Two questions

hillfolk22 · Post by **hillfolk22** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 6:37 am

I am finally getting around to Ireland's Best Slow Airs book.

I have discovered the Song An Goirtin Eorna.
How is that pronounced? Is there a story behind this air? The subtitle is The Little Field of Barley.

Oopps I guess I have three questions.
On Black-Eyed Susan, what key whislte would be the best to play it in? A?

It is in the key of D has two accidentals A# and G# and the melody goes down below D to B.

Thanks,

Laura

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 8:37 am

I don't think that's the key of D. I am not familiar with that tune but I wouldn't try it on an A whistle. The sharps aren't right.

On a D whistle the sharps are C# and F#. On an A they are C#, F#, and G#. I don't know offhand what key has A# and G# (maybe a B flat?) but if no one has answered by tonight when I get home, I will look in my music theory book and see if I can find out.

http://www.auburn.edu/~schafwr/theorykeys.html

[ This Message was edited by: avanutria on 2002-09-24 10:39 ]

whistlingfiddler · Post by **whistlingfiddler** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 8:51 am

An A# whistle would actually be a Bb whistle. It has Bb and Eb. But if the song goes down to B, it might be in B major and would therefore have C#, D#, F#, G#, and A#.

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 10:40 am

Or Laura might know what she's talking about.

I don't have that book, so I can't check this tune, but it wouldn't be unusual to have a couple of oddball accidental notes. As long as there aren't too many A#s and the tune doesn't go too high, the A whistle sounds like it would be a fine choice for this air.

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 11:35 am

Im not sure but did you specify the whole scale used? If notes you mentioned as "accidentals" are scale tones, then a B whistle would work but good luck finding one. Closest available would be E major with halfhole for A sharp and played pretty high.... B has five sharps, E has four.

StevieJ · Post by **StevieJ** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 11:59 am

On 2002-09-24 08:37, hillfolk22 wrote:
On Black-Eyed Susan, what key whistle would be the best to play it in? A?

It is in the key of D has two accidentals A# and G# and the melody goes down below D to B.

I'd say any whistle would do. After all, if you can play a tune on any whistle, you can play it on any other...

To get your low note, you'll have to play in G-fingering (as if it were in the key G on a D whistle). You are thus transposing up a fourth. Your low B will become an E, your G# a C#, and your A# a D#. Easy enough.

If it absolutely has to be played in D, then yes you'd have to have an A whistle. But why would it have to be in D?

hillfolk22 · Post by **hillfolk22** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 4:08 pm

[/quote]

I'd say any whistle would do. After all, if you can play a tune on any whistle, you can play it on any other...

To get your low note, you'll have to play in G-fingering (as if it were in the key G on a D whistle). You are thus transposing up a fourth. Your low B will become an E, your G# a C#, and your A# a D#. Easy enough.

If it absolutely has to be played in D, then yes you'd have to have an A whistle. But why would it have to be in D?
[/quote]

Ah Ha!... that's one less note to half hole that way. Thanks... I like it!

I will need to relearn the abc program... If I do not frequently use the program, I have a tendancy to forget how I did it...yeh, I know I should write it down. Anyways, for those who are not familiar with this song, I will post it.

There is a bit of history to the song written under the title. For those who are interested:

Black-Eyed Susan is an Irish form of the air by Leveridge which was sung in The Village Opera in 1729. It was collected by Petrie and published by Pigot & Co. (Dublin, 1876). Alfed Moffat adapted the air to Dora Sigerson's poem, 'My Rose'.

IMHO... the accidentals make the song sound a bit like Russian songs.

The song is written in the key of D. Starts on a f# note and ends on a B note. As to what mode it is in, well, I have not really studied the modes as of yet. Another meant to do thing that I mean to do... (the story of my life)

Still looking for the phonic version of the song 'An Goirtin Eorna' it is a beautiful air.

Thanks to all,

Laura

[ This Message was edited by: hillfolk22 on 2002-09-24 18:11 ]

hillfolk22 · Post by **hillfolk22** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 6:22 pm

X:1
T: Black-Eyed Susan
M:3/4
L:1/16
Q:55
S: Ireland's Best Slow Airs
K:D
F2 B2c2| d4 c2B2 B3A| F6 E2 D2E2| F3E D2F2 E3D| B,6 F2 B2c2| d4 c2B2 A2F2| f6 e2 d2c2| B3d c2B2 ^A3c2| B6 f2 f2e2| d3e f2d2 e2d2| c3d e2c2 d2c2| B3d c2B2 B2^A2| F6 E2 D2E2| F3^G A2F2 B2^A2| B3c f2c2 d2c2| B3d c2B2 ^A2c2| B6||

Laura

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 6:35 pm

Yes, that will work wonderfully on A whistle if you can get a half-holed A# (D# on D whistle) out. Good practice for that note, actually.

Roger O'Keeffe · Post by **Roger O'Keeffe** » Thu Sep 26, 2002 2:08 am

Hillfolk, regarding your unanswered question, "The little field of barley" is the English translation of the Irish title, which is pronounced "on GURTHeen ORna", the "TH" being pronounced in the US rather than the British way.

_________________
An Pluiméir<marquee>Ceolmhar</marquee> 

[ This Message was edited by: Roger O'Keeffe on 2002-09-26 04:10 ]

hillfolk22 · Post by **hillfolk22** » Thu Sep 26, 2002 4:26 am

On 2002-09-26 04:08, Roger O'Keeffe wrote:
Hillfolk, regarding your unanswered question, "The little field of barley" is the English translation of the Irish title, which is pronounced "on GURTHeen ORna", the "TH" being pronounced in the US rather than the British way.
_________________
An Pluiméir<marquee>Ceolmhar</marquee> 

[ This Message was edited by: Roger O'Keeffe on 2002-09-26 04:10 ]

Thank you Roger.

Laura

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Thu Sep 26, 2002 6:56 am

On 2002-09-24 18:08, hillfolk22 wrote:
The song is written in the key of D. Starts on a f# note and ends on a B note. As to what mode it is in, well, I have not really studied the modes as of yet. Another meant to do thing that I mean to do... (the story of my life)

It's in B minor, using the melodic minor scale (which means 6ths and 7ths are sometimes raised a half-step).

Roger O'Keeffe · Post by **Roger O'Keeffe** » Thu Sep 26, 2002 2:25 pm

You're welcome!

I don't know if there's any story about it, but there is a dance tune called the Little Stack of Barley, and Seamus Ennis used to claim that the diminutive "-ín" suggested that it referred to the very best barley which would be used for making whiskey. The air name you're talking about could have the same connotation, but this is pure speculation, and even Ennis's claim about the other name possibly belongs more to the hokum end of his spectrum of scholarship. Still it's a nice story.