The Curlew Hills barndance

I am posting this in response to a request by Nutty Nessie, for a tune called ‘Bielbies Hornpipe’. I assume this to be an alternative spelling of ‘Beilby’s’, which appears to be a Northumbrian name for this tune. I hope this is the tune Nessie is looking for. Also, I hope it is not already in The Session under yet another name, as it is quite a well known one.

It’s another of those hornpipes that is satisfyingly simple. As a subtle variation, it can be made even simpler by dropping out the middle note of all or some of the triplets in the A-part.

I thought this was a barndance

Funny you should say that, because I have a vague memory of seeing this in some collection or other under the guise of a barndance (Duncan’s Barndance, or is that a different tune?), but most people seem to know it as the Glenbeigh Hornpipe. It certainly makes a nice hornpipe, anyway. Since nobody in Discussions has yet been able to provide a clear definition of the term ‘barndance’ as used in ITM, I’m sticking with ‘hornpipe’.

Hornpipes & Barndances are very close to each other. This works as a hornpipe. I’ve often heard it paired with James Gannon’s barndance thats why I assumed it was a barndance. The only difference I can tell is that Barndances seem to have more whimsical melody lines than most hornpipes. When I first heard the Tune “If There Were No Woman In The World” I thought it was a barndance but I’ve also herd some people call it a hornpipe. In my eyes it six of one & a half dozen of the other.

come to think of it Barndances tend to be played with a little bit more of a scottish feel with a slight
AA feel, but not nearly that pronounced.

I have an album on the Dorian label called Walking Stones and they (Greenfire) play this hornpipe, but they don’t have a name for it. They simply call in “Untitled Hornpipe”. Does anyone know if Glenbeigh Hornpipe is the original name, or just an adopted name?

Thanks a lot - this is certainly the tune we were after - Dad is now struggling to learn it - he heard it from Pete Coe.

This follows on well from the Old Black Guard hornpipe (barndance?) which I’ve just been taught and which I’ll be submitting soon. The Old Black Guard is the same sort of perky genre.

I’ve now submitted the Old Black Guard
https://thesession.org/tunes/1439.
I was taught the Glenbeigh at the same time as the Old Black Guard, and the version of the Glenbeigh I was taught (and which goes well with the Old Black Guard) is as follows:

GABc dgfa|g2B2 d3B|cBAB c3c|BAGA BcBA|
GABc dgfa|g2B2 d3B|cBAB cAFA|1 G2 {A}GF G2 (3DEF:|2 G2 {A}GF GABc|
|:d2b2 c2a2|B2g2 gdBG|FGAB cAFA|GFGA BABc|
d2b2 c2a2|B2g2 gdBG|FGAB cAFA|1 G2 {A}GF GABc:|2 G2 D2 G,4||

I know this as “Bielbie’s Hornpipe”, not barndance, and learnt it from the playing of Willy Taylor and Joe Hutton.

Yes, it is… All the signs are there, clearly marked, despite the close affinity with the sibling hornpipes…

Check out one transcription of “Duncan’s Barndance” (Schottische) here, that excellent work of the Lancashire’s mad clarinetist Richard Robinson:

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Info/RRTuneBk/tunebook.html

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Info/RRTuneBk/gettune/00000705.html

Another nice barndance…

My understanding, the tale I was told, by someone who would know, associated with the naming, is that “Glenbeigh” was given as a name to avoid it being ‘nameless’, or another ‘Gan Ainm’, as was ‘Hornpipe’, because the folks in question weren’t really aware of the form or understanding of the difference.

Whoever gave this hornpipe the name of the “Curlew”, has caused it to be wrongly listed in [ at least ]6 recordings out of 9 in the “Recordings” section. Perhaps he/she meant “The Curlew Hills”, which is one name I’ve heard given to this tune.

https://thesession.org/tunes/3329

- amongst others…

Reg Hall claims in the liner notes of “Michael Gorman - The Sligo Champion,” that this is a composition of Gorman’s, called Chaffpool Post. Gorman composed the Mountain Road, of course. Hall also says he composed Cooley’s Reel, calling it “Put the Cake On the Dresser.”

https://thesession.org/tunes/246

Kerr’s Merry Melodies - a ‘German Schottische’, Vol. 1, pg. 46:

http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/CS_CZ.htm

Excerpt from the previous link:

“The Curlew Hills are rather modest hills located in south County Sligo—the name has no connection with the bird but rather is derived from the Irish corrsléibhte, ‘the rounded hills’. The hills were the site of the Battle of the Curlews in 1599, when Red Hugh O’Donnell, who had been besieging the castle of Collooney, ambushed the relief column from Athlone headed by the Sir Conyers Clifford, Governor of Connacht, and routed them, killing the Englishman.”

