Leaving Lismore waltz

I got this one off a record called “Out The Box!”, by a man whose name I forget: he was an expert player of Scottish music on the three-row button accordion.

Haven’t seen him for around 20 years, but I think “Out Of The Box” was by Sandy Coghill. A great box player, used to play with the “Wallochmor” Ceilidh band.

Yes, that’s the one.

I was introduced to this tune by Bill Spence of Fennig’s All-Star String Band. He gave me the sheet music a couple of years ago since I enjoyed the tune so much, along with Up the Buckhorn Way. Glad to see that others like it as much as I do. Thanks for posting it.

In Scots Guards pipe music Vol.II it’s credited to Mrs.Martin Hardie,and is written as a slow march in 6/8.

Key signature: D Major
Submitted on July 15th 2008 by greybeardd.
~ /tunes/8711

X: 2
T: Valse Eccossaise
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Dmaj
|: D3 E F2 | A4 d2 | B2 A2 F2 | A2 F2 E2 | D3/2E/F | A4 A2 | B2 A2 F2 | E4 A,2 |
D3 E F2 | A4 d2 | B2 A2 F2 | A6 | A2 B2 d2 | F4 E2 | FE D4 | D6 :|
d3 c d2 | B4 A2 | B2 A2 F2 | A6 | d3 c d2 | B4 A2 | B2 A2 F2 | E6 |
d3 c d2 | B4 A2 | B2 A2 F2 | A6 | A2 B2 d2 | F4 E2 | FE D4 | D6 |
d3 c d2 | B4 A2 | B2 A2 F2 | A6 | d3 c d2 | B4 A2 | B2 A2 F2 | E6 |
D3 E F2 | A4 d2 | B2 A2 F2 | A6 | A2 B2 d2 | F4 E2 | FE D4 | D6 |]

greybeardd submitted this without comment and in the following way ~

X: 1
T: Valse Eccossaise
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Dmaj
D3/2E/F A2d|BAF AFE|D3/2E/F A2A|BAF E2A,|
D3/2E/F A2d|BAF A3|ABd F2E|F/E/D2 D3:|
d3/2c/d B2A|BAF A3|d3/2c/d B2A|BAF E3|
d3/2c/d B2A|BAF A3|ABd F2E|F/E/D2 D3|
d3/2c/d B2A|BAF A3|d3/2c/d B2A|BAF E3|
D3/2E/F A2d|BAF A3|ABd F2E|F/E/D2 D3||

This tune is indeed called “Leaving Lismore” - Lismore (Lios Mòr in Gaelic) being an island of the Inner Hebrides in Loch Linnhe, in Argyll, on the west coast of Scotland.
It is what is known by pipers as a “retreat march” - that is, a march in 3/4 time. So it’s not a waltz, even though it’s in 3/4 time ( a bit of a difficult concept to grasp!). Perhaps “retreat march” is a free translation from the German: “Valse Eccossaise”
Other examples of retreat marches include “Green Hills of Tyrol” and “When the Battle is Over”.

# Posted on July 16th 2008 by Mix O’Lydian

Was this not a ‘retreat march’ in 6/8 rather than 3/4? 😏

I’ve only changed the L: from 1/4 to 1/8 for an easier comparison…

X: 3
T: Valse Eccossaise
S: Cathy Boyer
Z: Nigel Gatherer
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|: D3 E F2 | A4 d2 | B2 A2 F2 | A2 F2 E2 | D3 E F2 | A4 A2 | B2 A2 F2 | E4 A,2 |
D3 E F2 | A4 d2 | B2 A2 F2 | A6 | A2 B2 d2 | F4 E2 | FE D4 | D6 :|
d3 c d2 | B4 A2 | B2 A2 F2 | A6 | d3 c d2 | B4 A2 | B2 A2 F2 | E6 |
d3 c d2 | B4 A2 | B2 A2 F2 | A6 | A2 B2 d2 | F4 E2 | FE D4 | D6 |
d3 c d2 | B4 A2 | B2 A2 F2 | A6 | d3 c d2 | B4 A2 | B2 A2 F2 | E6 |
D3 E F2 | A4 d2 | B2 A2 F2 | A6 | A2 B2 d2 | F4 E2 | FE D4 | D6 |]

I did forgot to correct bar 5 of greybeardd’s from | D3/2E/F | to | D3 E F2 |
However, as you probably realize, the two transcripts, Nigel’s & greybeardd’s, are identical in every way… 😏 Curious…

X: 3
T: Valse Eccossaise
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|: G3 A B2 | d4 g2 | e2 d2 B2 | d2 B2 A2 | G3 A B2 | d4 d2 | e2 d2 B2 | A4 D2 |
G3 A B2 | d4 g2 | e2 d2 B2 | d6 | d2 e2 g2 | B4 A2 | BA G4 | G6 :|
g3 f g2 | e4 d2 | e2 d2 B2 | d6 | g3 f g2 | e4 d2 | e2 d2 B2 | A6 |
g3 f g2 | e4 d2 | e2 d2 B2 | d6 | d2 e2 g2 | B4 A2 | BA G4 | G6 |
g3 f g2 | e4 d2 | e2 d2 B2 | d6 | g3 f g2 | e4 d2 | e2 d2 B2 | A6 |
G3 A B2 | d4 g2 | e2 d2 B2 | d6 | d2 e2 g2 | B4 A2 | BA G4 | G6 |]

& the transcript given here by nicholas with those missing 8 bars added ~

X: 1
T: Leaving Lismore
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Gmaj
|: G3 A B2 | d4 g2 | e3 d B2 | d6 | G3 A B2 | d4 d2 | e3 d B2 | A6 |
G3 A B2 | d4 g2 | e3 d B2 | d6 | d4 (3efg | B4 A2 | BA G2 G2 | G6 :|
g3 f g2 | e4 e2 | e3 d B2 | d6 | g3 f g2 | e4 e2 | e3 d B2 | A6 |
g3 f g2 | e4 e2 | e3 d B2 | d6 | d4 (3efg | B4 A2 | BA G2 G2 | G6 |
g3 f g2 | e4 e2 | e3 d B2 | d6 | g3 f g2 | e4 e2 | e3 d B2 | A6 |
G3 A B2 | d4 g2 | e3 d B2 | d6 | d4 (3efg | B4 A2 | BA G2 G2 | G6 |]

It is played both as a ‘slow’ march, 6/8, and a waltz, 3/4…

https://thesession.org/tunes/8711/comments

on ‘At Complete Ease’ by John Carty and Brian Rooney. First track, first tune, called “Morris (spelt Maurice in the notes) Scanlon’s”.

https://youtu.be/nHnwfZOuNyw

play video

First tune in above set in Key of D. as in X3 above.