Although this tune was written in the key of C by the the late Simon Jeffes of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra ,it is usually played in D and the most simple chords would be -
First part ,Dsus,D,D,Dsus,D,D,Dsus,D,A,D (repeat)then A,A7,D,D7,G,A,D(repeat) Second part F,F,C,F,F,C (repeat)Bb,Bb,Bbdim,Bbdim.A.,A7,D,then back to start for 16 bars.
Hope this helps
Alan
What a coincidence that a discussion of this tune come up now. Just last night my son (age 14) asked me for the notation for Music For A Found Harmonium. I had printed it from abc sites from the 'net in both C and D a few years ago, and used to play it on my Indian harmonium. I played it in both keys, and he prefered it in D, so quickly learned it on his mandolin. I appreciate the info regarding the original key being C.
Alan, do you have any info about Simon Jeffes, and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra? I am not familiar with all the names in Irish music, and am learning as much as I can, so any more info you have would be gladly received.
I have a version in notation that has chords. I've also called our library to see if it's in The Fiddler's Fake Book. All the tunes in there have guitar chords. Is there a way I could post the version I have, to the Session, if The Fiddler's Fake Book doesn't have it? I have no info about where the version I have came from, by the way. It's in D.
Our library doesn't have a copy of Music for a Found Harmonium. The Fiddler's Fake Book doesn't have it. So if anyone knows if I can post notation here at The Session, I'll post the fake-version I have, that shows the chord symbols.
The notation was posted here last week, albeit without chords. You could post a chord chart (e.g.: DDDEmD/ etc) in the comments section under the tune.
I'm always leary of including chords because these vary greatly depending on a person's interpretation. Our local accompaniment wizard rarely plays the same chord progression the second or third time through a tune. But including a chord chart would help people just trying to get a handle on the tune.
Will
" Alan, do you have any info about Simon Jeffes, and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra? I am not familiar with all the names in Irish music.."
Simon Jeffes is not associated with Irish music other than the fact that Patrick Street recorded MFAFH. He was English and his music was pretty difficult to categorize. Here's a website for you. (I found this in 0.31 seconds with a web search, BTW.)
I just made a connection! I first heard Patrick Street's version of MFAFH as a dancer. After reading the liner notes, I knew it wasn't a trad Irish piece, but that it worked as one well enough. I don't think I ever remembered reading about the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, but I must have, because somewhere along the way, I've always associated this tune with...penguins! I always had this mental pictures of penguins wobbling and dancing around to it. I'm so relieved to finally figure out why. *snicker*
Careful Zina or we'll all develop mental pictures of you snorting amongst penguins in hardshoes....
A friend says MFAFH was used in the soundtrack of a Brazilian movie, background to the driver of a little trolley car wobbling around the streets of Rio or Sao Paulo. That's the picture I get when I hear this tune. That or a demented harmonium player overdosing on coffee and practicing scales.
Penguins snorting while dancing about in ghillies would be better. They've got the noses for it, and the mental picture of penguins laced into ghillies makes me laugh. *grin*
Dresses and all...I can imagine a whole Riverdance line-up of penguins, with an Emperor strutting across the stage in leather pants, bare chest, and a head band....
Bwahahahaha....I had NOT thought of the Emperor penguin...hahahaha!
We have a cartoon hanging up on the bulletin board of the dance school with some Eskimos looking at a great big hole in an icefloe. It's captioned, "The Alaska production of Riverdance discovers it's going to be tough giving an encore..."
This piece of music was indeed played in a film soundtrack a comedy -"Hear my Song" about a singer from Ireland -Josef Locke -starring Ned Beatty and Adrian Dunbar.Arty McGlynn (erstwhile member of Patrick Street and GREAT guitarist ) is playing on the soundtrack and you even get to see him in a scene alongside his wife Nollaig Casey.This is a very popular session tune here in Scotland.
Alan
I'm curious what's the Brazilian movie mentioned above. I might have seen it. The "little trolley car" reminds me of Black Orpheus, but i highly doubt there was any Irish music in that movie (or trolleys, either, i'm probably just making up false memories!).
