The Balquhidder Lasses reel

Not an irish reel, this should be scored with L=4 rather than L=8 ie crotchets and quavers not quavers and semi-quavers.

I have seen the tune credited to Alfred Moffat, and also with key signature of G/Emi (so that C naturals are played instead of the C sharps as given). Anyone care to comment on the modality of the tune?

Sounds like a 4/4 version of the tune for Limerick Rake… which was used for CHampion of Keepin it Rollin… I like to play it in 3/4 and it makes a nice jig too…

BALQUHIDDER LASSES. English, Country or Morris Dance Tune (4/4 time). England, Northwest. E Minor. Standard. ABCD. The tune was originally collected by Alfred Moffet, according to the EFDSS publication. The tune is used for a polka step dance in the Northwest England morris dance tradition. There is some resemblance of this tune and the ‘B’ part of “Johnny Cope.” The Ian Campbell Folk Group used the tune for a song called “The Canny Miner.” Fleming-Williams & Shaw (A Popular Selection of Traditional Dance Airs, Book 2). Wade (Mally’s North West Morris Book), 1988; pg. 11. F&W Records 5, Canterbury Dance Orchestra‑‑“Mistwold.”

X:1
T:Balquidder Lasses
D:Swarbrick, Ceilidh Album
Z:Nigel Gatherer
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Edor
BA | G2 E2 EFGA | B2 B2 e2 B2 | d2 A2 ABAF | DEFG A2
BA | G2 E2 EFGA | B2 B2 e2 B2 | d2 A2 BAGF | E6 :|
B2 | e^def e2 B2 | efgf e2 Bc | d2 d2 dAFA | DEFG A2
B2 | e^def e2 B2 | efgf e2 Bc | d2 A2 BAGF | E6
B2 | e^def e2 B2 | efgf e2 Bc | d2 d2 dAFA | DEFG A2
BA | G2 FG EFGA | B2 B2 e4 | d2 A2 BAGF | E6 |]

X:2
T:Balquhidder Lasses - 1st part
S:Jim Coon, internet
Z:Nigel Gatherer
N:Slightly modified by Erich Marschner, to reflect how I learned it.
N:Learned from Tom Benoit of the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps (http://www.ogfdc.org/index.php).
N:As played by the Musick (fifes and drums) of the 1st Maryland Regiment, ca. 1975
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Edor
BA | G2 FG EFGA | B2 B2 e3 e | d2 A2 ABAG | DEFG A2 |
BA | G2 FG EFGA | B2 B2 e3 e | d2 A2 BAGF | E6 :|
B2 | e2 ef e2 B2 | efgf e2 Bc | d2 de dAFA | DEFG A2 |
B2 | e2 ef e2 B2 | efgf e2 Bc | d2 A2 BAGF | E6 |
B2 | e2 ef e2 B2 | efgf e2 Bc | d2 de dAFA | DEFG A2 |
BA | G2 FG EFGA | B2 B2 e3 e | d2 A2 BAGF | E6 |]
X:3
T:Balquhidder Lasses - 2nd Part
S:Jim Coon, internet
Z:Erich Marschner
N:As played by the Musick (fifes and drums) of the 1st Maryland Regiment, ca. 1975
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Edor
GF | E2 B,2 E2 EF | GAGE G3 G | F2 F4 (D2 | D)CDE F2 |
GF | E2 B,2 E2 EF | G4 GBAG | FD A,D E2 B,2 | E6 :|
EF | GABA G2 F(G/2A/2) | G2 E4 DE | FGAG F2 (D2 | D2) DEF2 |
BA | GABA G2 F(G/2A/2) | G2 E4 EG | FD A,D E2 B,2 | E6 |
EF | GABA G2 F(G/2A/2) | G2 E4 DE | FGAG F2 (D2 | D2) DEF2 |
GF | E2 B,2 E2 EF | G4 GBAG | FD A,D E2 B,2 | E6 |]



BALTER SVENS PARAPOLKETT. Swedish.

