Old Tom Of Oxford reel

The “Old Tom” of the title refers, I believe, to a college bell in Oxford.

Here’s a more complete version. It’s not really a real reel so it should be played in a slightly dotted rythym,in the order ABCB.

|GABc d2 ef|g2 d2 c2 B2|
A4 GABc|d2 g2 f2 g2|
a2 fe d2 ef|g2 d2 c2 B2|
A4 G4|g2 d2 c2 B2|A4 G4:||
B2 d2 B2 d2|B2 d2 gfed|
c2 e2 c2 e2|c2 e2 gfed|
B2 d2 B2 d2|ddef g4|
g2 d2 c2 B2|A4 G4|
g2 d2 c2 B2|A4 G4:||
G3 A B2 c2|d4 g4|
c4 Bc B2|A4 G4|
G3A B2c2|d4 g4|
f4g4|a2 fe d2 ef|
g2 d2 c2 B2|
A4 G4|g2 d2 c2 B2|
A4 G4|

That’s a nice version, Dafydd. Would you like to post it as a separate submission? I think the differences are significant enough to warrant it.
The shorter AABB version I’ve given is the one we play in a session as a reel, and last night we did it at a pace I’m sure set dancers would enjoy.

Pete Cooper gives a detailed account of the history of this tune on http://www.petecooper.com/eftnotes.htm#87

There’s a good version of the tune here.
http://www.myspace.com/thisisbellowhead
It’s the last tune of the set

here’s one version from a fiddle ms from 1752. it’s the john thomas ms edited by cass meurig and published by the national library of wales under the title ‘alawon john thomas’ isbn 1-86225-042-1.
she tells me she had thought of publishing under the title ‘fiddling with john thomas’ but thought better of it. in her edition she suggests that the key should be D minor reasonably enough but i fancy there’s something mysterious and of the eighteenth century about it when the b’s are natural and so i’ve left it as john thomas wrote it. i like it better this way
it is then (indcientaly) in what is called the ‘gogywair’ - an ancient (pre-fifteenth century) harp tuning, apart of course from the modulation to the c natural in the second turn.
some welsh folk songs are still to be heared sung in the gogywair but are as rare as hen’s teeth.
it was published also by Young and Pearson, The Dancing Master Vol 2 (London 3rd edition in 1719) as Peace and Plenty, or Old Oxford. titles here spelled as john thomas
X:70
T: Owld Ocsfford. Owld Oxfford
M: C
L: 1/4
Q:150
S:Alawon John Thomas NLW isbn 1-86225-042-1 ed. Cass Meurig
R:Reel
K: C
D/E/F/G/A2| BGA2|D/E/ F/G/ A2|d^cde|
fe/f/gf/e/|fe/d/^c2|dABG|AAD2:|
F/G/A/G/F/G/A/G/|F/G/A/B/c2|E/F/G/F/E/F/G/F/|E/F/G/A/B2|
fe/f/gf/e/|fe/d/^c2|dABG|AA,D2:|
it sounds lovely on a flute this way

# Added by dafydd - May 30th, 2007
https://thesession.org/tunes/7285

Trevor Jennings: “The ”Old Tom“ of the title refers, I believe, to a college bell in Oxford.”

Indeed. The bell is called: “Great Tom”

More info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Tower

I know this setting as Old Mother Oxford and it is used for clog dancing in Caldbeck. Both the title and the tune itself have so many points in common that I think they must have an origin in common

Another version - A part similar to the G major version I posted previously, B part quite different in places. Played for clog dancing