The only "harmonium" i know is the pedal-driven reed organ that used to be very popular with Protestant churches in Brazil, where they couldn't afford a real pipe organ, and before the cheap electronic Yamahas were invented. They're mostly gathering dust in church basements now, which is a pity, since they have a nice sweet sound. Most of them were manufactured in German cities in the southern part of the country. They usually have 2 keyboards, 5 to 10 registers and a mechanism to move the whole keyboard to the left or the right, for transposing. I've seen this same kind of instrument in Slovakia too.
I doubt this is the kind of instrument that you can just "find", so i'm imagining that "harmonium" can also be a small accordion-like-thing, a concertina maybe? Or is it another instrument altogether?
Wow, Brother Steve. That Penguin Cafe and Simon Jeffes website is amazing. Thanks. I'm going to remember that the web does have search engines. LOL Duh.
MFAFH is in an australian film about a man who steals a tramcar, and as he drives through the night the music is used to brilliant effect .
the film is called `Malcolm`
This tune (MFAFH) was also just used in the sound track of a program on the psychology of shopping (the Learning Channel or Discovery, I don't recall which one). There was a segment showing the way men shop compared to women - an example of the way we are wired differently. The tune played while following a man trying to shop while pushing his son in a baby stroller. Funny where it seems to be used.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra were a fabulous mix of styles under Simon Jeffes. More concert style and although drawing on world traditions, certainly not folk. Unfortunately Simon died a couple of years ago - a sad loss to music.
He wrote somewhere that the tune came after he found a harmonium - yes one of those pedal pumped little organs - on a skip in Japan. It had a stuck key, so on the PCO version there is a drone note that underpins the piece. (G if playing in C, A if playing in D). Do check out PCO CD's - they are great.
As has been pointed out, the "Little Brazilian film" was in fact an Australian film set in Melbourne about a crime caper conducted by a tram enthusiast, although the final scene is in Lisbon as they contemplate their next tram-based escapade.
By the way, I think MFAFH would make a great session tune if played as a reel.
What do you all think?
I am a huge fan of "Napoleon Dynamite" and was thrilled when I discovered MFAFH was in it. I recognized it from a trailer for the 1984 film "She's Having a Baby," starring Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern. Though the song did not actually appear in the movie or on the soundtrack, I found it a wonderful piece, and have long been a fan of it. Though I managed to find Patrick Street's version on iTunes, I have not been able to locate PCO's.
The tune also brings to mind "Hoedown," another instrumental piece used in the US to advertise beef.
Amazingly, it was not used due to copyright laws. Patrick Street allowed them to use their version of the tune for the movie, but it was not continued over to the soundtrack.
Our Group, the Greystone Ramblers,have been doing a version of this tune with a jaw harp (Trump) lead for years, we received permission to do the tune from Simon's Estate executors. I was an honor to do so. When my then 14 year old daughter heard the tune as she watched Napoleon Dynamite, she asked her sister "How did they get permission to do Daddy's tune???" This memory always brings a smile to my face.
Music for a found harmonium
Music for a found harmonium
Anyone like to suggest a guitar accompaniment for Music for a Found Harmonium?
# Posted on November 16th 2001 by jneill
Re: Music for a found harmonium
Although this tune was written in the key of C by the the late Simon Jeffes of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra ,it is usually played in D and the most simple chords would be -
,Dsus,D,D,Dsus,D,D,Dsus,D,A,D (repeat)then A,A7,D,D7,G,A,D(repeat) Second part F,F,C,F,F,C (repeat)Bb,Bb,Bbdim,Bbdim.A.,A7,D,then back to start for 16 bars.
First part
Hope this helps
Alan
# Posted on November 17th 2001 by Alanmmcgregor
Re: Music for a found harmonium
What a coincidence that a discussion of this tune come up now. Just last night my son (age 14) asked me for the notation for Music For A Found Harmonium. I had printed it from abc sites from the 'net in both C and D a few years ago, and used to play it on my Indian harmonium. I played it in both keys, and he prefered it in D, so quickly learned it on his mandolin. I appreciate the info regarding the original key being C.
Alice Flynn
# Posted on November 18th 2001 by aliceflynn
Re: Music for a found harmonium
Alan, do you have any info about Simon Jeffes, and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra? I am not familiar with all the names in Irish music, and am learning as much as I can, so any more info you have would be gladly received.
I have a version in notation that has chords. I've also called our library to see if it's in The Fiddler's Fake Book. All the tunes in there have guitar chords. Is there a way I could post the version I have, to the Session, if The Fiddler's Fake Book doesn't have it? I have no info about where the version I have came from, by the way. It's in D.