X:1

T:Balter Svens Parapolkett

S:Eliza Carthy \&Nancy Kerr

D:Shape of Scrape

Z:Juergen.Gier@post.rwth-aachen.de

L:1/8

M:3/4

K:Dm 0&2

z4&A3^c|:(F4F)E & d3efa|~E3FED&g2gefd|\

^C2E2E2&^c2A2A2|E4A2&A4F2|G2&G2&&A2&GF&&A2&GA|\

A3AAD&B3dcB|E3FED&(A6|DDE2&A4)&&A2&^c2|\

F3&d3&&FFD&efa|DE&g2&&EFED&gefg|A2AGFE&a3gfe|\

EF2&d3&&ED^C&cBA|FGG2AG&B3dcB|AGF2E2&cBA2G2|1\

(D6&(F6|D4)&F4)&&E2&A2:|2D4E2&F6|A6&A4A^c|:\

A4(A2&e3e(3eee|A2)&e^c&&A2(A2&defg|\

A2)A2A2&a2afdf|A4&e2^c2&&A2&A2|A2A2(A2&e3~eed|\

A3)AAA&e^cdefg|A2A4&a2afdf|A4A2&e2e^cAG|\

D3FFD&F2dAFD|E2cAFD&E2ecA2|F2dAF2&F2afd2|\

A3EDE&A3GFG|A2FEDA&A2AGFB|A2FEDE&A2AGFE|\

F2FAGF&D2DFED|1A2A4&D4A^c:|2A3zA2&D3ED2|]

A4E2&D4A2|:D3^cdf&d3efa|e2e^cdA&g2gefd|\

A2E2(3AB^c&^c2A2A2|E4D2&A4F2|A2AGBc&G2GFGA|\

G4G2&B3dcB|A2E3F&(A6|EDE2&A4)&&(D2&A2|D3)cdf&d3efa|\

e2e^cde&g2gefg|d6&a2agfe|[D3A3]AGF&d3cBA|\

D3BAG&B3dcB|AGF2A2&cBA2G2|1c6&F6|c4E2&F4A2:|2\

c6&F6|c4E2&E4A^c|:A3A(3AAA&e3ge^c|\

^cADAde&e^cdefg|A2A2dA&a2afdf|\

^c2A2G2&e2^c2A2|E3^ccA&e3~eed|\

^cADAde & e^cdefg|A2A2dA&a2afdf|\

A2AGFE&e2e^cAG|D2A2D2&F2dAFD|E2A2&E2ec&&E2&A2|\

D2A4&F2afd2|c4A2&A3GFG|ABAGAB&A2AGFB|ABABAG&A2AGFE|\

A3BAG&D3FED|1A4E2&D4A2:|2A3zA2&D3ED2|]A4E2&D4A2|]

Sorry I posted the Swedish thing in there!

Damn Maryland Highlander, lay off the fire water if you’re going to do this sort of thing. At least you didn’t cut and paste the whole damned thing. For some reason, and you aren’t the first, things cut and pasted from that lovely site, “The Fiddler’s Companion”, have a tendency to double space…

Now you’ve done this, maybe you should submit the 3/4 tune on its own, that is if you play it or can get your instrument around it? You could always link back to this boo boo… 😉

“whole damned thing” ~ meaning all the entries from that webpage…

Yes It was an evil thing that I did… I was excited to see some English roots to this melody and in my excitement I posted all that…. The Balquidder Lassess reminds me of many tunes… especially the Limerick Rake which has now been posted as “Limerick Rake” and that is sort of how I know it in 3/4 also… so since that was done, to offer penance for my sin I will give this 6/8 version of this tune family…. I don’t think it needs it’s own submission here at the Sess, so here it is…( I dont remember where I heard it …)

M:6/8
L:1/8
R: jig
K: Ador

(3EFG |:AcB AGE | Ace a2a| gdd dBc | dBA G2G | AcB AGE | Ace aba| gdc BAG | A3A3 :|

|: eaa aba | gdd def | gdd dBc | dBA G2G| AcB AGE | Ace aba| gdc BAG | A3A3 :|

Balquhidder, is, of course, the home of Rob Roy, and as such I’ve always assumed the tune to be Scots. It’s a popular tune with Fife-and-Drum corps here in New England; I play it as a polka. FMI, but who’s Alfred Moffat? If he wrote this, he’s a genius. Heck, if somebody thinks he wrote this, he probably is.

Alfred Moffat (1866 - 1950) was a collector from the English Folk Song and Dance Society and he is said to have collected this tune as a North West Morris, but I can’t find any more about it. We play it as a polka, but a light one.