The Oyster Wife's Rant

reel

Key signature: Adorian

Submitted on by dadepipes.

This tune has been added to 44 tunebooks.

Also known as Am Muileann Dubh, Black Mill, The Black Mill, The Muileann Dhu, Muileann Dubh, The Muileann Dubh, Muillean Dubh, Mulen Dugh, Mulin Dugh, The Mulindhu, The Mullean Dubh, The Mullin Du, Mullindhu, Oyster Wives' Rant, The Oyster Wives' Rant, The Oyster Woman's Rant.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• 7:11 by Brolum
• A Cape Breton Piper by Barry Shears
• Cape Breton Fiddle Music Not Calm by Howie MacDonald And Ashley MacIsaac
• Cape Breton Live - Take 2 by Various Artists
• Edinburgh Hogmany Party Mix by Keltik Elektrik
• Eileen Ivers by Eileen Ivers
• Faerie Stories by Peatbog Faeries
• Good Boy M.A. by Michael Anthony MacLean
• Hi (TM) How Are You Today? by Ashley MacIsaac
• Jock Tamson's Bairns by Jock Tamson's Bairns
• Live At West Mabou Hall by Howie MacDonald, Dave MacIsaac And Mac Morin
• Live-Disc 2 by Natalie MacMaster
• Mac Morin by Mac Morin
• Maidean Dubh' An Donais (The Black Stick Of The Devil) by Dr. Angus MacDonald
• Out Of The Flames by Matt Seattle
• Roughshod by Horseplay
• The 'Reel' Thing by Wendy MacIsaac
• The Call by Rebecca Lomnicky
• The Dusky Meadow by Donald MacLellan With Doug MacPhee
• The Tap Session by Andrea Beaton
• Timeline by Wendy MacIsaac
• Traditional Fiddle Music Of Cape Breton Volume 2: The Rovers Return by Various Artists
• Traditional Fiddle Music Of Cape Breton Volume 4 Mackinnon's Brook by Various Artists

X: 1
T: Oyster Wife's Rant, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ador
e2ed e~A3|dedB GABd|e2ed efge|dBgB A2ag:|
edef g2fe|dedB dedB|edef g2fe|dBgB A2ag:|

This is a scottish reel....I have learned it from a whistle tutor

# Posted on May 15th 2005 by dadepipes

Great tune! It hasn't changed since the last time you posted it. It's still called the Oyster Wife's Rant and it's still in Ador

# Posted on May 15th 2005 by Dr. Dow

Mulen Dugh/ Mullindhu

Here's another and probably older setting of the tune learned from Mary Jane Lamond's singing:

K: Ador
edef g2fe|d2dB d2d2|edef g2fe|dBgB A2A2:|
e2ed eAAB|d2dB d2d2|e2ed eAAd|BdeB A2A2|
e2ed eAAB|d2dB d2d2|edef g2fe|dBgB A2A2||

Thanks Nigel and Dow for pointing out the connection between these melodies.

# Posted on December 25th 2005 by slainte

I remember Nigel informed us the translation of the gaelic title Mullindhu, or Muillean Dubh, is the Black Mill.

# Posted on December 25th 2005 by slainte

The version I transcribed appears on Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac's "Hi How Are You Today?" album. Watch the video version of the track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoApELfgWcg

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by slainte

Muileann Dubh - Skye Collection setting

The ABCs below are for the Skye Collection setting of the Muileann Dubh. This reproduces the way it is printed in that collection. As others have pointed out the key is Ador, so I have also included below ABCs for the tune in that mode.

X:1
T:Muileann Dubh
M:C|
L:1/8
R:Reel
B:K N MacDonald – The Skye Collection (1887)
K:C
a|ede^f g2fe|dGdB dGdg|ede^f g2 fe|dGdB A2 A>a|
ede^f g2fe|dGdB dGdg|ede^f gage|dBgB A2A||
a|eAed eAAB|dGdB dGGg|eAed eAAB|dGdB A2 A>a|
eAed eAAB|dGdB dGGg|ede^f gbge|dgBg A2A||

X:1
T:Muileann Dubh
M:C|
L:1/8
R:Reel
B:K N MacDonald – The Skye Collection (1887) Key signature adjusted.
K:Ador
a|edef g2fe|dGdB dGdg|edef g2 fe|dGdB A2 A>a|
edef g2fe|dGdB dGdg|edef gage|dBgB A2A||
a|eAed eAAB|dGdB dGGg|eAed eAAB|dGdB A2 A>a|
eAed eAAB|dGdB dGGg|edef gbge|dgBg A2A||

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by stoneboy2

Entry at Ceolas:

MUILEANN DUBH (The Black Mill). AKA - "Mullin Dhu (The Dark Mill)," "Mullin Du." Scottish, Reel. A Dorian (Athole, Kerr, Perlman, Skye, Williamson): A Mixolydian (Gow). Standard. One part (Skye): AB (Athole, Kerr, McGlashan): AAB (Gow, Perlman): AABB (Williamson). "Very old" (Skye, Gow). Apparently, on Cape Breton Island the tune/song was not allowed to be played in certain parts because it was so closely associated with the MacDougalls of Margaree, who apparently were extremely touchy about hearing it played within their earshot! It appears that one line of a stanza of the puirt a beul set to the melody goes "Tha nead circe fraoiche 's a' mhuilean dubh." (In the black mill is the heather-hen's nest). The offense to the Margaree MacDougalls was due to a joke that was told about hens at the expense of the clan, and they were so sensitive to any reference to the joke that they could not tolerate mention of poultry of any kind, and took the playing of the tune to be a veiled insult against the clan.

