Key signature: Gmajor
Submitted on September 1st 2005 by shiaumo.
This tune has been added to 7 tunebooks.
Also known as The Cunning Workmen.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Cunning Workman, The
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Gmaj
|gfgd|ed B/c/d/e/|dgdB|A2GF|G2G/A/B/c/|dge2|dgdB|A4|gfgd|
ed B/c/d/e/|dgdB|A2GF|G2G/A/B/c/|dge2|dB AB/A/|[1G4:|[2G3d||
e3/d/ ef|g2f2|e3/d/ ef|g3a|bg a/g/f|g{ag}fed|dgdB|A2GF|
gfgd|ed B/c/d/e/|dgdB|A2GF|G2 G/A/B/c/|dg e2|dB AB/A/|
G3d|e3/d/ ef|g2fd|e3/d/ ef|g3a|b/a/g a/g/f|g{ag}f ed|dgdB|A2GF|
gfgd|ed B/c/d/e/|dgdB|A2GF|G2 G/A/B/c/|dg e2|dB AB/A/|G4||
We often play this with St. Kilda's March in a set.
# Posted on September 1st 2005 by shiaumo
By Tony Cuffe
Now here’s a coincidence. This is not a polka – it’s a march, and was composed by Tony Cuffe [RIP], when he was a member of the band “Ossian”. It was part of a suite of music written by members of the band for a TV programme about the island of Iona, and the monastery which was built there. The “Iona Suite” was included on “Ossian’s” record, “Dove Across The Water”.
I’ve always liked the tune, but nobody else seemed to play it. I came back to playing it a couple of months ago, and decided to teach it to my flute and whistle students at the “Splore” school of traditional music in Aberdeen at the beginning of August, so there are at least 3 flute and whistle players currently playing it in Scotland at the moment.
4 weeks later, it is posted here, completely out of the blue.
[ You weren’t at the “Splore”, were you, shiaumo ? ].
Incidentally, I think it may be “The Cunning Workmen”, plural, because there were more than 1 involved in the building of Iona.
# Posted on September 2nd 2005 by Kenny
I've been playing this for a wee while. I got the Cd of "Dove across the water" - the cassette was long lost - which reminded me of the tune. I play it in D - it sounds great on the guitar whn it's tuned to dropped D.
# Posted on September 2nd 2005 by allan21