Key signature: Gmajor
Submitted on August 29th 2003 by lazyhound.
This tune has been added to 46 tunebooks.
Also known as Aoibhneas Na Bealtaine.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Sweets Of May, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
GBd B2G|A2B cBA|GBd B2G|AFD G3|
GBd B2G|A2B cBA|GBd B2G|AFD G3:|
|ABA A2G|E2G A3|G2A B2A|B2c dcB|
ABA A2G|E2G A2D|GBd B2G|AFD G3|
G2D G2A|BAB cBA|G2D G2B|AFD G3|
G2D G2A|BAB cBA|G2D G2B|AFD G3|
d3 d^cd|D3 D3|c3 cBc|D3 DEF|
G2D G2A|BAB cBA|GBd B2G|AFD G3:|
The Sweets of May
This tune, which my wife told me about, was used for ceilidh dancing during the Scoil igse and Fleadh at Clonmel in August 2003.
Trevor
# Posted on August 29th 2003 by lazyhound
The Sweets of May
This is also known in the English country dance tradition, but I don't suggest playing the two versions simultaneously, as some of the differences would be quite discordant.
# Posted on September 12th 2003 by Guernsey Pete
Whoa...this setting is a LOT different from the setting I know of this tune. Sweets of May (sometimes written, for some inexplicable reason, as Sweet's of May, as if Sweet is a person) is one of those "hairball" dances. The first figure is Rings to the Right and Left, then the Body, which goes through a full rendition of the tune. The the next rendition of the tune is the second figure, which is a leadaround, then the Body. Then there's another two figures, each followed by the Body. By the time you're done, you're really ready to be done with the tune.
My dance school is taking three eight hands of Sweets of May to Oireachtas. God help us. My band is learning to play it as we're playing for a fundraiser for them busking out on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. Be kind of fun to take part of this setting and incorporate it into the one we use just to confuse the dancers... ;)
Zina
# Posted on September 12th 2003 by Zina Lee
Quick like bunnies, here's a setting that's more or less the setting I know...
d2c|\BAG AGF|G2G G2A|BcB GAB|c3 d2c|\
BAG AGF|G2G G2A|BdB cAF|1 G3 :|2 G3 G2
|:A|\ABA A2G|E2F G3|ABA c2d|e2d c2B|\
ABA A2G|E2F G3|A2A BAG|1 A3 A2 :|2 A3ABc|
d3 d3|D3 D3|c3 c3|D3 D3|\
G2D G2A|B2G B2c|ded cBA|G3 GBc|
ded dBG|D3 D3|cdc cAF|D3 DEF|\
G2D G2A|B2G B2c|ded cBA|G3 ||
# Posted on September 12th 2003 by Zina Lee
Oh, and of course when you're playing this for the ceili dance by The Book (An Rince Forne), you have to play 3 As, and then the tune through as usual, four times through total with that extra A for an intro.
# Posted on September 12th 2003 by Zina Lee
The Savages & Nan Quinn
The tune as given here is from the playing of the fiddler Hugh Savage and family, Outlacken, County Armagh. The tune and the dance, as well as 'The Three Tunes', were collected by Nan Quinn, Newry, County Down,to be incorporated in the Irish Dance Commission's ('An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha') publication of 'official' ceili dances - 'Ar Rinncide Foirne: Thirty Popular Figure Dances'. This was originally printed as three small pamhlets and has now been incorporated into one - but remains long overdue for corrections and an update...
# Posted on September 16th 2004 by ceolachan
Addendum? ~ the melodies given here by Dafydd and Zina are versions of two of the three set tunes I've known used for this dance...
# Posted on December 4th 2005 by ceolachan
Cunningham version
I recently learned a version of this tune from the Matt Cunningham set of 12 CDs that covers lots of set and ceili dance tunes, and it is similar to Zina's setting. The Cunningham version or something close seems to be used by international folk dancers who have incorporated the dance into their repetoire.
This is how I heard the A section:
d2c|\B2G A2D|GAG Gdc|BdB GAB|cBc Adc|\
B2G A2D|GAG G2A|B2B cAF|1 G3
There are four figures in the dance, each followed by the body, and the first figure is repeated at the end. So for the full dance you have to play the thing through four full times, with an extra A at the start for an intro and an extra A at the end for the repetition of Figure 1 (the circling figure). It's over in no time when you're dancing it. I was teaching and learning this dance this week, and it would no doubt throw the dancers for a loop to throw in a different melody - at least wait until they know the dance well...
# Posted on April 10th 2006 by danceall
"The Sweets Of May" ~ a transcription for the other melody
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on February 11th 2008 by ceolachan.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/8252
# Posted on February 11th 2008 by ceolachan
"The Sweets of May" ~ Hugh Savage, fiddler, County Armagh ~ D Major, 56 bars
Hugh Savage, as said earlier, was the source for this tune, as collected by Nan Quinn, however, he didn't play it in G, he played it in D Major...
