | d>cd>B A2G>F | E>EF>G A2(3ABc | d>BA>B d>de>c | d6 :||
d>e | f2f2 f2g>f | g>fe2 e4 | d2d2 d2e>d | c>BA2 A2(3ABc | (3ded(3cBA c>de2 | (3ded(3cBA B>cd>f | e2(3efg a2(3ABC | d2f2 d2 ||

interestingly, ‘Phillebelula All the Way’ was always the tune associated with the dance ‘NOTTINGHAM SWING’ here noted as an alternative name for ’King of the Cannibal Islands.
Bar 7 of ‘B’ music should read; e2(3efg a2(3ABc |

Omit bar 6 in ‘Golden Slippers’ as it should not be there.

Key signature: D Major
Submitted on July 19th 2006 by hetty.
https://thesession.org/tunes/5985

Is this the same as “Cumberland Reel”?

Thank you for that, I did not know the 1815 origin, I had always thought that it had started as the 1880’s protest song “The cotton lords of Preston” and become a dance later.

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

Her’s an interesting note from that valued source ~

In 1866 during the Canadian gold-rush Robert Burrell grumbled in a letter that the music from Bakerville’s Hurdie house across the street was disturbing his sleep. He mentioned four of the songs that were ringing in his ears: “Silver Lakes Varsovianna,” “King of the Cannibal Islands,” “Sultan Polka” & “Edinburgh Quadrille.”

This popped into my head this morning - couldn’t remember the title at first, noticing ceolachan had updated it had jogged my memory perhaps. So I wrote out what I’ve always played, lots of roll symbols in there. Believe I picked this up from Howe’s or Kerr’s years ago, before hearing the McCuskers. This setting is essentially their band recording souped up with lots of those rolls, they sound like they’re just playing efe and fef etc though.

As the bizarre title would indicate this is the melody of a song. How about some lyrics? WARNING: not exactly politically correct. There are infinitely worse out there too. Heads Up! http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=9724

Have you heard my story of late,
For if you’ve not ’tis on my pate,
About a mighty potentate,
The King of the Cannibal Islands.

chorus

Polly Makoo Kamoling Kung,
Hangery Wangery Chingery Ching,
The King of the Cannibal Islands.

In that thread someone suggested a brilliant title for a parody - “Wabash Cannibal.” ;) Might have to write that one myself.