Kitty’s Wedding hornpipe

In County Clare, this tune is normally played third in the set after Sonny Murray’s and Home Ruler. It’s a nice fiddle tune with the low As and Bs.

In the North, Ulster, this was also played as a ‘German’, or any of the above mentioned. It has strong two bar phrasing and fits the typical dance forms beautifully, as did other ‘hornpipes’, more of that ‘melding’. However you slice it, it’s a lovely tune…

what do flute/ whistle players do on first par where it drops below D. I’ve tried jumping it up to ed | BdAd and justing playing long D’s but not sure about either approach?

K: D Major
|: (3gfe |
d2 B>d A2 F>A | B>AF>A D2 E>D | (3Bcd A>B D>FB>F | A>FD>F E2 f>e |
(3ded B>d A2 (3FGA | B>AF>A D2 E>D | B>dA>B D>FB>F | A>FE>F D2 :|
|: f>g |
a>fe>d b>af>d | A>df>d e>d (3Bcd | D>FA>d F>Ad>e | (3fgf (3def e2 f>g |
a2 (3fed b2 a>f | A>df>d e>dB>d | D>FA>d F>Ad>f | e>AB>c d2 :|

~ minus the notated swing and triplets ~
K: D Major
|: fe |
d2 Bd A2 FA | BAFA D2 ED | BdAB DFBF | AFDF E2 fe |
dABd ADFA | BAFA D2 ED | BdAB DFBF | AFEF D2 :|
|: fg |
afed bafd | Adfd edBd | DFAd FAde | f2 df e2 fg |
a2 fd b2 af | Adfd edBd | DFAd FAdf | eABc d2 :|

Thanks c,
I’ve also figured that it goes Ok as well, if one just stays one octave up. i.e. |: fe | d2 Bd A2 FA | BAFA D2 ed | BdAd dfbf | afdf e2 fe |

~ some fun with going ‘up’ into the B-part…

Yeah, I’ve gone high like that there too, but not as standard, as a once off variation. I prefer holding back and letting the ‘high’ take mostly lie with the B-part of the tune.

I like how the first two bars drop down to the D, and then you make a little jump with say (3Bcd and then again return low to the E. That gives you four nicely descending two bar phrases for the A-part that are still ‘low’, if not as low as the fiddles or reeds can take it. Basically, those 2-bar phrases have the high d and drop down to the D or E below, then when you glide up into the B-part you’ve got a well defined high part that is clearly distinct from the A-part. You also have a reverse of the situation with the B-part in the two bar phrases of bars 3 & 4 and 7 & 8 where it ascends from D to d or e, and that all builds to a great dance tune, one that helps the dancers and the dance along, clarifying 2, 4 & 8 bar phrases, which help punctuate the changes of any dance, couple or group…

So, there’s my reasoning. I think going high in the A-part can take away from that a bit, but just a bit. It’s my preference for it. Winds sometimes prefer taking it high to set themselves outside of tone guzzling instruments like the accordions, but, the further away you are from the base of a tune, and in this case you’d be two octaves away, there is another issue to consider ~ being in tune… It is also an issue with winds, flutes in particular, that can cause ire, sometimes quietly steaming away amongst the other musicians present. I promise, taking it high, two octaves above the base, if you are even just slightly out of tune, it will grate… 😏

~ | B>AF>A D2 E>D | B,>DA,>D D>FB>F | ~ the low down…

~ | B>A (3FGA D>AF>A | (3Bcd A>B D>FB>F | ~
~ | (3cBA F>A D>AF>D | (3Bcd A>B D>FB>F | ~
~ | B>A (3FGA D>A (3FED | B>DA>D F>DB>F | ~
~ | B2 (3FGA D2 (3FED | B>DA>D (3FED B>D | ~
~ | B>AF>A D2 E>D | B>dA>d d>fb>f | a>fd>f e2 f>e | ~ twh

~ for a piping friend ~ and then there’s crans! 😉

Why are folks notating the hitch rhythm of a hornpipe? M:4/4 and R:Hornpipe automatically mean the hitched rhythm of the hornpipe. Or am I showing my ignorance? Inquiring minds want to know.

Compare the MIDI provided here for Setting #1 with that from #2 and #3. Not all converters work the same way.

The B part differs in a few places in this setting, especially in the penultimate bar. It works but it takes some getting used to. Taken from ‘A Fine Selection of Over 200 Irish Traditional Tunes for Sessions’, compiled by David Speers with a Forward by Matt Cranitch.

I’ve linked to this from a Paddy Killoran recording in the recordings section. Killoran’s Kitty’s Wedding is a jig, not the same tune

The Kitty’s Wedding that Killoran plays is correctly linked from De Dannan’s Star-Spangled Molly. It is The Ships in Full Sail, in case anyone is looking for it.