Na Píobairí Uilleann

Chairman, NPU

An Píobaire

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8 2 18 20120411 18 ~ From the Archive ~ THE LEVEY COLLECTIONS T HE two collections of Irish dance music by R.M. Levey were published originally in London in 1858 and 1873, and were re-published by Walton’s Musical Instrument Galleries, Dublin in 1965. In each volume, the contents are described as “national jigs, reels and hornpipes arranged with easy basses for the Piano Forte, with the treble line also suited to violin or flute”. The first collection contains 111 tunes in total and the second 100. Several recognisable melodies are hidden among the un-named tunes, and some of these are worth mentioning. For example, one unti- tled tune (Levey 1.102) has been listed as a hornpipe but the tune itself sounds like “Over the Moor to Maggie” – a well-known reel. Oth- ers which we may have thought familiar, such as “The Rambling Pitchfork” (Levey 1.21) and “The Black Rogue” (Levey 2.13), are quite dif- ferent versions, with twisting accidentals and key changes along with some interesting spellings for the expression marks! “The Rakes of Kildare” (Levey 1.1) has some nice subtle ornamentation and bowing marks. It is written in A minor with a major 6th and minor 7th lending its key to the Dorian mode. The final selection ‘Jackson’s Piper’ (Levey 2.96) would be very apt for the uilleann pipes with plenty of opportunity for crans, rolls and triplets. The accompanying lines in the collec- tions could also be a guide for some regulator playing. The tunes in the two collections have been added to our online resource www.pipers.ie/IMCO. They can be modified, played and printed using the free SCORCH plugin. Sandie Purcell                                                                                                                                                                           The Rakes of Kildare Levey 1.1

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2012-04-21T00:00:00

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