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The May Morning Dew barndance

There are 47 recordings of this tune.

The May Morning Dew has been added to 5 tune sets.

The May Morning Dew has been added to 177 tunebooks.

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Five settings

1
X: 1
T: The May Morning Dew
R: barndance
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
E2|E B3 Bc|d2 B4-|B4 cd|F E3 D2|E6|g e3 ge|fe d4-|
d4 BA|B4 ef|e6-|e4 ef|g2 e3 g|fe d4-|d4 ef|e2 dB A^G|
A6|^G4 AB|e4 dc|d B4- B|cd F E3|D2 E4-|E6||
2
X: 2
T: The May Morning Dew
R: barndance
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Emin
E2|A<e e2 e2 ag/f/|g<e e2 e2 e2|e<g B<A A2 A2|AG A2 A2 E2|
A<e e2 ef ga|a2 a2 a2 g<e|f<d d2 c2 d2|d2 d2 d2 E2|
A<e e2 e2 fg|a2 a2 a2 g<e|f<d d2 de f<d|g2 g2 g2 a2|
g<e =fe A<c c2|c2 c2 d<e a2|a2 a2 ed e<A|A2 AG A2 A2||
E|A<e e2 e2 e2|a2 g/f/g/a/ g<e e2|e<g B2 B2 AG|A2 A2 A2 A2|
ab c'2 c'2 c'2|ba b<e e2 e2|e/d/e/g/ g2 b<a a2 a2|a2 a2 a2 a2|
ab c'2 c'2 c'2|b2 b2 b2 g/a/b/a/|a2 g2 g2 g2 g2|b<a a2 g2 ed/c/|
B2 B2 B2 B2|E2 A<e e2 e2|ga a2 a2 a2|e2 =fe A2 A2|G2 A2 A2 A2||
E|Ae e2 e2 ag/f/|g<e e2 e2 e2|B>A A2 A2|G2 A2 A2 E2|
A<e e2 e2 fg|a2 a2 a2 g<e|f<d d2 c2 d2|d2 d2 d2 E2|
A<e e2 e2 f<g|a2 a2 a2 g<e|f<d d2 d2 d2|e<f gf/g/ g2 g2|
ag/e/ =f3e A<c|c2 c2 c2 e<a|=f2 =f2 =f2 ed|eA A2 A2 G2|A4 A4||
# Added by JACKB .
3
X: 3
T: The May Morning Dew
R: barndance
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
E2 (3F/E/D/ EA Je-|e6-|e6-|e6-|e4z2|z3/2a/f2Jg2-|g6-|{a}ge4{a}e-|e4z2|
egJB3{c}B|A6-|A2{c}AGJA2-|A6-|A-A4z|z6|E{A}E DEA Je-|e6-|e6-|e3z3|
ff3Jg2|Ja6-|a6-|a3z2 a/Jb/|{c'}a4{b}a/g/e/f/|{g}f4{a}fd-|d-d4{a}d-|{a}dc{a}d4-|!>!d6|
z6|z2E A Je2-|e6-|e4z2|f3{a}ge2|Ja6-|a6|z3/2a/Jb{c'}a3|{c'}a/g/e/Jg/f4-|f6|Jg{a}gfJg3-|g6|
z3z2a|Ja2{c'}age2-|e2A BJc2|c6-|c6-|c6-|!>!c3z3|zdea{E}=f2-|=f6-|=f6-|=f3z2{a}e|
dJeA4-|A6-|A2{c}AGA2-|A6-|A4z2|z6|z3E F/E/ D|JE2(3F/E/D/EA Je-|e6-|e6-|e4z2|
zgJa4-|a2{c'}a2{c'}(3agf|(3gafJg4-|g2{a}ge3-|e6-|e3z3|zegJB3-|B4cB|A3-A2{c}A/G/|JA6-|A6-|!>!A3z3|
z3z2a|bb3Jc'2-|c'6-|c'6-|b{c'}b/a/Jb3e-|e6|z2{a}e/d/efJg|{a}geJa4-|a6-|a4z2|
z3z2a|bb3Jc'2-|c'2-b2{c'}b.a|g/a/b{abag}ag/f/Jg2-|g6-|g6|
