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The Lancer’s jig

Also known as The Donegal Lancers, Doodly Doodly Dank, The Lancers, The Lancers’.

There are 2 recordings of this tune.

The Lancer’s appears in 1 other tune collection.

The Lancer's has been added to 48 tunebooks.

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Two settings

1
X: 1
T: The Lancer's
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:~f2f fed | A3 ABd | ~f2f fed | efe e2f |
~g2g bag | f2a agf | e2g f2e | dcd d2e :|
|:fBB fBB | g=cc gcc | add add | a2b bag |
fBB fBB | g=cc gcc | ~f3 edc | d3 gfg |
|FB,B, FB,B, | G=CC G=CC | ADD ADD | A2B BAG |
FB,B, FB,B, | G=CC G=CC | def edc | dcd d2e ||
2
X: 2
T: The Lancer's
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
d |: "D"~f3 fed | ABA AFA | ~f3 fed |"Em"e3 e2 f |
"G"g2 g bag | "D"~f3 agf |"A"e2 e f2 e |1 "D"d3 d2 e :|2 d3 d2 g||
|:"Bm"fBB fBB | "C"gcc gcc | "D"add add | "Em"b3 bag |
"Bm"fBB fBB | "C"gcc gcc | "D"~f3 "A"edc | "D"d3 d3 :||

Ten comments

The Donegal Lancers

I learned this tune from Tess Slominski, fiddler with the Washington, DC band Roaring Mary. I like the unusual chordal structure in the B part. It can be found on John Williams’ CD "Steam" as "The Lancers’ Jig".

Perhaps better written as a slide?
The first 4 bars remind me of one, I’ll post the link if I remember what it’s called…

Besides, the enharmonic run; < ~g2g bag | f2a agf | e2g f2e > is common to many European counter danse tunes, but also present in some (pseudo?) tarentellas I think and a song by La Bolduc ..

the f/B g/c chromatic rise is particularly original.

… this unusual chromatic rise is especially ‘meaningful’ when heard from the dance floor… To me it’s like it brings a sense of tension or heightens the suspense in the spacial orientation, coordination and interpersonal areas, so to speak.

Single jigs were a popular choice of tune form for the quadrilles in the 1800s, ‘The Lancers’ being part of that family of dance…

1st part sounds like some of these Munster slides…

Donegal Lancers

This is played by Vince Campbell on the Brass Fiddle LP.

Re: The Lancer’s

Where does this come from? Lancers was usually the name of a set of tunes rather than any single tune. It appears as such in a couple of Australian publications but where else it is to be found I don’t know. These published dance programs all give the impression that it is, or was, a well known set of dances.