The Morning Thrush reel

Noel hill plays this on one of his ablums. I thought it was sweet. James Ennis composed this when he was young and won first prize at a Fleadh for the best newly composed tune.

Howzabout we start up the Morning Thrush Appreciation Society? This tune deserves one. Not a lot of people play it - which may not be a bad thing, as it deserves better than becoming hackneyed like so many popular session tunes.

……No jokes about live yoghurts or cannestan once treatments for belantitis thanks 🙂

Has anyone got a short audio clip or full recording of this tune played on a instrument by a human that they could e-mail on to me so I can capture the ornemants and feeling. I am having difficulty learning it from the midi keyboard file with my shoddy hearing its for learning purposes only and in no way going to be used for any public broadcasting.
“ITM Scouts honour”

Try here:

http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/neilmulligan3-07.m3u

BTW, someone gave me a tip:

Search on Google for “The moring Thrush mp3” or for any other tune and you should find at least a snippet of the tune

Don’t forget Brian MacNamara’s interpretation on his solo CD, A Piper’s Dream,

and just about my favorite piping recording of all time,

The Return From Fingal, a collection of Seamus Ennis performances on Radio Eireann, the BBC, and other venues dating from ~1940 to 1980. The Morning Thrush recording on that CD is spectacular. Seamus tells the story of how his father James composed the tune based on inspiration from a thrush’s singing outside his bedroom window in the morning.

So there’s nature in that tune and it deserves some gentle handling!

MIDI, my god…that tune in midi format…the thought of it makes me ill.

Video: The Morning Thrush played by Seamus Ennis!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLe9etQ0iwQ

play video

I cannot figure what key Molloy is using in with his 1996 recording:Shadows On Stone. It seems like the only match is B. Even with a capo on my bouzouki, I can’t play along. Any advice would be helpful. The Morning Thrush is a great tune and I want to add it to my flute repertoire… no matter how long it takes. Please help if you can.

My advice for morning thrush is a liberal application of yoghurt.

Use software to bend the pitch to D Major. Or just learn it to sing, hum, lilt, yodel etc. and then transpose it.

That is one of my favorite recordings, ever. 🙂

Sorry to hear about Matt’s painful condition

I think it was written by Seamus Ennis’s father in 1911, for a feis or a local competition which he won, and was inspired by a thrush singing in the garden one morning. As it started out in life as a pipe tune, I’m guessing it thus also started out in D. What key Matt plays it in may not be the original. All that’s off the top of my head. I say take R. Ryan’s advice, just learn it as you hear and fit the key round that, or to whatever is suitable to a session, if that’s where you intend to “perform” it..

Here’s the way Michelle Mulcahy plays it.

X: 1
T: Morning Thrush, The
S: Michelle Mulcahy
Z: Jack Gilder
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|:ag|f2ef d2AF|dAAF egfe|dDAF DF~F2|ABdf egfe|
dAAF dA~A2|BAFA dDDE|F/E/DFA defa|1afef db:|2afef d3c||
dffe [f2F2D2]af|[g3G3D3]e fAfe|d3e faaf|gbfb eAce|
dffe faaf|bfaf efdB|ADFA defa|1afef d3c:|2afef d2AF||
d2AF BdAF|~D3B ADFA|dFF2 dF~F2|ABdf egfe|
|d2AF DF~F2|AdFA DG~G2|ABde fagb|1afef d2AF:|2afef db||

And here’s how Seamus Ennis plays it (check the link to the video above).

X: 1
T: Morning Thrush, The
C: James Ennis
S: Seamus Ennis
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
fag|:~f2ef d2AF|dAAF A2fe|d2AF DF~F2|ABdf egfe|
dAAF dAAF|BAFA dADE|EDFA defa|1afef dfag:|2afef d2(3ABc||
|:dffe f2af|.g.g.ge .f.f.fe|dcde faaf|~g3f eAce|
dffe fa~a2|bfaf ecdB|ADFA defa|afef d2(3ABc:|
|:dAAF BAAF|DFDF AF~F2|dFAF dF~F2|ABdf e2fe|
|dFAF DF~F2|AdfA DF~F2|ABdg f/g/agb|1afef d2(3ABc:|2afef d4||