z3a/ba/b/a/|a3{c'}a/g/e2-|e4{a}e/d/B|Jc6-|c2-B4-|B6-|B4z2|z6|
zE (3F/E/D/ EA Je-|e6-|e6|z3fgg|Ja6-|a6|z3eeJ=f|e/d/eA4-|A6|{c}A{c}AGA3-|A6|z6|
z3E2(3F/E/D/|EA Je4-|e6-|e6-|e6-|ez4g|Ja2{c'}a/g/fg2-|g3{a}ge2-|g6-|g4z2|fJgJB4-|B3c/B/A2-|
A3-A2{B}A|GJA3-A2-|A6-|A3z3|z4E2|F/E/ DEA Je2-|e6-|e6-|ez3fg-|gJa3-a2-|a6-|a6-|b/a//b//a2{c'}(3agef-|
f2{a}fd3-|d2z{de}d2{a}d|c{de}d2-d3-|!>!d6|z6|zE{A}E/D/E/A/ Je2-|e6-|!>!e2z4|
eff3/2{a}g/eJa-|a6-|a6|z2a/b/Ja2{c'}a/g/|e{fg}f3-f2-|f2-f3Jg-|g{a}gfJg3-|g6-|g3z3|
z3Jga2-|a2{c'}agJe2-|e2ABJc2-|c6-|c6-|c6-|c3z3|zde.aJ!>!=f2-|=f6-|=f6-|=f6|
.ez2(3e/=f/e/dJe-|e-A3-A2-|A4{c}A/G/A/B/|A6-|A6-|A4z2|
4
X: 4
T: The May Morning Dew
R: barndance
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
E2|A<e e2 e2 e>a|g>e e2 e2 e2|e<g B<A A2 A2|AG A2 A2 E2|
A<e e2 ef ga|a2 a2 a2 g<e|f<d d2 c2 d2|d2 d2 d2 E2|
A<e e2 e2 fg|a2 a2 a2 g<e|f<d d2 d2 de/f/|g2 g2 g2 a2|
g<e =fe A<c c2|c2 c2 d<e a2|a2 a2 ed e<A|A2 AG A2 A2||
E|A<e e2 e2 e2|a2 ag/f/ g<e e2|e<g B2 B2 AG|A2 A2 A2 A2|
ab c'2 c'2 c'2|ba b<e e2 e2|e/d/e/g/ g2 b<a a2 a2|a2 a2 a2 a2|
ab c'2 c'2 c'2|b2 b2 b2 g/a/b/a/|a2 g2 g2 g2 g2|b<a a2 g2 ed/c/|
B2 B2 B2 B2|E2 A<e e2 e>f|g>a a2 a2 a2|e2 =fe A2 A2|G2 A2 A2 A2||
E|Ae e2 e2 ag/f/|g<e e2 e2 e2|B>A A2 A2|G2 A2 A2 E2|
A<e e2 e2 fg|a2 a2 a2 g<e|f<d d2 c2 d2|d2 d2 d2 E2|
A<e e2 e2 f<g|a2 a2 a2 g<e|f<d d2 d2 d2|e<f gf/g/ g2 g2|
ag/e/ =f3e A<c|c2 c2 c2 e<a|=f2 =f2 =f2 e>d|e<A A2 A2 G2|A4 A4||
# Added by JACKB .
5
X: 5
T: The May Morning Dew
R: barndance
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amin
E2|A<e e2 e2 e>a|g>e e2 e2 e2|e<g B<A A2 A2|AG A2 A2 E2|
A<e e2 ef ga|a2 a2 a2 g<e|f<d d2 c2 d2|d2 d2 d2 E2|
A<e e2 e2 fg|a2 a2 a2 g<e|f<d d2 d2 de/f/|g2 g2 g2 a2|
g<e =fe c2 c2|c2 c2 d<e a2|a2 a2 ed e<A|A2 AG A2 E2||
A<e e2 e2 e2|a2 ag/f/ g<e e2|e<g B2 B2 AG|A2 A2 A2 ab|
c'2 c'2 c'2 ba|b<e e2 e2 e/d/e/g/|g2 b<a a2 a2|a2 a2 a2 ab|
c'2 c'2 c'2 b2|b2 g/a/b/a/ a2 g2|g2 ga/b/a2 g2|e/d/c B2 B2 E2|
A<e e2 e>f|g>a a2 a2 ae|ed/e/ A2 A2 G2|A2 A2 A2 E2||
Ae e2 e2 ag/f/|g<e e2 e2 e2|B>A A2 A2 G2|A2 GA/B/ A2 E2|
A<e e2 e2 fg|a2 a2 a2 g<e|f<d d2 c2 d2|d2 d2 d2 E2|
A<e e2 e2 f<g|a2 a2 a2 g<e|f<d d2 d2 d2|e<f gf/g/ g2 g2|
ag/e/ =fe c2|c2 c2 d<e a2|=f2 =f2 =f2 e>d|e<A A2 A2 G2|A4 A4||

