The Fairy Dance

reel

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on December 7th 2001 by Josh Kane.

This tune has been added to 299 tunebooks.

Also known as Faeries', The Faire's , The Fairies' Dance, Fairy, The Fairy , Fairy Dance, Gows, Largo's Fairy Dance, Old Molly Hare, Quick Scotch.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A Kindly Welcome by Na Fili
• Aly Bain And Young Champions by Aly Bain And Young Champions
• At The Source by Celtic Spring
• Banish Misfortune by Mithril
• Cape Breton Fiddle Music Not Calm by Howie MacDonald And Ashley MacIsaac
• Celtic Dreams (Music Of Turlough O'Carolan On The Hammered Dulcimer, Volume III) by Joemy Wilson
• Edinburgh Hogmany Party Mix by Keltik Elektrik
• En El Bosque Sin Retorno by Tocando El Aire
• Encore by Celtic Fiddle Festival
• Fainne An Lae : Daybreak by Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
• Far From Home by Boys Of The Lough
• Fiddle by Cape Breton Symphony
• For As Many As Will by Haste To The Wedding
• Harvest Home by Filska
• In My Hands by Natalie MacMaster
• Kitty Lie Over by Mick O'Brien And Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh
• Legacy Of The Scottish Fiddle Vol. 1 by Alasdair Fraser And Paul Machlis
• Live-Disc 1 by Natalie MacMaster
• Lonely Bird by Aly Bain
• My Joy by Hanneke Cassel
• Northern Light by Valerie Klemetti Blessley
• Scottish Violin Music -Volume 1 by Hector MacAndrew
• Seven Years Of Listening by Mick O'Brien And Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh
• Silly Wizard by Silly Wizard
• Swarbrick 2 by Dave Swarbrick
• The 'Reel' Thing by Wendy MacIsaac
• The Angel's Share by Atlantic Wave
• The Best Of Aly Bain by Aly Bain
• The Bluebell Polka by Jimmy Shand
• The Celtic Ray by Marcille Wallis
• The Coming Of Spring by Eitre
• The Humours Of Derrybeha by Pat O'Connor
• The Legendary Down Home Recordings by Various Artists
• The Mad Buckgoat—Ancient Music Of Ireland by Baltimore Consort
• The Road From Erin—Ireland's Musical Legacy by Dorian Recordings
• The Strathspey King by James Scott Skinner
• Traditional Fiddle Music Of Cape Breton Volume 4 Mackinnon's Brook by Various Artists
• Warming Up by Martin Mulhaire, Séamus Connolly And Jack Coen
• Wish You Were Here by Boys Of The Lough

X: 1
T: Fairy Dance, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|: f2fd f2fd | f2fd cdeg | f2fd gfed | cABc defg :|
|: a2af b2bf | g2ge a2ag | f2fd gfed |1 cABc defg :|2 cABc d3 ||

Fairy Dance

This is is a realy old Scottish tune and is in Gow's Original Collection, although there is some debate as to whether he wrote it or merely noted down an existing tune.

# Posted on June 29th 2002 by noelbats

There are all sorts of other names

Including Old Molly Hare and Largo's Fairy Dance

# Posted on September 19th 2002 by mnfiddledragon

Another version

If you are looking for the version on Natalie McMaster's 'In My Hands' CD, it is "a multi-part version evolved from Skinner's set in the Harp and Claymore. Winston Fitzgerald's setting is close...". See cranfordpub.com/natalie/Hands to find a link to Fitz. Have fun!

# Posted on November 17th 2002 by gotfiddle

Another version II

You can also find a longer version at www.minarsas.demon.co.uk/harn/folksongs/fairy.htm

# Posted on November 17th 2002 by gotfiddle

Here is the version played on the uilleann pipes on track 1 of The Chieftains 4.

