Boxty: a potato cake made by frying a batter made with potato starch, eggs, and grated potatoes.
Craig: is a lowland Scots family name. My grandmother's maiden name was Craig.
Humours of ...
"Humours of" implies some memory of a place or time, happy, sad, or indifferent.
So-and-so's-favorite implies a tune much beloved and often played by a particular musician.
Banks of...
Rivers have banks, or edges, if you will. You have to rely on context sometimes to distinguish the meaning of bank, the edge of a river, from bank, a financial institution that lends money and charges interest.
Craig is also used as a forename in Scotland (and also now, elsewhere).
Craig in Welsh (similar to Breton) means a rock or cliff.
Fancy - similar to favourite, but I think that this word was also used historically to denote a certain kind of dance (and thus, the tune that was played for it).
Humours - lots of discussions here on the session (use the search facility) - including one fairly recently.
When I was first starting out there was a particular tune I wanted to learn that I'd heard. I kept buying tunebooks that appeared to contain it, but it was never the right tune.
IIRC the penny dropped for me when I bought Ceol Rince na hÉireann vol 1 & realised just how many tunes were called "gan ainm".
Surely the most popular tune title in the music.
For what it is worth, the tune I was actually looking for was "Tuttles" (Reel).
Recurrent words in titles
Recurrent words in titles
I'm French and there are a few recurrent words I don't exactly understand in Irish tunes names... like:
- Boxty
- Craig
- Humours of...
- so-and-so's Fancy
- so-and-so's Favorite (even though I can guess)
- Banks of... (even though I can guess).
I suppose that the 2 last ones just mean what they mean...
# Posted on March 18th 2009 by protz
Re: Recurrent words in titles
Boxty: a potato cake made by frying a batter made with potato starch, eggs, and grated potatoes.
Craig: is a lowland Scots family name. My grandmother's maiden name was Craig.
Humours of ...
"Humours of" implies some memory of a place or time, happy, sad, or indifferent.
So-and-so's-favorite implies a tune much beloved and often played by a particular musician.
Banks of...
Rivers have banks, or edges, if you will. You have to rely on context sometimes to distinguish the meaning of bank, the edge of a river, from bank, a financial institution that lends money and charges interest.
# Posted on March 18th 2009 by Seosamh Ui Sinan
Re: Recurrent words in titles
Craig is also used as a forename in Scotland (and also now, elsewhere).
Craig in Welsh (similar to Breton) means a rock or cliff.
Fancy - similar to favourite, but I think that this word was also used historically to denote a certain kind of dance (and thus, the tune that was played for it).
Humours - lots of discussions here on the session (use the search facility) - including one fairly recently.
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: Recurrent words in titles
Another thought - "banks" is also sometimes used in tune/song titles connection with flowers:
e.g. Banks of Red Roses
e.g. Banks of Sweet Primroses
So, in this context "banks" means a large group - not necessarily on the bank of a river - although it might be!
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: Recurrent words in titles
Dont forget the reel 'The Bank of Ireland' which is a building that has very little money in it at the moment.
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by Free Reed
Re: Recurrent words in titles
We used to play the tune and say 'there's a lot of notes in it'
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by Prof. Prlwytzkofski
Re: Recurrent words in titles
Perhaps you meant 'planxty' rather than 'boxty'?
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by robharper
Re: Recurrent words in titles
There's Three Scones of Boxty
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/2195
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by Prof. Prlwytzkofski
Re: Recurrent words in titles
kilafarboy - don't you mean that you play the tune and there used to be lots of notes in it ...
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: Recurrent words in titles
When I was first starting out there was a particular tune I wanted to learn that I'd heard. I kept buying tunebooks that appeared to contain it, but it was never the right tune.
IIRC the penny dropped for me when I bought Ceol Rince na hÉireann vol 1 & realised just how many tunes were called "gan ainm".
Surely the most popular tune title in the music.
For what it is worth, the tune I was actually looking for was "Tuttles" (Reel).
- chris
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Recurrent words in titles
Where I live, a bank, can mean any slope, possibly grassed over or planted with flowers.
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by greg sheils
Re: Recurrent words in titles
Was gan ainm written by A Non?
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by greg sheils
Re: Recurrent words in titles
And Ann Swithenbank is a gardening expert on BBC TV 's "Gardeners World!
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: Recurrent words in titles
Gan Ainm was written either by Anonymous or his dog, Author Unknown.
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by fauxcelt
Re: Recurrent words in titles
"Humours" was pretty well worked over in this discussion:http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/20323
Some of the facts cited are even true, but none of mine.
# Posted on March 20th 2009 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Recurrent words in titles
A bit clearer now, thx
# Posted on March 20th 2009 by protz