I have a recording of De Dannan doing 'Mr O'Connor', and they attributed it to O'Carolan. My problem is that I can't find this particular song in any of my books. Can anyone help with the written music?
I don't know what recording you're working from, so I can't be sure, but the Mr. O'Connor in question is probably Planxty Denis O'Conor. I found it on page 237 in Krassen's O'Neill's. It's a jig in the unusual IRTRAD key of Bflat major, but a nice little tune. I'll post it as soon as Jeremy gets around to including B flat major as a key option.... Or sooner if I get around to transcribing it into a more common key.
I don't think so, Will. I'm listening to it now, and it doesn't sound like a jig to me. It's a minor key I think, and sounds very 'airy' to me. It's on the first disk of the 'How the West was Won' CDs. Thanks for looking! I still have hopes its around somewhere obtainable. I played through all of JC's Tunefinder 'Connor' and 'Conor' and O'Connor, and couldn't find it.
I don't know the DD recording but recently I bought the new Ossian edition of the book "O'Carolan: the life, times and music of an Irish harper" by Donal O'Sullivan.
No. 113, "Mr. O'Connor" is in G minor starts in 3/4 time marked "Allegro moderato." There is a second part in 6/8 time marked "Jig. Vivace ma no troppo".
As I said, it's in G minor (2 flats) and hits d'. To bring it within the range of the whistle you'd need to transpose it into E minor. You would then have problems in the jig section with a few low notes.
Other tunes to patrons called O'Connor or O'Conor are:
John O'Connor
Maurice O'Connor (first air)
Maurice O'Connor (second air)
Maurice O'Connor (third air)
Mrs O'Connor
Dr O'Connor
Michael O'Connor (first air)
Michael O'Connor (second air)
Denis O'Conor (one N) (first air)
Denis O'Conor (second air)
Mrs O'Conor
Charles O'Conor
The book costs $60 in the US but is well worth it. Ossian have done a generally good job of turning the original 2-volume set into a single volume. You get all Carolan's known tunes, an interesting biography, and even better, the fascinating memoirs of the blind harper Arthur O'Neill, dictated in the late 1700s or early 1800s.There's also a new appendix with new research and a few more probable Carolan tunes in it.
Ossian set the text by scanning the original edition, and unfortunately did not do a top-notch job of proofreading the results. But I highly recommend the book.
I've just twigged that this tune, minus the jig part, was also recorded by Patrick Street on their first album. From memory I think they played it in A minor, but I might be wrong.
Have posted the ABC for the tune, in E minor. Since I couldn't select the actual tune type, I chose jig. Silly me... I added the correct metre (3/4) at the start of the tune, but forgot to change the default note length. So the sheetmusic that has appeared actually looks like a jig. Sorry!
Hopefully it will reappear in the correct format. Jeremy, I respectfully suggest you rethink the tune types we can choose from. I was NOT going to call this a waltz!
Oh, and I don't think Patrick Street did record this - or did they. I was thinking of Loftus Jones.
If you are having trouble finding the De Danaan recording of this tune you may have better luck finding the video titled "Come West Along the Road" which is a fantastic compilation of archive footage from several older RTE productions from the 50's through the 70's. One of the excerpts featured is a set of tunes played by Jackie Daly, Frankie Gavin and Alec Finn before their incarnation as De Danaan. One of the tunes is titled "Mr. O'Connor", and while I can't recall the meter it was played as an air. Coincidentally, not long after I watched the video, Liz Carroll played the tune at a couple of appearances around town here.
The video, by the way, is a real gem. It features Seamus Ennis, WIllie Clancy, Sean Maguire, Micho Russell, Josie McDermott, Seamus Tansey, Tony McMahon, and the Fureys among others.
You are correct, Steve. The O'Carolan piece on the first Patrick Street is "Loftus Jones".
My sincerest thanks, Bro! This is exactly the tune I want.
I hesitate to get into the discussion about meter and submitting tunes because I do appreciate the effort it takes to voluntarily keep such an endeavor going. I'm sure that this discussion/debate has been hashed, rehashed and gotten rather heated, but I fail to understand why a category called 'miscellaneous' or 'other' can't be created.
I do believe wholeheartedly that non-dance tunes have their place in a website called 'thesession' because airs, songs and other miscellaneous musical offerings are part of every session I've been to.
With all due respect, the scope of The Session is stated quite clearly on the front page of the site.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: slow airs can't be communicated by sheetmusic. In fact, neither can jigs, reels or hornpipes, but you can get a good "snapshot" of the music by looking at the sheetmusic.
I think that slow airs and songs are worthy of their own website but this isn't it.
I don't want this to come out wrong and I'm speaking without any irony but why not make your own website if you're unhappy with the scope of The Session?
I don't think anyone has said they were unhappy with the Session. I was merely making suggestions for what I would see as an improvement.
Anyway, it's your baby, do what you think best. But, with respect, it strikes me that your attitude is a bit like that of Henry Ford: "You can post any 3/4 tune you want, as long as it's a waltz..."
O'Carolan's 'mr. o'connor'
O'Carolan's 'mr. o'connor'
I have a recording of De Dannan doing 'Mr O'Connor', and they attributed it to O'Carolan. My problem is that I can't find this particular song in any of my books. Can anyone help with the written music?
Many Thanks
# Posted on November 23rd 2001 by Tyghress
Re: O'Carolan's 'mr. o'connor'
I don't know what recording you're working from, so I can't be sure, but the Mr. O'Connor in question is probably Planxty Denis O'Conor. I found it on page 237 in Krassen's O'Neill's. It's a jig in the unusual IRTRAD key of Bflat major, but a nice little tune. I'll post it as soon as Jeremy gets around to including B flat major as a key option.... Or sooner if I get around to transcribing it into a more common key.
