The Session: Tunes - Major Molle (reel)

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Major molle

also known as major mole..A Highland Schottische (CMaj). Noted in Kerrs collection of Merry Melodies for violin

# Posted on July 25th 2004 by oakeydoke

What's a schottische?

# Posted on July 25th 2004 by Dr. Dow

Major Molle

A Schottische is a dance.

# Posted on March 1st 2003 by dafydd

But it's also a tune genre is it not?...like "reel" or "jig". How do you define it in that sense?

# Posted on July 25th 2004 by Dr. Dow

Schottische - Dance

This comes from a dance web site and may (or may not) clarify the issue.

"-- In 1850, there appeared in all parts of Europe, the Schottische (shot-teesh), a round dance which had been executed in Bavaria under the name "Reinlander" (rine-lant-er). In the Rheinish (sp?) countries, the Schottische was known as the "Bavarian Polka". Two sisters from Odessa, returning from Hungary did a variation to the Rheinlander called the "Hungarian Waltz" which became very popular with all who saw.

-- However, the word Schottische is from Germany, not Scotland, even though the
correct name of the dance is Scottish, (the Germans refereed to it as Schottische for some reason.)"(They are Germans after all, and if they didn't invent it, they can rename it and call it their own.)

Initially these were written in 2/4 time but played slowly - there are some western (US) versions of this done as a round dance ...

So it's a dcance tune with a lumpy rhythm -

# Posted on July 27th 2004 by 2situla

Major Molle

Jigs and reels are dances too.Don't put the cart before the horse.

# Posted on March 1st 2003 by dafydd

16 bars = Highland Fling

But hey, they all get mixed up in time and distance from the dances they used to accompany, Highland Flings, Highlands, Flings, Schottisches, Germans, Hornpipes. However, the 16 bars are the usual for the Highland Fling, which now by many survives as a single reel usually, sometimes as a double reel or even a double hornpipe. The dances, for 2, 3 and 4 dancers, also were on the whole 16 bars in length. The one thing they all did share was the basic traveling step, a 'skip-change', or what some call 'hop-1-2-3', however, the hop usually isn't quite a hop but more of a skip, or just lifting the heel and dropping it down again, light and low to the ground - at least amongst what were considered the 'better' dancers, judged on experience, skill and consideration of others...including the musicians and the music...

Do a search on this site if you want more, using any of the key words - as given in the first paragraph...

# Posted on August 7th 2004 by ceolachan

Thankyou to those of you who made an effort to be genuinely helpful and answer my question.

# Posted on September 29th 2004 by Dr. Dow

Major Malley's

This tune is also known as Major Malley's, which has been recorded by the Battlefield Band on their excellent album, Home is Where the Van is. They do it as a march first, then as a reel. I really liked the march, great arrangement!

# Posted on January 8th 2010 by MR.

As played by Tom Dunne on A Tribute to Paddy Cronin in A dorian

Tom Dunne plays it beautifully on A tribute to Paddy Cronin in A dorian and he also reverses the parts, starting on the B section.
Here's the abcs for that:

X: 1
T: Major Molle
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K:Ador
c2 B2|:AE (3EEE cBcd|AE (3EEE c2Bc|AE (3EEE cBcd|BGGB d2 cB|
AE (3EEE cBcd|AE (3EEE c2Bc|A2 e^f gfge|dBGB edcB||
||:A2 ed cBAG|A2 ed (3cdc (3BcB|A2 e^f gfge|dBGB edcB:||

# Posted on December 7th 2011 by bobbi

The tune was first published by Nathaniel Gow in his 5th collection of 1809 as "Major Molle's (of the 9th Regiment of Foot) Reel". Molle was a friend of Gow's who had passed on tunes he'd collected for Gow to publish. Most likely Nathaniel Gow wrote it himself as a tribute. It predates the invention of the schottische by 30 years at least.

# Posted on February 22nd 2012 by Jack Campin

bobbi ~ it makes a certain sense, not just your key signature, but going from the low part into the high part. It fits nicely, whatever the historic order of the parts.

On the subject again of the schottische, spikes aside, it was part of a long evolution. I remember at least one Scott Skinner transcription where he'd added "strathspey" or "highland schottische" (fling). I tend to put such transcriptions more usually under 'strathspey', but a few times may have added them under 'barndance', a related dance from...