# Posted on June 1st 2011 by KLR

The Fiddler's Companion - Andrew Kuntz (Ceolas)

http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/index.html

MUILEANN DUBH (The Black Mill)
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/MT_MUI.htm#MUILEANN_DUBH

OYSTER WIFE'S/WIVES' RANT
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/OP_OZ.htm#OYSTER_WIFE%27S/WIVES%27_RANT

# Posted on June 1st 2011 by ceolachan

"The Oyster Wives'/Wife's Rant" - not quite the same tune

Submitted on June 2nd 2011 by ceolachan.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/11272

# Posted on June 2nd 2011 by ceolachan

#11272 - a duplication just the same, now reported and gone "POOF!"

The 'comments' of that are to follow. It was my state of mind that committed the duplication.

# Posted on June 2nd 2011 by ceolachan

"The Oyster Wives' Rant" - other possibilities

X: 5
T: Oyster Wives Rant, The
T: Muileann Dubh
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ador
|: Bd |\
e2 ed eAAB | d>edB GA B/c/d |
e^de=d ef g/f/e | dBGB A2 :|
|: Ag |\
e2 ef g2 fe | d2 dB dedG |
e^def gage | dBgB A/A/A :|

# Posted on June 2nd 2011 by ceolachan

"The Oyster Wives' Rant" - Kerr

X: 6
T: Oyster Wives' Rant, The
S: "Kerr's Second Collection of Merry Melodies"; page 10, tune No. 65
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ador
|: B |\
e2 ed eAAB | dedB GABd | e2 ed efge | dBgB A/A/A A :|
|: B |\
e^def g2 fe | dedB dedB | e^def gage | dBgB A/A/A A :|

# Posted on June 2nd 2011 by ceolachan

"The Oyster Wives' Rant" - The Athole & Skye Collections, 1884 & 1887

X: 7
T: Oyster Wives’ Rant, The
B: "The Athole Collection", James Stewart-Robertson, 1884, page 53 (47)
S: "The Skye Collection", Keith Norman MacDonald, 1887, page 110
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: ADor
|: B |\
e2 ed eAAB | dedB GABd |
e2 ed efge | dBgB A/A/A A :|
|: B |\
edef g2 fe | dedB dedB |
edef g>age | dBgB A/A/A A :|

# Posted on June 2nd 2011 by ceolachan

"The Mulindhu" - Kerr

X: 8
T: Mulindhu, The
S: "Kerr's First Collection of Merry Melodies"; page 7 - Set 9th, No. 2
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ador
a |\
edef g2 fe | dGdB dGdg | edef g2 fe | dBgB A2 A>a |
edef g2 fe | dGdB dGdg | edef gage | dBgB A2- A ||
a |\
eAed eAAB | dGdB dGGg | eAed eAAB | dGdB A2 A>a |
eAed eAAB | dGdB dGGg | edef gbge | dBgB A2- A |]

# Posted on June 2nd 2011 by ceolachan

"Am Muileann Dubh" - down low & other options

X: 9
T: Am Muilleann Dubh
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Edor
eA |\
B^ABc d/e/d cB | ADAF ADAd | B^ABc d2 cB | ADAF E2 eA |
B2 Bc d2 cB | AD F/E/D ADFd | B^ABc de/d/ cB | AFdF E2 ||
ed |\
BEB^A BEEF | ADAF ADDd | B^AB=A BEED | ADAF E2 ed |
B2 B^A BE E2 | ADDF ADFd | B3 c deBd | AdFd E2 |]

# Posted on June 2nd 2011 by ceolachan

PM Donal MacLeods "The Black Mill"

Leafing through PM Donald Macleod's book 6 I was rather taken with his arrangement of this;

X: 1
T: The Black Mill
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: HP
a | edef g2f<g | B<Gd>B d>GG>a | edef g2f<g | B<Gd>B A>AA>a |
edef g2f<g | B<Gd>B d>GG>a | edef gaeg | dBgB AA A ||
a | eAed eAAg | B<Gd>B d>BG>a | eAed eAAg | B<Gd>B A>AA>a |
edef g2 f>e | d<gB<g d<gB<a | edef gaeg | dBgB AA A ||

and smoothed out

X: 2
T: The Black Mill
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ador
a | edef g2fg | BGdB dGGa | edef g2fg | BGdB AAAa |
edef g2fg | BGdB dGGa | edef gaeg | dBgB AA A ||
a | eAed eAAg | BGdB dBGa | eAed eAAg | BGdB AAAa |
edef g2 fe | dgBg dgBa | edef gaeg | dBgB AA A ||

# Posted on January 26th 2012 by Solidmahog