X: 1
T:Fairy Dance
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:Reel
K:D
g|~f2dg ~f2dg|~f2dB cdeg|~f2df gfed|cABc dfag|
fAdg fAdg|fAdB cdeg| (3fga df gfed|cABc d2~f2|
aAdf bagf|(3gfe ce aeAg|fdBd gfed|cABc d2~f2|
a2 (3fga bagf|(3gfe ce Aceg|fdBd gfed|cA (3GFE D4||

# Posted on February 28th 2004 by turophile

Longer version

You can also find the multi-part version in a book entitled "Session Tunes for Scots Fiddlers" available at all good folk music shops. It also includes a multi-part version of Masons Apron.

# Posted on September 25th 2004 by jakki S

Old Molly Hare

Here's the version of the A part that I play.

d2f2gfeg|f2d2edBA|d2f2gfed|cABcd4

I guess that's the Old Molly Hare version.

# Posted on July 5th 2005 by Emily Horne

Largo's Fairy Dance

Don't know why I got interested in this, this morning. I've looked it up, and I gather that 'Largo's Fairy Dance' actually consists of two Gow tunes, The Fairy Dance, as posted here, and The Fairies Advance. I've found two versions of the Fairies Advance, here:

http://www.village-music-project.org.uk/abc/HARRISON.ABC

To save people having to scroll down and find them, here they are:

X: 57
T:Fairies Advance,The.(primo) RH.043
M:C
L:1/8
Q:120
S:Rev.R.Harrison's MS,c1815,Cumbria
R:March
O:England
A:Temple Sowerby,Cumbria
Z:vmp.Simon Wilson....
K:D
F>G|A2A>A (A/c/d/e/) (f/c/d/B/)|A2F>F F2d>c|\
B/A/G/F/ dA f/e/d/c/ B/A/G/F/|F2E>E E2F>G|!
(Acde) fcdB|A2F>F F2d>c|Bged cbac|d2d>d d2:|!
|:f>g|a2a>f b2b>a|g/f/g/a/ ge a2ag|\
fedc Be/f/ g/f/e/d/|dcBA Bcde|!
f3g/f/ e3f/e/|d3e/d/ c3d/c/|\
Bc/d/ e/f/g/e/ d/c/B/A/ B/d/c/e/|d2d>d d2:|]

X: 58
T:Fairies Advance,The.(secundo) The RH.043
M:C
L:1/8
Q:100
S:Rev.R.Harrison's MS,c1815,Cumbria
R:March
O:England
A:Temple Sowerby,Cumbria
Z:vmp.Simon Wilson....
K:D
D>E|F2F>F (F/A/F/A/) (d/A/B/G/)|F2D>D D2F>F|\
G/F/E/D/ FF d/c/B/A/ G/F/E/D/|D2A>A A2D>E|!
FAFA dABG|F2D>D D2B>A|GBcA FFGE|F2F>F F2:|!
|:d>e|f2f>d g2g>f|e/d/e/f/ ecf2fe|dcBA GA/B/ e/d/c/B/|FAFA GABc|!
d3e/d/ A3d/A/|F3A/F/ A3F/A/|FABG FD AG|F2F>F F2:|]

Both seem to have B parts that are similar to The Fairy Dance B part, but which is the Gow tune? Is either one the Gow tune, or is it something else again?

# Posted on February 3rd 2007 by benhall.1

Chords to Fairy Dance

|D ( F#aug )|D A7|D G(or Em)|A7 D:|
|:D B7|Em A7|D G(or Em)|A7 D:|

# Posted on January 16th 2008 by gian marco

Danu's Version

As written down by Nigel Gatherer

K:D
g |: fAdg fAdg | fAde cdeg | fAdf gfed |1 cABc d4 :|2 cAbc defg ||
a2 ag b>bba | geee aaag | fadf gfed |1 cABc defg :|2 cAbc d4 ||

from http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/17161

# Posted on March 26th 2008 by swisspiper

G Version

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/2944

# Posted on March 26th 2008 by slainte

The Fairies' Advance

Has anyone tried playing the Primo and secundo Fairies Advance together? They look like clarinet and fiddle parts for the same tune.

# Posted on December 13th 2008 by LowProfile