The Triumphal march

“The Roche Collection of Traditional Irish Music, Volume III”, 1927

Marches ~ pages 77 - 82

X: 2
T: Triumphal March, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: march
K: Dmaj
|: (3ABc |\
d2 d>d dAFD | A2 A>A A2 FG | A2 FA BAGF | E2 A>A AABc |
d2 d>d dAFD | A2 A>A A2 FG | (3AFD (3BGE d2 c2 | d2 d>d d2 :|
|: EF |\
G2 G>G GBAG | GFF>F F2 (3ABc | dcBA GFED | A2 A>A A2 (3ABc |
d2 d>d dAFD | A2 A>A A2 FG | (3AFD (3BGE d2 c2 | d2 d>d d2 :|
|: EF |\
GAcA eAcA | FAdA fAdA | GAcA eAcA | FAdA fAdA |
B2 B>B Bd/c/ e/d/c/B/ | A2 A>A A2 g2 | f2 (3age d2 c2 | e2 d>d d2 :|

Note: For the repeat of the B-part the Roche transcriptions gives the following possibility ~ ‘8va ad lib’

‘8va’ suggests up an octave, and ‘Ad libitum’ = ‘at one’s pleasure’… So, an opportunity to improvise or play the repeat up an octave, completely or in part, as you please…

Here is the B-part raised that octave as a whole ~

ef |\
g2 g>g gbag | gff>f f2 (3abc‘ | d’c‘ba gfed | a2 a>a a2 (3abc’ |
d‘2 d’>d‘ d’afd | a2 a>a a2 fg | (3afd (3bge d‘2 c’2 | d‘2 d’>d‘ d’2 ||

The Kilfenora Ceili Band recorded this as “The Munster Volunteers.” For fear its a mistake, I won’t add it as an alternative title. Feel free to do so if you wish ’c though.

Paddy, I doubt it would cause a problem, but for anyone searching for that title, and if the recording is here, the link would be useful. Thanks, appreicated, as always…

I should have caught that one anyway. I think I have the recording here, I hope, and if I do I’ll do a transcription, being a fan of the Kilfenora, geographically, musically and dance-wise…

I have given some repeats because the notebook transcription also indicated some alternate notes… Also, this earlier transcription indicated the strong 4 count of the march by grouping notes in pairs instead of 4 notes together, the latter tending to usually indicate a stronger duple identity to the measure, which still exists in both cases…

X: 2
X: 3
T: Triumphal March
S: a notebook full of ABC transcriptions, 70s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: march
K: Dmaj
|: (3ABc |\
d2 d>d dA FD | A2 A>A A2 FG | AD FA BA GF | E2 A>B A2 (3ABc |
d2 d>d dA FD | A2 A>A A2 FG | (3AFD (3BGE d2 c2 | d2 d>c d2 :|
|: EF |\
G2 G>D GB AG | F2 F>D F2 (3ABc | dG BA GF ED | E2 A>B A2 (3ABc |
d2 d>c dA FD | A2 A>B A2 FG | (3AFD (3BGE d2 c2 | d2 d>c d2 :|
EF |\
GA cA eA cA | FA dA fA dA | GA cA eA cA | FA dA fA dA |
B2 B>G Bd/c/ e/d/c/B/ | A2 A>F A2 g2 | f>a ge d2 c2 | d>A FE D2 EF |
GE cA eA cA | FD dA fA dA | GE cA eA cA | FD dA fA dA |
B2 B>E Gd/c/ e/d/c/B/ | A2 A>D F2 g2 | f2 (3age d2 c2 | d2 d>c d2 |]


B-part ~
first 2 measures, minor options on a couple of notes, F instead of D…

G2 G>F GB AG | F2 F>F F2 (3ABc |

C-part ~
could just be 8 bars repeated, CC, but to show some of the minor alternate choices given in the notes I’ve repeated it…