Ten comments

May Morning Dew

This is a rough transcription of Dolores Keane’s version. I’ve been entranced by May Morning Dew ever since listening to Mick O’Brien own the tune and then string it together with Sporting Nell. Mmm.

Key of G?

I’m pretty sure this one should have the C’s sharped. Not to say you couldn’t have the C’s natural, but that’s the only way I’ve ever heard it. That would put it in Edor rather that Emin. Either way, of all the versions of this tune that I’ve heard I can’t think of one that I don’t like!

Slow Air with Text

There is a beautiful rendition of this tune (as a slow air with lyrics, of course, NOT a waltz) on The Chieftains’ “Water from the Well” album. Kevin Conneff sings it a capella, and the words are very wistful and haunting.

Some C’s are sharped, most are naturals.

Slow Air

I play it myself as a slow air as opposed to a waltz. When I was transcribing it, 3/4 was the closest signature into which all the dots fit comfortably, and unfortunately, The Session doesn’t have “Slow Air” as a playing style when uploading the ABC. So, “waltz” it was. 🙂

Re Key of G?

Re: mrkelahan’s comment at May 19th -
I kept playing through the music, and I had my music master wife play through it, and we didn’t notice any problems…and then I played the MIDI download, and now I hear exactly what you mean. I did intend for those Cs to be sharp. I figured that the key sig of D on the staff would have sharpened the Cs automatically. I changed the ABC key to EDor, and I’m still not hearing it play correctly. :( I suppose I could try DMaj, but that kind of defeats the purpose. Any suggestions for ABC key setting?

Lyrics

How can anyone not be moved by this? Kevin Conneff sings May Morning Dew with slightly different lyrics I believe. “wild thistles have grown” and “the proud deer”

How pleasant in winter to sit by the hob
Listening to the sounds and the bark of a dog
Or in summer to wander the wide valleys through
And to pick the wild flowers in the May morning dew

Summer is coming, Oh, Summer is near
With the leaves on the trees and the sky blue and clear
And the small birds are singing their fond notes so true
And the wild flowers are springing in the May morning dew

The house I was born in is but a stone on a stone
And all round the garden the weeds they have grown
And all the fine neighbours that ever I knew
Like the red rose have perished in the May morning dew.

God be with the old folk, they are all dead and gone
And likewise my brothers, young Denis and John
As we tripped thrugh the heather, wild hares to pursue
Our joys they did mingle in the May morning dew

Being from New Zealand, in May it is Autumn, but it is an great time to hunt (in the may morning dew) here.

Ooops…wrong key.

I have changed the key from Em to Edor, which it should have been in the first place. Many thanks to mrkelehan.

Still enchanted

Yes, I’m still enchanted by Alexander/Sasha Karaevev’s haunting version of this beautiful air. First he played it on the uilleann pipes and then droned along as he sang in his beautiful Russian voice. A revelation--and a great start to WCSS 2009. Life’s great moments…

May Morning Dew, X:3

Davy Spillane has recorded May Morning Dew five or six times, both on solo recordings and film soundtracks and with Moving Hearts, for whom it became a natural opening number. Most times he played it on a Low F whistle. This transcription, however, is from the album Sea of Dreams where he used a Low D. The symbol > is used to indicate falling slides and J, rising slides, though the latter don’t come out in the music.

Re: May Morning Dew

First of all, I have to say that I am a newbie here, I’m discovering this wonderful site!
And I have to say too that I’m not a great musician, I play guitar but I do not have a thorough knowledge in music and music theory.
I’m trying to adapt the tune called May Morning Dew to play it with my electrical guitar: for the melody, it’s ok for me, but I’m try to add chords played by a keyboard (pad accompaniment).
Do you know how to harmonize this tune? When and where do you add what chords?

Thanks for your help, if you can.. 🙂

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