Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Old Molly Oxford

reel

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on July 11th 2010 by Cap'n H.

This tune has been added to 10 tunebooks.

Also known as Glorishears, Glory Shears, Old Moll Of Oxford.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

X: 1
T: Old Molly Oxford
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
A2|:d2cd e2f2|e2dc Bcd2|c2A2 B2G2|A2AG FGA2|
d2dc B2AG|F2A2 d4|F2(3FED E2C2|[1 D4 D2A2:|[2 D4 D4||
|:AGFE D2EF|G2A2 B2c2|dcBA G2A2|Bcdf e2ce|
d2Bd c2A2|BGEF G2B2|AGFE D2EF|G4 G4:|

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments
Old Molly Oxford sheetmusic
Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Old Molly Oxford (Fieldtown)

I was reminded of the tune from a version on Andy Cutting's new solo CD, actually a morris tune rather than a reel of course. Strange and splendid.

There's also a version in \http://www.themorrisring.org/more/Tunes/abc/Fieldtown.abc - but the version here is more digestible for session playing, being a simple A/B transcription.

# Posted on July 11th 2010 by Cap'n H

Youtube link - Peter Trimming playing Old Molly Oxford on anglo concertina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKZHUWznlMY

# Posted on July 12th 2010 by Mix O'Lydian

Just noticed - the tune is played in Cmaj in the above clip.

# Posted on July 12th 2010 by Mix O'Lydian

Origin of the title of this tune?

I don't know whether it's true or not, but I remember being told some years ago that "Old Molly Oxford" (or "Old Moll of Oxford") was a somewhat irreverent nickname for the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford.

("Moll"/"Molly" being diminutives of "Mary")

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Church_of_St_Mary_the_Virgin

# Posted on July 12th 2010 by Mix O'Lydian

Old Molly Oxford

"Old Molly Oxford" goes well with "Old Tom of Oxford" - see in particular my comment
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/7285/comments#comment526710

# Posted on July 15th 2010 by Trevor Jennings

'Old Molly Oxford' - I think this tune is Glorishears!

I'm sure this tune (correctly notated, btw) is actually Glorishears as played on John Kirkpatrick's album "Plain Capers From The Cotswolds" which I think came out in the Seventies.

Glorishears is a Cotswold Morris tune; I don't know how many town / village Morris sides it was traditionally associated with, or if other traditional versions of the tune are extant.

Great tune, anyway.

# Posted on July 15th 2010 by nicholas

Not Glorishears

This tune is definitely Old Molly Oxford, as used for the Fieldtown Morris dance (which is commonly referred to as Step Back); I should know, I've danced it enough times! Fieldtown Glorishears is a completely different tune, in fact none of the Glorishears tunes bear much resembleance to this tune. On JK's Plain Capers, Old Molly Oxford is track 3, whereas Glorishears is track 1.

# Posted on July 18th 2010 by mandolinman

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