The Dashing White Sergeant polka

I’m surprised this tune hasn’t gone in already, unless it’s done so under another name.

From the Athole Collection in F, via the fiddler’s companion website:

X:1
T:Dashing White Sergeant
M:2/4
L:1/8
R:Country Dances
B:Stewart-Robertson – The Athole Collection (1884)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:F
A/G/|:FF/G/ F/G/A/B/|c/B/c/d/ ca/g/|~fdcA|dG G/B/A/G/|FF/G/ F/G/A/B/|
c/B/c/d/ ca|gfed|1 cc/d/ c/B/A/G/:|2 c2z||C|cc/d/ c/d/e/f/|g/a/g/e/ c>e|
dd/e/ d/e/f/g/|a/b/a/f/ dd/d/|ec/c/ fc/c/|gc/c/ ag/a/|bagf|ed c/B/A/G/|
F>f f/e/f/g/|fcc>f|dg g/f/g/a/|gdd>~f|c>f f/e/f/g/|az c’>e|fe/d/ c/B/A/G/||

I like the version by The Kipper Family,The Dashing White Privates.

This was a great favourite of my mother’s (Rose O’Connor) and I believe ti was a popular tune in the dance halls where she played in the 50’s.
I think there was a specific dance to go with it. Alas and alack all lost now.


Peter

Peter - The Dashing White Sergeant is alive and well and danced at Scottish Ceilidhs the world over. It’s part of the Scottish Country Dance repertoire and dates back considerably further than the 1950s (18th or 19th Century).

In fact, I danced the DWS with my wife and somebody else’s wife making the required threesome at a ceilidh just a couple of weeks ago. By eck! But when you’re ‘piggy in the middle’ you get a right good work out! Ooh me ’eart (Nurse! where’s my pills?)

Now the fiddler’s ready, let us all begin
So step it out and step it in
To the merry music of the violin
We’ll dance the hours away.
Katie and Peggy and Patsy and Paul,
Callum and Peter and Flora and Moll,
Dance, dance, dance,dance, dance away the hours together!
Dance till dawn be in the sky,
What care you and what care I?
Hearts a-beating, spirits high,
We’ll dance, dance, dance!

(The “A” part not repeated for the song)

Setting as played at the Golden Guinea pub session, Bristol, UK.

Usually scored 4/4 metre.

Hard to believe the comment from Peter O’Connor 10 years ago, when it is absolutely a core dance of any Scottish ceilidh! ( Sometimes even have another set with different middle tunes in the second half of same ceilidh, if that’s what they want.)

Well, Mix, it IS usually written as 4/4 but strictly speaking it should be 2/2 as there are only 2 beats in the bar (try clapping along to it). Written as above in 2/4 is actually more correct than 4/4.