Key signature: Dmajor
Submitted on March 19th 2009 by JACKB.
This tune has been added to 22 tunebooks.
Also known as Miss MacDermott, Miss McDermot, Miss McDermott, Miss McDermott's, Princess Royal, The Princess Royal.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Miss McDermot's
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
|:f/e/|dc Bf/e/|dc Bf|gg/f/ ea/g/|f/g/f/e/ df|
e/f/e/d/ c/d/c/B/|AG Ff/e/|dc/B/ d/c/B/A/|B2 B :|
|:F|BB/A/ Bc |dD Dd|d/c/B/A/ G/F/E/D/|c/d/c/B/ AB/c/|
dc/d/ ed/e/|ff b2|ad ga/g/|fd ef/e/|
e/d/d/c/ B/d/c/B/|A/B/A/G/ Ff/e/|dc/B/ d/c/B/A/|B2 B :|
|:f/e/|d/B/c/A/ Bf/e/|d/B/c/A/ Bf|gg/f/ ea/g/|f/g/f/e/ df|
e/f/e/d/ c/d/c/B/|A/B/A/G/ Ff/e/|dc/B/ d/c/B/A/ |B2 B :|
Miss McDermot's
A fantastic O'Carolan tune, we played it in a group many years ago and it Baroque feel using cello, harp, violin, and pipes.
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by JACKB
Miss McDermot's
Great tune - but be aware that it's only called a "polka" because it's in 2/4. It hasn't got a polka feel about it (not surprising - the polka as we know it wasn't around in Carolan's time), and if it were written in 4/4 then it would be much closer to a reel.
# Posted on March 19th 2009 by Trevor Jennings
Princess Royal
Another tune related to "The Princess Royal" and also "The Irish" as submitted by MixO'Lydian on the 17th of this month
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/9441
# Posted on March 20th 2009 by hetty
Polka
Must disagree with your comment 'lazyhound'. To me it does have a polka feel and 2/4 is the right signature. Consider the contrast between those bars with 2 pairs of quavers and those bars with to sets of 4 semi-quavers. Fairly standard in many Irish Polkas, e.g. "Johnny Leary's", "St. Mary's".
Each bar has a 2-beat emphasis anyway but I suppose we should use the term 'Polka' with care. Being an ex morris dancer I cannot help thinking about the stepping that could go with this tune, being: 1.2.3 HOP.
# Posted on March 21st 2009 by hetty
Guess what! It's already here
Yes! It's here already but in G minor and as a 4/4 tune.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/905
plus some useful notes.
# Posted on March 21st 2009 by hetty
It is "The Princess Royal"
It's not "related" to the "Princess Royal"
- It is "The Princess Royal"!
("The Princess Royal" being the alternative name for the tune "Miss McDermot's" in the O'Carolan manuscripts).
Variants of the tune (using the Princess Royal" name) occur in many of the Engish Morris traditions, including:
- Adderbury
- Bampton
- Bledington
- Fieldtown
- Stanton Harcourt
# Posted on March 21st 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Morris "Double-Step" and "Polka Step"
@ hetty - are you suggesting that there is some fundemental difference between the Morris dancer's "double-step" and the polka step?
# Posted on March 21st 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Morris "Double-Step" and "Polka Step"
Both are: 1,2,3 HOP. but I've never danced the morris double step going round and round in a circle movement. And certainly not holding my fellow morris dancers in a ballroom, or similar hold. however I have danced a polka step with a female partner and perambulated around a dancefloor either slowly & sparingly or boldly and flamboyantly in a circular momentum completely seperately from any other dancers. So I suppose IMHO there is a fundamental difference in the execution of said step therefore the labels.
# Posted on March 22nd 2009 by hetty
On the Hop!
Yes hetty - and I would also be the wrong length for most polka dances ...
... not to mention that "polkas" didn't exist in O'Carolan's time ....
# Posted on March 22nd 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
We can hear it also on O'Stravaganza by Hugues de courson (perhaps that is what you're telling about JACKB)
# Posted on March 23rd 2009 by RoLuPiN