Marian
# Posted on November 18th 2001 by Marian63
Re: Music for a found harmonium
Our library doesn't have a copy of Music for a Found Harmonium. The Fiddler's Fake Book doesn't have it. So if anyone knows if I can post notation here at The Session, I'll post the fake-version I have, that shows the chord symbols.
Marian
# Posted on November 18th 2001 by Marian63
Re: Music for a found harmonium
The notation was posted here last week, albeit without chords. You could post a chord chart (e.g.: DDDEmD/ etc) in the comments section under the tune.
I'm always leary of including chords because these vary greatly depending on a person's interpretation. Our local accompaniment wizard rarely plays the same chord progression the second or third time through a tune. But including a chord chart would help people just trying to get a handle on the tune.
Will
# Posted on November 18th 2001 by Will Harmon
Re: Music for a found harmonium
" Alan, do you have any info about Simon Jeffes, and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra? I am not familiar with all the names in Irish music.."
Simon Jeffes is not associated with Irish music other than the fact that Patrick Street recorded MFAFH. He was English and his music was pretty difficult to categorize. Here's a website for you. (I found this in 0.31 seconds with a web search, BTW.)
http://www.penguincafe.com/frames.html
Cheers
# Posted on November 19th 2001 by Jeeves Tones
Re: Music for a found harmonium
I just made a connection! I first heard Patrick Street's version of MFAFH as a dancer. After reading the liner notes, I knew it wasn't a trad Irish piece, but that it worked as one well enough. I don't think I ever remembered reading about the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, but I must have, because somewhere along the way, I've always associated this tune with...penguins! I always had this mental pictures of penguins wobbling and dancing around to it. I'm so relieved to finally figure out why. *snicker*
Zina
# Posted on November 19th 2001 by Zina Lee
Music for penguins
Careful Zina or we'll all develop mental pictures of you snorting amongst penguins in hardshoes....
A friend says MFAFH was used in the soundtrack of a Brazilian movie, background to the driver of a little trolley car wobbling around the streets of Rio or Sao Paulo. That's the picture I get when I hear this tune. That or a demented harmonium player overdosing on coffee and practicing scales.
Will
# Posted on November 19th 2001 by Will Harmon
Re: Music for a found harmonium
Penguins snorting while dancing about in ghillies would be better. They've got the noses for it, and the mental picture of penguins laced into ghillies makes me laugh. *grin*
# Posted on November 19th 2001 by Zina Lee
Re: Music for a found harmonium
Dresses and all...I can imagine a whole Riverdance line-up of penguins, with an Emperor strutting across the stage in leather pants, bare chest, and a head band....
# Posted on November 19th 2001 by Will Harmon
Re: Music for a found harmonium
Bwahahahaha....I had NOT thought of the Emperor penguin...hahahaha!
We have a cartoon hanging up on the bulletin board of the dance school with some Eskimos looking at a great big hole in an icefloe. It's captioned, "The Alaska production of Riverdance discovers it's going to be tough giving an encore..."
zls
# Posted on November 19th 2001 by Zina Lee
Re: Music for a found harmonium
This piece of music was indeed played in a film soundtrack a comedy -"Hear my Song" about a singer from Ireland -Josef Locke -starring Ned Beatty and Adrian Dunbar.Arty McGlynn (erstwhile member of Patrick Street and GREAT guitarist ) is playing on the soundtrack and you even get to see him in a scene alongside his wife Nollaig Casey.This is a very popular session tune here in Scotland.
Alan
# Posted on November 19th 2001 by Alanmmcgregor
Re: Music for a found harmonium
I'm curious what's the Brazilian movie mentioned above. I might have seen it. The "little trolley car" reminds me of Black Orpheus, but i highly doubt there was any Irish music in that movie (or trolleys, either, i'm probably just making up false memories!).
The only "harmonium" i know is the pedal-driven reed organ that used to be very popular with Protestant churches in Brazil, where they couldn't afford a real pipe organ, and before the cheap electronic Yamahas were invented. They're mostly gathering dust in church basements now, which is a pity, since they have a nice sweet sound. Most of them were manufactured in German cities in the southern part of the country. They usually have 2 keyboards, 5 to 10 registers and a mechanism to move the whole keyboard to the left or the right, for transposing. I've seen this same kind of instrument in Slovakia too.
