The Star Of The County Down

waltz

Key signature: Aminor

Submitted on July 15th 2009 by ceolachan.

This tune has been added to 95 tunebooks.

Also known as Reáilt Condae An Dún, The Star Of County Down, Star Of The County Down.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A Drop Of Pure by Quilty
• A Language I Understand by Annwn
• An Nora Bheag by Sean Hernon
• Appalachia Waltz by Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Mark O'Connor
• Bach To Ireland by Vivian Minden And Julia Shaw
• Bubble And Squeak by Bubble And Squeak
• Calliope House by Modesty Forbids
• Celtic Breeze by Celtic Breeze
• Celtic Harp II: From A Distant Time by Patrick Ball
• Celtica Show by Boreash
• Dancing Fingers by Jennifer And Hazel Wrigley
• Drink The Night Away by Blackbeers
• Ellen Valley Band by Ellen Valley Band
• Epiphany by Silver Spire
• Folk Im Schlosshof 2009 Live by Various Artists
• Full Contact by The Glengarry Bhoys
• Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part by Peter McAlinden
• Irish Heart, Jewish Soul by Carl Nelkin
• Irish Heartbeat by Van Morrison
• Keltish by Keltish
• Kilkenny Road by Kilkenny Road
• Kitchen Junket by Yankee Ingenuity
• La Harpe Irlandaise - The Irish Harp by Katrien Delavier
• Looking For A Rock by Juniper
• Musique Celtique by Rosheen
• Myth And Memory by The Reelies
• Northern Lights by Steve Coulter And Harris Moore
• Opening Move - Take Two by Queen's Gambit
• Out On The Ocean by Nine-8ths Irish
• Paddy On The Railway by Ten Penny Bit
• Revenge Is Sweet by Molly's Revenge
• Seisiún Na H-Éireann 2006 Festival CD by Various Artists
• Seven Years After by Sirkus
• Sod 'Em And Begorrah by Neck
• Strayaway Child by Jerry Read Smith
• Suburban Ethnia by Chanter
• Tale Of The Gael by Tale Of The Gael
• The Ragged Rogues by The Ragged Rogues
• The Road Out Of Town by The Itinerant Band
• The Uneven Bridge by Glen Ayre
• Wet Your Whistle by Wet Your Whistle
• Wind In The Willows by Willows Folk

X: 1
T: Star Of The County Down, The
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Amin
|: E2 G2 | A4 A2 | A3 G A2 | c4 c2 | d3 c d2 | e3 d c2 | AG- G2 E2 | G6- | G2 c2 B2 |
A4 A2 | A3 G A2 | c4 c2 | d3 c d2 | e3 d c2 | A4 A2 | A6- | A2 c2 e2 |
g4 e2 | ed- d2 c2 | d3 e d2 | d3 c d2 | e3 d c2 | AG- G2 E2 | G6- | G2 c2 B2 |
A4 A2 | A3 G A2 | c4 c2 | d3 c d2 | e3 d c2 | A4 A2 | A6- | A2 :|

"The Star Of The County Down"

I've transcribed this from the playing of the excellent fiddler and teacher Donna Hinds... She also played wth the excellent New England dance band "Yankee Ingenuity" and a recording of Donna and the crew playing this can be found on "Kitchen Junket":

http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/1874

A 4/4 march version of this tune can also be found here, with some other versions given in the 'comments':

"The Star Of The County Down" ~ 4/4
Key signature: e minor
Submitted on March 17th 2005 by Nutty Nessie.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/4320

# Posted on July 15th 2009 by ceolachan

This works lovely as a 32 bar tune for 32 bar dances, as we have used it, played it, for over time, from the distant past to just last week...

# Posted on July 15th 2009 by ceolachan

Scraping the Barrel

Think you're scraping the barrel a bit there now, Ceolachan!!
It's already here as you noted and the 3/4 version is the comments of that tune. What's the point of complicating things?

# Posted on July 16th 2009 by the wounded hussar

"POOF!?"

As has happened many times before, a 4/4 march is not a 3/4 waltz. I was asked to transcribe this by someone, and have, from a good source. It has also been added to a certain slow session set list. That makes two icidents of it serving a purpose. And, the melody has its earlier roots as 3/4. Also, fitting certain dances, this is 32 bars instead of 64, the double length version given in the 'comments' to the 4/4 version linked to above. But I do see there that someone must have cut and pasted that a second time as a seperate submission, and it went "POOF!" ~ disappearing into the digital ether.

Personally, and for those that were asking, I see this as a clarification rather than a complication. But, if I have caused any confusion it wouldn't be a first time, and you have my apolgies if you were caught up in such confusion and complication...

