Key signature: Gmajor
Submitted on September 25th 2004 by gian marco.
This tune has been added to 41 tunebooks.
Also known as Branle Dei Cavalli, Branle Des Cheveaux, Horse's Brawl, Horses Bransle, Horses' Branle, Horses' Brawl.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Horse's Bransle
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Gmaj
GABB | cB A c | B A G F | E2 E2 |
G A B B | c B A c | B G A A | G2 G2 ||
d c/B/ A A/B/ | c B/A/ G B | A G F G | A2 A2 |
d c/B/ A A/B/ | c B/A/ GB | A G G F | G2 G2 ||
_B A/G/ B A/G/ | F G A2 | D E F G | A _B A G |
_B A/G/ B A/G/ | F G A2 | DE F G | G F G2 |]
Horse's Bransle ( Bransle des Chevaux )
not precisely an irish reel
# Posted on September 25th 2004 by gian marco
Is the rhythm of this straight or is there some swing?
# Posted on September 25th 2004 by Dow
straight
# Posted on September 25th 2004 by gian marco
Horse's Branle
It's very often played with a low F natural in the last part.Opinion is divided.
# Posted on March 1st 2003 by dafydd
We play this alot for some reason, with a bit of 'swing' and a low F nat in the third part apart from the last one. The third part always sound a bit ropey, but on the whole it has a nice Eastern European feel. Goes well with the Bear Dance and/or Man in the Brown Hat.
# Posted on September 25th 2004 by Conway
The Horse's Branle
Is ther a mistke in the fourth bar?It's always played E D,not E E.
# Posted on March 1st 2003 by dafydd
The Horse's Branle
There
# Posted on March 1st 2003 by dafydd
The Horse's Branle
Mistake
# Posted on March 1st 2003 by dafydd
Jocklet, that's the way I know it, ED in bar 4.
(Never played it at a session but have crumhorn-ed it in silly costume many a time.)
# Posted on September 25th 2004 by Tish
The horse's mistatke
I play ED in bar 4 too, but I found in the net that ABC file with EE, and I liked it.
# Posted on September 26th 2004 by gian marco
The Horse's Branle
I've never heard it played that way,and it's played at every session that I attend here in Belgium.
# Posted on March 1st 2003 by dafydd
About the "Horse Branle"
In fact this melody is a médiéval street music from the 13th century.
It's real name is : Le bransle des Chevaux
with a "S". It's a dance called "Bransle".
# Posted on September 26th 2004 by loic
Branle/bransle/brawl has different spellings in different countries. The spelling "branle" is used throughout the Evans/Sutton Dover edition of Arbeau's Orchesographie (which is kind-of the "O'Neill's" of dance in that period) but it's one of those words that gets around.
"Horses" is given in Orchesographie as a mimed branle (danced with miming and gestures) and if anyone's interested, there's a full description and tabulation of the dance there along with the basic tune. The book can be quite entertaining reading anyway, even if you're not a dancer.
# Posted on September 27th 2004 by Tish
We draw out the first eighth note in the first and fifth bars to a dotted eighth. As in: G>A BB | cB Ac etc. Also we play E2 D2 in the fourth bar.
# Posted on September 27th 2004 by Kerri Brown
"Le Vent du Nord" did a great rendition of this along with Daniel Thonon and his brother Luc at Calixa-Lavallee, QC, CA recently. I think it sounds best with the hurdy-gurdy at least accompanying.
# Posted on September 27th 2004 by vonnieestes
vonnieestes, doesn't everything?
# Posted on September 27th 2004 by Kerri Brown
Le bransle des Chevaux / The Horse's Bransle - with swing, little and large:
T: Horse's Bransle
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: bransle
K: Gmaj
G>A BB|cB Ac|BA GF|E2 D2|
G>A BB|cB Ac|BG AF|1 G3 D:| 2 G3 d||
|:dc/B/ AB|cB/A/ GB|AG FG|A3 d|
dc/B/ AB|cB/A/ GB|AG GF|G3 d:|
K:Gdor
BA/G/ BA/G/|FG A2|DE FG|AB AG|
BA/G/ BA/G/|FG A2|DE FG|GF G2:|
# Posted on October 4th 2004 by ceolachan
How Blowzabella blow it:
track 4: Branle de borgogne / Horse branle
on their album "Bobbityshooty"
Another transcriptions in 2/2 can be found on page 50, 'Horses' Branle', of the publication:
"Encyclopaedia Blowzabellica: The Blowzabella Tune and Dance Book"
Dragonfly Music
# Posted on October 4th 2004 by ceolachan
Horses' Branle - the Third Part
The third part of this tune uses an old form of the minor scale, called the "melodic minor" - in this case G-Melodic Minor.
In this old form of the minor, the intervals differ according to whether the tune is going up the scale, or down the scale.
Going up the scale, in this key, all the Es are natural and all the Fs are sharp.
Going down the scale (although the third part of this tune doesn't actually do this) the Fs would be natural and the Es would be flat.
The correct way to score a melodic minor tune in the key of G is to use a two-flat key signature (as for natural or harmonic G-Minor), and annotate the accidentals where they occur.
(Although in this case, it might seem strange to have an Eb in the key signature where none occurs in the tune).
Players of G-D and G-D-A melodeons often omit the third part of this tune - presumably because they are unable to play Bb.
# Posted on March 28th 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Horses' Branle - Time Signature
The correct time signature for this tune is 2/2 (although of course there is no way of submitting a 2/2 tune to the session!)
# Posted on March 28th 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Horses' Branle - Source
This tune was collected by Thoinot Arbeau (1520-1595).
# Posted on March 28th 2009 by Mix O'Lydian