In Kerr’s Merry Melodies this is listed as a “Duet for Two Violins”; one plays this tune while the other violinist plays Home Sweet Home! This tune is simply called a “German Schottische.”
On the Nonesuch LP “19th Century American Ballroom Music” the “National Schottische” has the first part of this tune.

This is such a great tune, I originally heard John Carty playin it last year in Dunlewey. Interested to hear the ‘Curlew’ connection, as I was up on those hills at the beginning of the summer. Well worth the walk..lots of interesting passage tombs and things.

~ James Morrison, fiddler, and well swung…

“Peach Blossoms” ~ barndance
Key signature: D Major
Submitted on August 31st 2004 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/3469

As ceolachan said, James Morrison plays “Curlew Hills” with “Peach Blossoms”. I believe Morrison got both tunes from printed collections; “Curlew Hills” from Kerr’s Merry Melodies (there it’s “German Schottische” as Kevin explained above), and “Peach Blossoms” from the book which he used to learn sight reading (although there it is called “The Flowers of Love”). This information came from Caoimhin MacAoidh.

This tune (or at least a tune called The Curlew Hills) is listed in the CCE exam handbook as being a barndance and recorded by James Morrison on his album “The Professor”

Can anyone direct me to the sheet music or ABC of this lovely tune as played by John & James Kelly. It doesn’t appear to be on this site, but maybe it has another name?
Thanks.
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig do ghach duine anseo.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to all.

On a google search, I see where this is the same tune as the Bluebell Polka, and how it started as a barndance. Here’s a link to that tune. I’ll be curious if it’s the one you’re looking for.

https://thesession.org/tunes/3352

Best regards!

It’s here https://thesession.org/tunes/670

Since this tune originally appeared in the 1850’s, it’s appeared in many variants and under many titles - The Original Schottische Polka, Bielbie’s Hornpipe, Green Bay Hornpipe, The Lin(e)hope Lope, and Greenbeigh amongst other.

I’m not sure it’s got anything to do with The Bluebell Polka, though.

Thanks a lot to the three of you.
Nofrets: It’s actually the one at https://thesession.org/tunes/670

Thanks Dow (and molaoch). Just played this quickly and I really like it. I do like the Bluebell polka, too, but they are definitely not the same tune. Sorry for any confusion. Worked out good for me, though. I now have two great polkas to learn.

What attracted me was the mention to James Kelly. I’ll be taking one of his workshops in a couple weeks.

It is a schottische (barndance) and swung… 😏

Yes. Some of these schottischey type things do get called polkas though don’t they? You’ve called them ballroom polkas before, haven’t you, ‘c’? Or are those a different thing? Anyway, nofrets, If you like these tunes, you might also like the following:

Hawk Polka https://thesession.org/tunes/4649
Chaffpool Post https://thesession.org/tunes/246
Killavil Postman https://thesession.org/tunes/7317

Yeah, it was another coughing fit… 😉 You got me…

It is interesting how the dance aspect of the different forms also cross between them, and even enter into completely different time signatures, like 3/4 tunes, waltzes, mazurkas and varouviennes. The step more often called a ‘polka step’ wherever it finds itself…and the different types of ‘polkas’, as we have discussed in the past… This one, however, sometimes does get slaughtered as a flat and fast shadow of what it can do for dance and dancers with swing… 😉

It’s good to see someone with an interest in other forms than just jigs and reels, or reels and more reels…

X: 3
T: Curlew Hills, The
S: John & James Kelly
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: barndance / schottische
K: GMaj
|: (3DEF |\
G>AB>c d>g (3fga | g2 B2 d2 d>B | c>BA>B c2 c>A | B>AG>A B>cB>A |
G>A (3Bcd d>g (3fga | g2 B2 d2 d>B | c>BA>B c>AF>G |[1 A>GG>F G2 :|[2 A2 G2 G>A ||
|: B>c |\
d2 b2 c2 a2 | B>gg>f g>dB>G | F>GA>B c>AF>A | G/A/G/F/ G>A B>AB>c |
d2 b>B c2 a>A | B>gg>f g>dB>G | F>GA>B c>AF>G |[1 (3ABA G2 GA :|2 (3AAA G2 G2 |]