X: 2
T: Sweets Of May, The
S: Hugh Savage, fiddler, County Armagh
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: D Major
|: A |\
d>fa f2 d | e2 f g>fe | d>fa f2 d | e>cA d2 A |
d>fa f2 d | e2 f g>fe | d>fa f>af | e>cA d2- :|
|: d |\
e>fe e2 d | B2 c e2 c | d2 e f/g/f e | f2 g a2 f |
e>fe e2 d | B2 c e2 c | d>fa f2 d | e>cA d2- :|
d |\
d2 A d2 e | f>ef g>fe | d2 A d2 f | e>cA d3 |
d2 A d2 e | f>ef g>fe | d2 A d2 f | e>cA d2 f |
a>ba a>^ga | A3 A3 | g>ag g>fg | A3 A>Bc |
d2 A d2 e | f>ef g>fe | d2 A d2 f | e>cA d2 f |
a>ba a^ga | A3 A3 | g>ag gfg | A3 A>Bc |
d2 A d2 e | f>ef g>fe | d2 A d2 f | e>cA d2 |]
# Posted on February 11th 2008 by ceolachan
"The Sweets of May" ~ the G transcription given here with minor corrections
X: 1
T: Sweets Of May, The
N: corrected transcription based on origin, Hugh Savage, fiddler, County Armagh, & dance
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: G Major
|: GBd B2 G | A2 B cBA | GBd B2 G | AFD G3 |
GBd B2 G | A2 B cBA | GBd B2 G | AFD G3 :|
|: ABA A2 G | E2 G A3 | G2 A B2 A | B2 c dcB |
ABA A2 G | E2 G A2 D | GBd B2 G | AFD G3 :|
G2 D G2 A | BAB cBA | G2 D G2 B | AFD G3 |
G2 D G2 A | BAB cBA | G2 D G2 B | AFD G3 ||
|: d3 d^cd | D3 D3 | c3 cBc | D3 DEF |
G2 D G2 A | BAB cBA | GBd B2 G | AFD G3 :|
# Posted on February 11th 2008 by ceolachan
"The Sweets of May" ~ as it is 'officially danced now ~ 48 bars
X: 1
T: Sweets Of May, The
N: adjusted to fit the 'official' dance
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: G Major
|: GBd B2 G | A2 B cBA | GBd B2 G | AFD G3 |
GBd B2 G | A2 B cBA | GBd B2 G | AFD G3 :|
ABA A2 G | E2 G A3 | G2 A B2 A | B2 c dcB |
ABA A2 G | E2 G A2 D | GBd B2 G | AFD G3 ||
G2 D G2 A | BAB cBA | G2 D G2 B | AFD G3 |
G2 D G2 A | BAB cBA | G2 D G2 B | AFD G3 ||
|: d3 d^cd | D3 D3 | c3 cBc | D3 DEF |
G2 D G2 A | BAB cBA | GBd B2 G | AFD G3 :|
X: 2
T: Sweets Of May, The
S: Hugh Savage, fiddler, County Armagh
N: adjusted to fit the 'official' dance
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: D Major
|: A |\
d>fa f2 d | e2 f g>fe | d>fa f2 d | e>cA d2 A |
d>fa f2 d | e2 f g>fe | d>fa f>af | e>cA d2- :|
d |\
e>fe e2 d | B2 c e2 c | d2 e f/g/f e | f2 g a2 f |
e>fe e2 d | B2 c e2 c | d>fa f2 d | e>cA d2- ||
d |\
d2 A d2 e | f>ef g>fe | d2 A d2 f | e>cA d3 |
d2 A d2 e | f>ef g>fe | d2 A d2 f | e>cA d2 ||
|: f |\
a>ba a^ga | A3 A3 | g>ag gfg | A3 A>Bc |
d2 A d2 e | f>ef g>fe | d2 A d2 f | e>cA d2 :|
# Posted on February 11th 2008 by ceolachan
"The Sweets of May" ~ the 'official take' ~ by-the-book ~ 48 bars = AABCDD
"Ár Rinncidhe Foirne: Thirty Popular Figure Dances" (the 'official' manual of limitations)
An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha, 1939
One volume edition (originally three seperate volumes)
Page 59: "Aoibhneas na Bealtaine" - "The Sweets of May" (the dots)
Pages 60 & 61: "Aoibhneas na Bealtaine" - "The Sweets of May" (the dance)
The 'official' transcription as printed in the manual, page 59, is identical, note-for-note, to the original transcription given here, except, it is as the just previous 48 bar transcription shows it ~ AABCDD...
# Posted on February 11th 2008 by ceolachan