Hugh Gillespie's

mazurka

Key signature: Gmajor

Submitted on July 18th 2004 by ceolachan.

This tune has been added to 21 tunebooks.

Also known as Hugh Gillespie's Varsovienne, Johnny Doherty's, Johnny Doherty's Varsovienne, The Old Donegal.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A Whistle On The Wind by Joanie Madden
• Before Leaving by Caoilte O'Suilleabhain
• Dance Music Of Ireland: Jigs And Reels by Various Artists
• Dancing To Jigs And Reels by Various Artists
• Irish Women Musicians Of America by Cherish The Ladies
• Island Angel by Altan
• Pigtown Fling by Randal Bays And Joel Bernstein
• The Pipes Are Calling by Peter And Noel Carberry
• The Princess Royal: Dance Music From South Armagh by The Nine McCusker Brothers And Hugh Savage
• Tony McManus by Tony McManus

X: 1
T: Hugh Gillespie's
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: mazurka
K: Gmaj
|: D>G B2 B2 | G>B d2 d2 | A>B c2 c>e | (3edc B2 B2 |
D>G B2 B2 | G>B d2 d2 | A>B c2 c>A | E>F G2 G2 :|
|: g>f e2 e>g | (3gfe d2 d2 | A>B c2 c>e | (3edc B2 B2 |
g>f e2 e>g | (3gfe d2 d2 | A>B c>B c>A | E>F G2 G2 :|

Hugh Gillespie's Mazurka

- and the beat goes on...

# Posted on July 18th 2004 by ceolachan

More Weirdness -

Where did all those 'Hugh Gillespie's' come from, and the list of tracks? This is Twilight Zone stuff - and the page kept going blank today. Well, another mystery for the 'boss'...

# Posted on July 18th 2004 by ceolachan

For those not in the know, the mazurka/hornpipe connection:

While it seems we're not notating it, these mazurkas/Varsoviennes and hornpipes share the skip, as examples:

|G>A B2 D2| - or - |b>c d>G B>d|

# Posted on July 19th 2004 by ceolachan

Keeping a promise -

This is another version, from the fiddle of John McCusker, The McCusker Brothers Ceili Band:

|:D>G B2 B2|G>B d2 d2|e>d c2 c>e|d>c B2 B2|
D>G B2 BA|G>B d2 d2|e>d c>B c>A|F>D G2 G2:|
|:B>d g2 g2|f>e d2 d2|e>d c2 c>e|d>c B2 B2|
B>d g2 g2|f>e d2 d2|e>d c>B c>A|F>D G2 G2:|

# Posted on September 8th 2004 by ceolachan

All in the family - - -

Some already are aware of the similarities of this with 'Sonny Brogan's'/'The Irish', but for those of you unfamiliar, here's the link:

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/1276

There are a lot of 'variants' in the 'comments' of that tune. Fortunately there is enough difference, especially the B-part of this one, that the powers that be have allowed this Varsouvienne/Mazurka to have a space of its own, though I really think "Sonny Brogan's" deserves a similar consideration... All I can do is ask...(fear and anxiety)...

# Posted on September 8th 2004 by ceolachan

John McCusker's set:

The McCusker Brothers Ceili Band

1.)'McCuskers' - '
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/3499

2.) this tune, 'Hugh Gillespie's -'

# Posted on September 8th 2004 by ceolachan

As mentioned with 'McCuskers', John's set can swing both ways, work as 'Mazurkas', as on with the recording I've just been working on, or 'Varsouviennes'. For the latter there would be a bit of articulation on the paired crotchets/quarter notes, sometimes even with a bit of pizzicato... As mazurkas the bar lines move one place to the Left with the bow emphasizes counts 3 & 1...

# Posted on September 8th 2004 by ceolachan

#3 in a set of 3 - Armagh - from the fiddles of John and Vincent McCusker:

|:D>G B2 B2|G>B d2 d2|e>d c2 c>e|d>c B2 B2|
D>G B2 B2|G>B d2 d2|e>d c>B c>A|F>A G2 G2:|
|:B>d g2 g2|f>e d2 d2|e>d c2 c2|d>c B2 B2|
B>d g2 g2|(3gfe d2 d2|e>d c>B c>A|F>A G2 G2:|

1.) http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/1323

2.) http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/3499

# Posted on September 14th 2004 by ceolachan

Bar Lines one beat later?

I find this type of notation quite confusing, as I don't feel it as written..
Ie., I feel the main downbeat is beat TWO of each bar.
Regret I don't know enoough about abc yet to notate it myself, but I feel the first two notes D>G as pickup notes, then is the bar line, as in, D>G |: B2 B2 G>B | d2 d2 A>B | etc.
I suppose it should have a first & second ending with pickups to each part respectively.
Anyone else have the same take on this? Ask the dancers?!

# Posted on April 18th 2007 by jimmydearing

A Varsovienne differs from a mazurka by that beat difference. What would be the lead-in for a mazurka is a primary beat for the dance. The rhythm is different between the two, but, you will find notation that goes both ways, as some melodies in this form can work both sides, as a mazurka and as a varsovienne... It hits it on the first, but the second and third are equal, instead of where, in a standard mazurka, the emphasis would be on the 1st and 3rd beats, similar to a pols...

I do dance it too...several versions...

# Posted on June 30th 2008 by ceolachan

For your sake and others that might prefer it the mazurka way ~

X: 1
T: Hugh Gillespie's
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: mazurka
K: Gmaj
|: D>G |\
B2 B2 G>B | d2 d2 A>B | c2 c>e (3edc | B2 B2 D>G |
B2 B2 G>B | d2 d2 A>B | c2 c>A E>F | G2 G2 :|
|: g>f |\
e2 e>g (3gfe | d2 d2 A>B | c2 c>e (3edc | B2 B2 g>f |
e2 e>g (3gfe | d2 d2 A>B | c>B c>A E>F | G2 G2 :|

# Posted on June 30th 2008 by ceolachan