Will
# Posted on November 23rd 2001 by Will Harmon
Re: O'Carolan's 'mr. o'connor'
I don't think so, Will. I'm listening to it now, and it doesn't sound like a jig to me. It's a minor key I think, and sounds very 'airy' to me. It's on the first disk of the 'How the West was Won' CDs. Thanks for looking! I still have hopes its around somewhere obtainable. I played through all of JC's Tunefinder 'Connor' and 'Conor' and O'Connor, and couldn't find it.
# Posted on November 23rd 2001 by Tyghress
Re: O'Carolan's "Mr. O'Connor"
I don't know the DD recording but recently I bought the new Ossian edition of the book "O'Carolan: the life, times and music of an Irish harper" by Donal O'Sullivan.
No. 113, "Mr. O'Connor" is in G minor starts in 3/4 time marked "Allegro moderato." There is a second part in 6/8 time marked "Jig. Vivace ma no troppo".
As I said, it's in G minor (2 flats) and hits d'. To bring it within the range of the whistle you'd need to transpose it into E minor. You would then have problems in the jig section with a few low notes.
Other tunes to patrons called O'Connor or O'Conor are:
John O'Connor
Maurice O'Connor (first air)
Maurice O'Connor (second air)
Maurice O'Connor (third air)
Mrs O'Connor
Dr O'Connor
Michael O'Connor (first air)
Michael O'Connor (second air)
Denis O'Conor (one N) (first air)
Denis O'Conor (second air)
Mrs O'Conor
Charles O'Conor
The book costs $60 in the US but is well worth it. Ossian have done a generally good job of turning the original 2-volume set into a single volume. You get all Carolan's known tunes, an interesting biography, and even better, the fascinating memoirs of the blind harper Arthur O'Neill, dictated in the late 1700s or early 1800s.There's also a new appendix with new research and a few more probable Carolan tunes in it.
Ossian set the text by scanning the original edition, and unfortunately did not do a top-notch job of proofreading the results. But I highly recommend the book.
# Posted on November 23rd 2001 by Jeeves Tones
Another recording
I've just twigged that this tune, minus the jig part, was also recorded by Patrick Street on their first album. From memory I think they played it in A minor, but I might be wrong.
# Posted on November 23rd 2001 by Jeeves Tones
Re: O'Carolan's 'mr. o'connor'
Have posted the ABC for the tune, in E minor. Since I couldn't select the actual tune type, I chose jig. Silly me... I added the correct metre (3/4) at the start of the tune, but forgot to change the default note length. So the sheetmusic that has appeared actually looks like a jig. Sorry!
Hopefully it will reappear in the correct format. Jeremy, I respectfully suggest you rethink the tune types we can choose from. I was NOT going to call this a waltz!
Oh, and I don't think Patrick Street did record this - or did they. I was thinking of Loftus Jones.
Steve
# Posted on November 28th 2001 by Jeeves Tones
Re: O'Carolan's 'mr. o'connor'
If you are having trouble finding the De Danaan recording of this tune you may have better luck finding the video titled "Come West Along the Road" which is a fantastic compilation of archive footage from several older RTE productions from the 50's through the 70's. One of the excerpts featured is a set of tunes played by Jackie Daly, Frankie Gavin and Alec Finn before their incarnation as De Danaan. One of the tunes is titled "Mr. O'Connor", and while I can't recall the meter it was played as an air. Coincidentally, not long after I watched the video, Liz Carroll played the tune at a couple of appearances around town here.
The video, by the way, is a real gem. It features Seamus Ennis, WIllie Clancy, Sean Maguire, Micho Russell, Josie McDermott, Seamus Tansey, Tony McMahon, and the Fureys among others.
You are correct, Steve. The O'Carolan piece on the first Patrick Street is "Loftus Jones".
# Posted on November 29th 2001 by K. Leahy
Re: O'Carolan's 'mr. o'connor'
My sincerest thanks, Bro! This is exactly the tune I want.
I hesitate to get into the discussion about meter and submitting tunes because I do appreciate the effort it takes to voluntarily keep such an endeavor going. I'm sure that this discussion/debate has been hashed, rehashed and gotten rather heated, but I fail to understand why a category called 'miscellaneous' or 'other' can't be created.
I do believe wholeheartedly that non-dance tunes have their place in a website called 'thesession' because airs, songs and other miscellaneous musical offerings are part of every session I've been to.
# Posted on November 29th 2001 by Tyghress
Re: O'Carolan's 'mr. o'connor'
With all due respect, the scope of The Session is stated quite clearly on the front page of the site.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: slow airs can't be communicated by sheetmusic. In fact, neither can jigs, reels or hornpipes, but you can get a good "snapshot" of the music by looking at the sheetmusic.
I think that slow airs and songs are worthy of their own website but this isn't it.
I don't want this to come out wrong and I'm speaking without any irony but why not make your own website if you're unhappy with the scope of The Session?
# Posted on November 29th 2001 by Jeremy
Happy
I don't think anyone has said they were unhappy with the Session. I was merely making suggestions for what I would see as an improvement.
Anyway, it's your baby, do what you think best. But, with respect, it strikes me that your attitude is a bit like that of Henry Ford: "You can post any 3/4 tune you want, as long as it's a waltz..."
Steve
# Posted on November 29th 2001 by Jeeves Tones