Key signature: Gmajor
Submitted on March 23rd 2003 by Aidan Crossey.
This tune has been added to 18 tunebooks.
Also known as The Finger, The German Bow.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: German Beau, The
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Gmaj
|:D|G2 DG|A>F DB|cB AG|F/G/A/F/ D/E/F/D/|
G2 DG|A>F Dc|B/d/B/G/ A/c/A/F/|G2 G:|
|:D|G/A/B/c/ dG/A/|B/c/d/e/ dd|c>d ef|g2 fg|
e2 cA|d2 BG|cB AG|F/G/A/F/ D/E/F/D/|
G2 DG|A>F Dc|B/d/B/G/ A/c/A/F/|G2 G:|
When I was a young lad in North Armagh, this tune was a standard at ceilis and the like. However I'd never come across it on record, or at sessions. By chance I happened on the notation in a book of Josephine Keegan's tunes. Towards the end of the book - having set out her own tunes - a discussion of set dancing in County Armagh includes the sheet music for The German Beau. At last I know the title and find I've just about remembered the tune correctly!
# Posted on March 23rd 2003 by Aidan Crossey
Still Going
You'll be glad to know it's still going strong even in distant Amerikay. I play the odd ceili with an older musician and this comes up every time. Played at a slower tempo and with some odd fist-shaking gestures from the dancers as part of the dance.
# Posted on March 24th 2003 by LongNote
Hooray!
Isn't it great the way these tunes crop up in distant locales!
I seem to remember local accordionist, William James McAlinden of The High Moss playing the first and second bars of the second part as G/A/B/c dd|G/A/B/c dd| with both of the "d"s played quite staccato (and presumably this is where the fist-shaking takes place?!). However I've deferred to the Josephine Keegan version, which has a nice twist.
Thanks for the comments.
Aidan
# Posted on March 24th 2003 by Aidan Crossey
Damn
of course should have read G/A/B/c/ dd| G/A/B/c/ dd| above ... those half-note symbols at the end of a measure are a pain to remember some times
# Posted on March 24th 2003 by Aidan Crossey
German Beau
It's the second tune of 'The Three Tunes' a ceili dance. The third tune is 'Haste to the Wedding' - I forget what the first tune is
# Posted on March 31st 2003 by Alancorsini
The three tunes are Leslie's Hornpipe, The German Beau (Bow) and as Alan points out Haste To The Wedding ...
# Posted on January 12th 2004 by Aidan Crossey
A Fist in Amerikay and a Finger in Eire
I've danced both in both places, but basically the same dance, the difference is whether you shake a fist at your partner or a finger. The play in it is that you fall out with your partner, turn away from them, and then come back together for a polka. While it was better remembered in Ulster, there were memories of it and accounts all across Eire, North to South. The Irish like the craic, and it was a fun little dance, with 'an póigín' before launching off in a polka around the dance space...
# Posted on August 4th 2004 by ceolachan
"The Finger Polka"
Wouldn't you know, I forgot to give the 'usual' name for the dance...
# Posted on August 4th 2004 by ceolachan
Na Tri Foinn / The Three Tunes - part 3
This tune is the third in the set of 3 for the ceili dance, but not as Alan has it:
1.) Haste to the Wedding
2.) Leslie's Hornpipe
3.) The German Beau
The movements, or 'body', to this part of the ceili dance in part mimic the couple dance, minus the kiss and the polka...
# Posted on May 13th 2005 by ceolachan
K: Dmaj
# Posted on May 13th 2005 by ceolachan