The Mothers Of St Ann’s march

This is not a strathspey (although it could be played as one) but a slow air, at about 88 bpm. It was originally written in D (by me!) but then fiddler Jimmy Nagle said it sounded better in G and moved it across a string. St Ann’s is where the Gaelic College in Cape Breton is situated. I went there with a large number of mothers and their children who were all learning the fiddle and wanted an easy tune to play.

Donald, I’m enjoying this tune very much--both as a march, and as a slow strathspey. Nicely done.

Thanks. I’m sure I must have nicked it from somewhere. It only took 15 minutes or so to compose.
I also wrote a harmony part which goes like this:
,BD|G4 F3E|DC,B,G ,B4|C3,B ,A4|,G,A,BC D2 EF|
G4 F3E|DC,B,G ,B4|C3D F2D2|,B6:|
DF|G4 D2,B2|E4 C2,A2|,B4 C2,G2|,B2C2 D2EF|
G4 D2,B2|E4 C2,A2|C3d F2D2|,B6:|

Eh, are those commas supposed to come after the low notes?

Here’s a video clip of the tune on guitar.
https://youtu.be/uqmjT2tXv8o

play video

Here’s the two voices given in X:1 and X:2 put together, since some prefer it that way.

Sweet tune!

Donald l just stumbled across your gorgeous tune Mothers of St. Ann’s and it had me in tears. Phew!
I play and compose a lot of Scottish tunes for mandolin and was stunned by the tunes’ simplicity and depth of feeling. It has inspired me to write my latest… (work in progress).
Been to St. Ann’s..a very special setting
Thank you for this musical gift.
Syd Read

Thanks, Syd, for your very kind words.
Simple often allows for a greater depth of expression. Why use twenty notes when you can say the same thing with four.
I too have fond memories of St Ann’s.

Thanks for sharing your tune, Donald. It goes to my tunebook.