I doubt this is the kind of instrument that you can just "find", so i'm imagining that "harmonium" can also be a small accordion-like-thing, a concertina maybe? Or is it another instrument altogether?
g
# Posted on November 21st 2001 by glauber
Re: Music for a found harmonium
Wow, Brother Steve. That Penguin Cafe and Simon Jeffes website is amazing. Thanks. I'm going to remember that the web does have search engines. LOL Duh.
Marian
# Posted on November 23rd 2001 by Marian63
Re: Music for a found harmonium
MFAFH is in an australian film about a man who steals a tramcar, and as he drives through the night the music is used to brilliant effect .
the film is called `Malcolm`
# Posted on November 23rd 2001 by Atk
Re: Music for a found harmonium
This tune (MFAFH) was also just used in the sound track of a program on the psychology of shopping (the Learning Channel or Discovery, I don't recall which one). There was a segment showing the way men shop compared to women - an example of the way we are wired differently. The tune played while following a man trying to shop while pushing his son in a baby stroller. Funny where it seems to be used.
# Posted on December 4th 2001 by aliceflynn
Re: Music for a found harmonium
so who's paying this guy the fees to post his copyrighted music?
# Posted on December 8th 2001 by Tmack
Re: Music for a found harmonium
MFAFH was posted here for personal use only. There, the lawyers will be happy.
# Posted on December 8th 2001 by Will Harmon
Re: Music for a found harmonium
It doesn't work that way, Will.
# Posted on December 26th 2001 by Tmack
Re: Music for a found harmonium
Have just learned how to post a reply ( duh!) so belated thanks to all of you who responded
# Posted on March 13th 2002 by jneill
Re: Music for a found harmonium
Penguin Cafe Orchestra were a fabulous mix of styles under Simon Jeffes. More concert style and although drawing on world traditions, certainly not folk. Unfortunately Simon died a couple of years ago - a sad loss to music.
He wrote somewhere that the tune came after he found a harmonium - yes one of those pedal pumped little organs - on a skip in Japan. It had a stuck key, so on the PCO version there is a drone note that underpins the piece. (G if playing in C, A if playing in D). Do check out PCO CD's - they are great.
# Posted on September 26th 2004 by Simrose99
Re: Music for a found harmonium
As has been pointed out, the "Little Brazilian film" was in fact an Australian film set in Melbourne about a crime caper conducted by a tram enthusiast, although the final scene is in Lisbon as they contemplate their next tram-based escapade.
By the way, I think MFAFH would make a great session tune if played as a reel.
What do you all think?
No.no. Don't!
# Posted on September 26th 2004 by Bren
Re: Music for a found harmonium
The music is also used in a fairly recent film called "Napoleon Dynamite".
And getting back to Australia - it's also being used in a Suncorp bank advertisment (I think it's Suncorp, or Westpac).
# Posted on May 30th 2005 by lb1979
Re: Music for a found harmonium
I am a huge fan of "Napoleon Dynamite" and was thrilled when I discovered MFAFH was in it. I recognized it from a trailer for the 1984 film "She's Having a Baby," starring Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern. Though the song did not actually appear in the movie or on the soundtrack, I found it a wonderful piece, and have long been a fan of it. Though I managed to find Patrick Street's version on iTunes, I have not been able to locate PCO's.
The tune also brings to mind "Hoedown," another instrumental piece used in the US to advertise beef.
# Posted on November 21st 2005 by mickychas
Re: Music for a found harmonium
It is strange that this is the best tune in the movie yet it's not on the soundtrack (Napoleon Dynamite)
# Posted on August 11th 2007 by soonbesummer
Re: Music for a found harmonium
Amazingly, it was not used due to copyright laws. Patrick Street allowed them to use their version of the tune for the movie, but it was not continued over to the soundtrack.
Our Group, the Greystone Ramblers,have been doing a version of this tune with a jaw harp (Trump) lead for years, we received permission to do the tune from Simon's Estate executors. I was an honor to do so. When my then 14 year old daughter heard the tune as she watched Napoleon Dynamite, she asked her sister "How did they get permission to do Daddy's tune???" This memory always brings a smile to my face.
# Posted on March 22nd 2008 by Docterry