If you want a long list of similar situations of tunes that exist here in different time signatures I can manage that. This is one more, and hardly scraping the barrel... I did 'think' about it before submitting this. I hope it won't prove to be a wasted effort. I don't see this as a 'duplication' in the 'exact' sense of how it is usually panned out here, with the dulicate reel, jig, hornpipe, etc. ~ going "POOF!" I have talked with Jeremy before about differences in time signature, melodies that exist as both polka and slide, fling and reel, march or air/song and waltz But, who knows, maybe this too will disappear? I hope not. ~ 'c'

# Posted on July 16th 2009 by ceolachan

Our local session...

has gotten into the habit of playing this 3x waltz time, followed by 3x march time in a set.

# Posted on July 16th 2009 by vonnieestes

Nice version!

And, by the way... I think that when a tune has provenance in multiple forms, it is warranted to have different entries. For example, if I'm in the mood for a waltz, or putting together a set of waltzes, then a search of the Session database would only now pull this tune up.

# Posted on July 16th 2009 by muspc

Donna hinds

Interestingly Donna Hinds was also the name of a female reggae singer from the 70s who was signed to the Trojan label. Her most famous song was "Run Away Pet".

# Posted on July 17th 2009 by dlunney

Changed her name back

Donna goes by Hebert now, not Hinds.

# Posted on July 27th 2009 by vonnieestes

Yes, I keep forgetting. Thanks vonnie...

# Posted on September 21st 2009 by ceolachan

"The Star of the County Down" ~ from the 'comments' in 4/4

# Posted on August 14th 2006 by Bob himself


X: 2
T: Star Of The County Down
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Amin
|: E2 G2 |\
A4 AB | A3 G A2 | c4 c2 | d3 c d2 | e2 d2 c2 | A2 G2 E2 | G6- | G2 c2 B2 |
A4 AB | A3 G A2 | c4 c2 | d3 c d2 | e2 d2 c2 | A4 G2 | A6- | A2- :|
|: A2 e2 |\
g4 e2 | e3 d c2 | d6 | d4 cd | e3 d c2 | A2 G2 E2 | G6- | G2 c2 B2 |
A4 AB | A3 G A2 | c4 c2 | d3 c d2 | e2 d2 c2 | A4 G2 | A6- | A2- :|

# Posted on July 5th 2010 by ceolachan

"Star of the County Down" ~ rescued duplication in G minor

Submitted on August 8th 2010 by rachelcoyle.
~ thesession.org/tunes/display/9747

First as contributed, and secondly trying to make some sense of it ~

X: 3
T: Star Of The County Down (Alternate Melody)
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Gmin
D_BA | G2 FGA | GFD | _B2 A_BD| c2 _Bc | dc_B | G2FD | F6 |
D_BA | G2 FGA | GFD | _B2 A_BD| c2 _Bc | dc_B | GA2F | G3|
|GA_Bcd_e |f d2 | dc_B | c2 _Bcd | c2 _Bc | dc_B| G2 FD| F3 |
D_BA | G2 FGA | GFD | _B2 A_BD| c2 _Bc | dc_B | GA2F | G3|
|c3 | _Bcd| GAF| G |

My attempt at 'translation' to the norm, with 'corrections' ~

X: 3
T: Star Of The County Down
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Gmin
D2 B2 A2 |\
G3 F GA | G2 F2 D2 | B3 A Bd | c4 Bc | d2 c2 B2 | G4 FD | F6 | D2 B2 A2 |
G3 F GA | G2 F2 D2 | B3 A Bd | c4 Bc | d2 c2 B2 | GA- A2 F2 | G6 ||
GA Bc de |\
f2 d4 | d2 c2 B2 | c3 B cd | c4 Bc | d2 c2 B2 | G4 FD | F6 | D2 B2 A2 |
G3 F GA | G2 F2 D2 | B3 A Bd | c4 Bc | d2 c2 B2 | G2 A3 F | G6 |]

& the additional bars I suspect were intended as an alternate or final ending? ~
??? ~ | c6 | B2 c2 d2 | G2 A2 F2 | G6 |] ~ ???

This is not an 'alternate melody'. This is the same song air merely in another key, G minor, which already means all the Bs and Es are flat, so no need for either _B or _e ~ the nature of the key signature G minor, two flats, relative key Bb Major... Above is my attempt to try to make sense of your transcription. Here's hoping the result is reasonable... If you need to check it you can cut and paste it into Concertina-Dot-Net's 'ABC Convert-A-Matic' for dots and a midi ~

http://www.concertina.net/
http://www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html

# Posted on August 9th 2010 by ceolachan