Post by Ptarmigan on May 17, 2008 11:50:35 GMT
Recently, I came across a wonderful website by Michael Costello on "The legendary County Antrim fiddle maker Hugh Gordon". It demonstrates the great love this man & his sons had for the Fiddle & the Ulster Scots Fiddle Music of Co Antrim.
Hugh GordonHere is a photo of Michael Costello himself, playing on a Gordon violin.
His love of music led him to show a great interest in the strong tradition of Ulster Scots fiddle music in the South Antrim area which was frequently performed in the open air, particularly at fairs, markets and other social gatherings in neighbouring towns and villages such as Antrim, Crumlin, Glenavy, Lisburn, Ballyclare, Moira, Lurgan and of course, Belfast.
From the following Quote it is clear that the Ulster Scots music of Hugh Gordon's time was no 'one dimensional' music of a purely Scottish nature, but a healthy mix of the best tunes they'd heard be they from a Scottish or Irish background, or wherever!
{more evidence perhaps, if more were needed, of a 'shared tradition'!}
The Simpson/Gordon Manuscript is a small but significant source of information regarding the typical repertoire of County Antrim fiddle players in the 1830`s and 40`s.This mixture of tunes Irish,Scottish and European is surely indicative of the origins of the Ulster Scots tradition of fiddle playing.The small hand written collection (with many musical errors) contains reels, jigs, hornpipes, Marches, Waltzes, O`Carolan music, Polkas, Quick Steps, Quadrilles and Neil Gow music.
To emphasise this point, here is this list of tunes Michael discovered in the Simpson/Gordon Manuscript:
The New Road to Elgin, Rosin the Bow, Miss Gordon`s Reel, Lady Carbery`s Reel, The Laird of Dunerval, Cochran`s Fancy, The Morning, Star Hornpipe, Miss Stirling, The Waterloo Reel, The Lasses of Mourne, The Barley House, Percy`s Fancy, Wellington`s Advance, The Tinker`s Maggot, The Pride of Clangathland, The Queen`s Hornpipe, Down the Broom to Joe, The Steampacket, The Tenpenny Bit, The Laird of thingypen, Betty`s Fancy, The Honeymoon Reel, Lady Montgomery`s, The Dutch Skipper, The Stoneyford Lasses, The Crommelin (Crumlin) Reel, Shelna Gera, Speed The Plough, The liverpool Hornpipe, Fisher`s Hornpipe, The Sprig of Fern, The Highlandman`s Knee buckle, Shane`s Castle, Jock o` Hazeldean, O`carolan`s Rambles to Teague, The Alpine Waltz, The new Bugle Waltz, The Brighton Waltz, The Munich Waltz, The march of the 42nd Regiment, O,Breath not his name, The Liverpool Reel, Weel may the keel row.
Any musicians reading this list will of course recognize many Scottish tunes but also many Irish Tunes too, as well as many unfamiliar names & I'm sure they, like I, would hope that this be published at some stage, so that we may all get an opportunity to learn these tunes.
Congratulations to Michael Costello on an excellent piece of work.
Mair power tae yer elbow Sir!
Cheers
Ptarmigan