Other alternates on the triplet in the final bar (8/16) of the C-part ~

~ | f2 (3afe d2 c2 :| ~ or, a later option ~ | f2 a/g/f/e/ d3 c :|

Other later and wider option added as given above, bar 13 ~ B>E Gd/c/ & bar 14 ~ A>D F2…

ABC notation wasn’t around in the 1970s, ceolachan. I think there’s a mistake somewhere… 🙂

Is it the double Xs? ~ X: 2 & X: 3

I’ve just played through it again, and checked the old blue-lined A5 discoloured almost manuscript brown shee it’s on, in ‘old ABC’ ~ where it is at the bottom of two others, “Fainne Gael an Lae” & “The De Kervel March” ~

A-part, measure 6, I missed a change ~ | A2 A>B A2 FG |
B-part, measure 2, I missed the option ~ | F2 F>E F2 (3ABc |
& the 3rd bar, damn ~ not a G, but it works as an option ~ | dc BA GF ED |

Come on dear Nigel, don’t leave me hanging? Where did I screw up? It isn’t like it’s rare… 😉

The notebook is one of my old ones, one of several attempts to be ‘organized’, to put all the little scraps of paper and beer matt ABCs into a binder of some sort ~ which is bulging, and all the paper is brown with age, especially so all around the outside edges…

The writing is small, my scrawl, to accomodate the old ways with ABCs ~ things over the top of a note or note group, like raising an note an octave or as with triplets ~ and underneath, lines for lengthening a note and a mark for lowering a note by an octave…and it’s in my handwriting, however careful I was attempting to be… 😏

No, ceolachan, I didn’t mean there was a mistake in your notation, just that maybe there was a mistake in dating your notebook. As ABC wasn’t around in the 1970s, I thought that it was either a mistake or there would be some explanation…

And I’ve been using them personally since the 1960s…

I’ve seen ABCs, and a related shorthand using Solfeggio, from the late 1800s… Tom “Billy” Murphy, born 1875, Ballydesmond, County Cork, Sliabh Luachra, used ABCs and wrote the tunes he taught out in this form for his students…

There have been a few discussions along this line before. Even Chris Walshaw has never claimed to have invented ABCs, he just took the form and with others helped to standardize it in ascii for code that could work on a computer. Often others try to attribute its origins to the computer, but it ain’t so…

Well, I do apologise, ceolachan, I never knew that! I certainly have used sol fa in the past before I cottoned on to ABC, but I had no idea that it predated me, let alone computers! Thanks for enlightening me, and as punishment, I’ll add a tune to the database…

That is a blessing, as always, very welcome. I look forward to it…

"The Kilfenora Ceili Band:
The Best Of Traditional Irish Music From Ireland’s Number One Céilí Band"
https://thesession.org/recordings/2337

track 3: “The Munster Volunteers” ~ march

The Kilfenora recording is only twice through the tune, first in the key of C Major and then in Eb Major. While this transcription is from the recording I’ve transposed it to D Major to facilitate comparison with the versions given here…

X: 4
T: Triumphal March, The
T: Munster Volunteers, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: march
K: Dmaj
|: AB/c/ |\
d2 d>c dA FD | .A2 A>^G A2 F>=G | AB/A/ ^GA BA FD | E2 A>^G AA Bc |
d2 d>c dA F/E/D | A2 A>^G A2 F=G | A/F/D B/G/E d2 c2 |[1 d2 d2 d2 :|[2 d2- d2- dD ||
|: EF |\
G2 G>F GB AG | GF F/F/E F2 AB/c/ | d>c BA G/G/F ED | A2 A>^G AA Bc |
d2 d>c dA FD | .A2 A>^G A2 F=G | A/F/D B/G/E d2 c2 | d2- d2- dD :|
|: EF |\
GA cA eA c/B/A | FA dA fA dA | GA cA eA c/B/A | FA dA fA dc |
B2 B>^A B2 e/d/c/B/ | A2 A>^G A2 =g2 | f2 a/g/f/e/ d2 c2 |[1 e2- e2 dD :|[2 e2- e2- e2 |]