Finally, here’s Mick O’Brien’s delicate playing of the tune. He leaves first two parts slightly modified and comes up with a beautiful rendition of the third part. You can also see him playing on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n9VVZS6TLY&feature=PlayList&p=9BB91ADD0E20A839&index=32

play video

X: 1
T: Morning Thrush, The
C: James Ennis
S: Mick O’Brien
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
ag|:~f2ef d2AF|AdAF Agfe|d2AF DF~F2|ABdf egfe|
d2AF dAAF|BAFA dADE|EDFA defa|1afef dfag:|2afef d2(3ABc||
|:dcde faaf|~g3e fgfe|d2(3.f.fe faaf|gafg eAce|
dffe fa~a2|bfaf ecdB|ADFA defa|afef d2(3ABc:|
|:dAAF BAAF|~D3F ADFA|dFFE ~F2BF|ABdf egfe|
|dFAF DF~F2|AdFA DFBF|ABdg fagb|1afef d2(3ABc:|2afef d4||

X: 1
T: Morning Thrush, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|:ag|f2 ef d2 AF|AdAF Agfd|d2 AF DF F2|ABdf egfe|
d2 AF dAAF|BAFA dADE|EDFA defa|afef d2:||
|:(3ABc|dcde faaf|g3e fgfe|d2 (3gfe faaf|gafg eAce|
dffe fa a2|bgaf ecdB|ADFA defa|afef d2:|
|:(3ABc|dAAF BAAF|D3F ADFA|dFFE F3B|ABdf e2 (3gfe|
dFAF DF F2|AdFA DF F2|ABdf defa|afef d2:||

Here’s a whistle version of the tune by Grace Kelly…..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UupFW-97nmg

play video

I’ve transcribed the Matt Molloy version. The original is in Bb, I’ve changed the key into D. I did my best but there are definitely some mistakes…

http://www.tommyfoley.com/themorningthrushmolloydversion.pdf

Actually, the tune was composed by Seamus Ennis for a competition in which he earned 2nd place, if my sources are correct. If anyone has any record of the winning composition, I’d love to hear it! It would have to be good!!

Well he says himself in the clip where he plays the tune that his father wrote it.

What a glorious tune 🙂

http://www.canesten.co.uk/

Thanks for the ontological notes Hanley, Dissed and tullyvoney.

I suspected there was a real thrush behind this tune: The unusual, bold formulas in it had to have something to with this bold singer after all.
Of course, it would be presumptuous to say I recognised a thrush song pattern in the opening bars of the melody, even when hearing the tune on the tin whistle, but whatever way you look at it, the thrush is a bold bird (bold are its bib, its vocal outbursts, its ‘cut across your way’ flight, its manners (seen it gulp down berries or thrash a wee snail? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEJOMw8tDAE Now you have!) and the tune conveys this very succesfully.

play video

Listen to its distinctive way with notes (from 1’11"):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VEDsg0V1_M

play video

You can check various thrushes’ calls at http://www.rspb.org.uk/search/index.aspx?q=thrush

Smólach ceoil
http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/IrelandsBirds/Thrushes/SongThrush/tabid/438/Default.aspx
Smólach mór
http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/IrelandsBirds/Thrushes/MistleThrush/tabid/1073/Default.aspx
Sacán agus Deargán sneachta
http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/IrelandsBirds/Thrushes/Fieldfare/tabid/1139/Default.aspxhttp://www.birdwatchireland.ie/IrelandsBirds/Thrushes/Redwing/tabid/1074/Default.aspx

Oisín an smólach agus éan eile! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjdBM45bE10

play video

Ennis doesn’t say on the video what kind of thrush was singing in the tree… A song thrush or a mistle thrush?
Learn to recognise their different stances and stanzas at 1‘11“ for Turdus philomelo (the mavis) and 3’33 for Turdus viscivorus (the ‘stormcock’) ” on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VEDsg0V1_M then incorporate your findings ‘as you hear it’ in your playing, as Ennis said he did himself (0‘25“-0’41”)

play video

Have fun!

Padraig McGovern, John Joe Kelly, John McCartin, first tune

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TctlJu9Uh8o

play video

i recorded this reel on the accordion in 1999 i played it in the key of C

Brian McNamara’s version

Another version.

Matt Molloy’s recorded version on “Youtube” :
https://youtu.be/Ndu19DQLy5Q

play video

This version is in D major

https://youtu.be/N5rREFLtDn8

play video