music for Never Was Piping so Gay

Daithi · Post by **Daithi** » Tue Jul 03, 2001 7:41 am

Does anyone know where I can find the sheet to "Never Was Piping So Gay", written by Ed Reavy and performed by Dervish?

Thanks!

Mark_J · Post by **Mark_J** » Tue Jul 03, 2001 8:04 am

I have it in a book written by Joe Reavy
<a href="http://www.blueskiesink.com/reavy/compo ... >Collected Compositions of Ed Reavy</a>

The web site has the ABC for the tune (see below). Their main site is :<a href="http://www.blueskiesink.com/reavy/index.htm">Ed Reavy Foundation Home Page.</a>

Ed Reavy Jr. runs the foundation. They protect the copyright in earnest. They use the proceeds to fund scholarships in Ed Sr's Name.

X: 3
T:Never Was Piping So Gay
R:reel
C:Ed Reavy
S:The Collected Compositions of Ed Reavy
M:2/2
L:1/8
Z:Joe Reavy
N:Never Was Piping So Gay. The concluding line
N:of O'Driscoll's refrain in Yeats' poem, the
N:Host of the air. O'Driscoll dreamed that
N:his wife Bridget was taken by the Host
N:as he was playing harmlessly at cards with
N:"the merry old men." When O'Driscoll
N:awoke from his dream,all that remained of the
N:dream was the strange unearthly sound of a pipe
N:piping away in the distant air-
N:"And never was piping so sad, And
N:never was piping so gay."
K:G
DB,|:G, B,D GBdB|caf dcA FA|G2 BG DGBG|AF (3FFF dFcF|
G2 BFDGB,D|Aafd ^cdef|gfgd cBcA |1FGAc BFDB,:|2FGAc BG G2||
fgd ^cdBF|FGBd cAFA|GB (3cBA BcdB|cafd ^cdef|
gfgd ^cdBF|FGBdcAFA|BG (3GGG AF (3FFF|BdcA G4 ||
gd ^cdBG|FGBd cAFA|GB (3cBA BcdB|cafd ^cdef|gbaf gd^cd|
BGFG cAFA|BG (3FFF AF (3FFF|BdcA G2||

A previous post by StevieJ mentioned that many Reavy compositions undergo some alteration in the tradition. My ear is just not good enough to notice the difference, yet.

Daithi · Post by **Daithi** » Wed Jul 04, 2001 9:34 am

Mark, this is excellent, thanks very much!!! The scary thing about your post is the excerpt from Yeat's poem, seeing as how I am descended from the O'Driscoll's!!!

BTW, where in DE are you? I used to live in Rising Sun, MD and worked in Newark, in the Christiana Executive campus (next to the hospital). Moved back to CT last November.

Slainte,

Daithi

Mark_J · Post by **Mark_J** » Thu Jul 05, 2001 8:45 am

On 2001-07-04 11:34, Daithi wrote:
Mark, this is excellent, thanks very much!!! The scary thing about your post is the excerpt from Yeat's poem, seeing as how I am descended from the O'Driscoll's!!!

BTW, where in DE are you? I used to live in Rising Sun, MD and worked in Newark, in the Christiana Executive campus (next to the hospital).

Banker, Eh. Well, I'm from the Newark area working in Dover (working on fixing that problem). If you order the book, the three cassette tapes are worth buying. Joe Reavy plays with a style that sounds unique. Well ornamented, but not flashy. Joe plays the music fairly straight, which is the most appropriate way to demonstrate the tunes in this context (documentation of Reavy's compositions, not performance). The great thing about the tapes is the narration. Ed was an interesting man. A frustrated poet. A lover of Irish poetry. One of the lines of narration for NWPSG indicated that Ed had no love of piping.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Mark_J on 2001-07-05 10:46 ]</font>

FairEmma · Post by **FairEmma** » Thu Jul 05, 2001 12:25 pm

Ah-ha! Also in the Newark area ... just off Elkton Road once you cross into Maryland.

FE

Mark_J · Post by **Mark_J** » Thu Jul 05, 2001 12:33 pm

On 2001-07-05 14:25, FairEmma wrote:
Ah-ha! Also in the Newark area ... just off Elkton Road once you cross into Maryland.

FE

Emma!
Now I've made the connection. I think I've seen you play (flute) in a ceili band at the Commadore Barry Center. I didn't know you you frequented this watering hole.

FairEmma · Post by **FairEmma** » Thu Jul 05, 2001 12:48 pm

I wish! But no, t'was not me. I'm far more obscure in the local music scene!

FE

Daithi · Post by **Daithi** » Thu Jul 05, 2001 1:04 pm

On 2001-07-05 14:25, FairEmma wrote:
Ah-ha! Also in the Newark area ... just off Elkton Road once you cross into Maryland.

FE

A very good friend of mine lives in that area, Scott Trowbridge.

FairEmma · Post by **FairEmma** » Thu Jul 05, 2001 3:46 pm

I'm afraid I don't know him. But life has lots of twists in it!

I'm always in Rising Sun ... our ensemble practices there weekly, and we perform for a number of local functions. Just played for the retirement of the local librarian, who's been there for 31 years! Sallie. If you frequented the library there, you couldn't possibly have missed her!

Isn't it fun when things feel small-worldish?

FE