& minus > & (3

X: 4
T: Curlew Hills, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: barndance / schottische
K: GMaj
|: D2 |\
GABc dgfa | g2 B2 d2 dB | cBAB c2 cA | BAGA BcBA |
G2 Bc d2 fa | g2 B2 d2 dB | cBAB cAFG |[1 AGGF G2 :|[2 A2 G2 GA ||
|: Bc |\
d2 b2 c2 a2 | Bggf gdBG | FGAB cAFA | GFGA BABc |
d2 bB c2 aA | Bggf gdBG | FGAB cAFG |[1 A2 G2 GA :|[2 A2 G2 G2 |]

O’Regan’s Montreal Session Tunebook
http://music.gordfisch.net/oregans/

McDermott’s Barndance
http://music.gordfisch.net/oregans/pages/hornpipes/McDermotts_Barndance_ecd93ff7.php

X: 48
T: McDermott’s Barndance
T: Morrison’s Polka
D: John & James Kelly
Z: Lorna LaVerne
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: G
|: (3DEF |\
GABc dg (3fga | g2 B2 d3 B | ceAB c2 cA | BdGA BcBA |
GABc dg (3fga | g2 B2 d3 B | ceAB cAFG |[1 AGGF G2 :|[2 AGGF GA ||
|: (3B=c^c |\
d2 b2 c2 a2 | Bggf gdBG | F2 e2- edcA | GBAc Bd (3B=c^c |
d2 b2 c2 a2 | Bggf gdBG | FGAB cAFG |[1 AGGF GA :|[2 AGGF G2 |]

https://thesession.org/tunes/9205

X: 6
T: Curlew Hills, The
T: Glenbeigh Hornpipe, The
T: Ballybunion Hop, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: Barndance / Schottische
K: GMaj
|: D2 |\
G>AB>c d>g (3fga | g2 B2 d4 | c>eA>B c2 c2 | B>dG>A B>cB>A |
.Gz .Bz .d>gf>a | g2 B2 d3 B | c<eA>B c>AF>G | (3ABA G2 G2 :|
|: B>c |\
d2 b2 c2 a2 | B>gg>f g>dB>G | F>GA>B c2 B>A | G>FG>A B>^AB>c |
d2 b>B c2 a>A | B>g (3ggg g>d (3BAG | F2 (3GAB c>AF>G | (3ABA G2 G2 :|

You can also take the lead-ins this way ~
|: (3DEF |\ ~ & ~ |: (3Bc^c |\

There are some variations given in bars 5, 6 & 7 of both the A & B parts. You can, to keep it repetitive while you get familiar with it, simply play it in agreement, bars 1 through 3 being basically the same as 5 through 7 ~ and here it is simplified and without > of < or (3 ~

X: 7
T: Curlew Hills, The
T: Glenbeigh Hornpipe, The
T: Ballybunion Hop, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: Barndance / Schottische
K: GMaj
|: D2 |\
GABc dgfa | g2 B2 d4 | ceAB c2 c2 | BdGA BcBA |
GABc dgfa | g2 B2 d4 | ceAB cAFG | A2 G2 G2 :|
|: Bc |\
d2 b2 c2 a2 | Bggf gdBG | FGAB c2 BA | GFGA BABc |
d2 b2 c2 a2 | Bggf gdBG | FGAB c>AFG | A2 G2 G2 :|

Submitted on November 21st 2006 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/6398

X: 1
T: The Irish Scottish
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: Barndance
K: Dmaj
DEFG Adce | d2F2 A3F | GFEF G2AG | FADE FAFE |
DEFG Adce | d2F2 A3F | GFEF G2FE | D2F2 D2 :|
FG | A2f2 G2e2 | Fddc dAFD | EDEF GEFE | DDDE FEFG |
A2f2 G2e2 | Fddc dAFD | EDEF G2FE | D2F2 D2 :|

# Added by ceolachan - October 23rd, 2009 ~ X: 8 minus > & (3

check out Charlie Piggot playing this tune on the 1 row melodeon, 1st ever De Dannan album, mid ’70s.
I still have my original vinyl, not sure if its been re issued on cd

this tune was in my head. No idea where it came from, but I think it is probably Geordie in origin. Any ideas about the name? thanks in anticipation

You can find it as the ‘Glenbeigh’ (Curlew Hills):
https://thesession.org/tunes/670

This is the setting as I play it. Don’t know where it comes from though I suspect it is from the North East of England. I have included chords

Aye Christy Taylor, I learned it first from Charlie’s playing on that 1st De Dannan LP.

I’m playing it here on English Concertina & Hammered Dulcimer.

N.B. I took the Curlew photos here in north Antrim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcJm1UDX4JY

play video

Cheers,
Dick

On the very hard to find (I have a cassette copy) Harthope Burn recording from Northumbria, they do this tune as Bielbie’s Hornpipe in A. That puts it into third position on fiddle!

https://thesession.org/recordings/2496