Celtic MIDI Sets, Page 2

My Celtic MIDI Sets, Page 2 (Sets 26-50)

Set #26
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
The Corsair	hornpipe	Matt Seattle
The Galtee Ranger	reel
Calliope House	double jig	Dave Richardson
The first tune in this set (composed by Matt Seattle) has a somewhat "ominous" feeling to it, in my opinion. The mood lightens a bit in the next tune, which is a traditional Irish reel. After that, you'd better get your dancing shoes ready - a jig by Dave Richardson finishes the set off.

Set #27
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
The Hurricane Hornpipe	hornpipe	Tony Upton
The Laird of Drumblair	strathspey	J.S. Skinner
6/4 Reel		Tony Upton
By now, I've sequenced quite a few sets of tunes. Until I put this one together, I had a hard time picking a favorite - but not anymore. The first tune is one of my own compositions, one which was vaguely inspired by "The Corsair." (the first tune in the previous set, in case you hadn't noticed.) The second tune is a wonderful strathspey by James Scott Skinner, who put a few long "runs" of triplets into the tune which can make even the most practiced musicians cringe. I've never heard anything quite like it! The final tune is my second favorite composition (my first one will ALWAYS be #1) - it started taking shape when I was playing another tune on my keyboard. It's in 6/4 because I couldn't put in all the notes I wanted to without changing the time signature. (It pays to be creative sometimes.)

Set #28
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Morrison's Ridge	reel	Dan R. MacDonald
West Mabou Reel	reel
The Spey in Spate	reel	J.S. Skinner
The first tune in this set was composed by Dan Rory MacDonald, a renowned Cape Breton musician who was (and still is) known more affectionately as "Dan R." He composed it about twenty years after a visit to a timber-cutting area in the Mabou area (known as Morrison's Ridge) in the early 1920's. The second tune, incidentally, comes from approximately the same area. Finally, another of James Scott Skinner's many compositions - one which seems to be popular in Cape Breton - finishes the set.

Set #29
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
The Green Groves of Erin	reel
Eileen Curran	reel
Craig's Pipes	reel
I don't have a great deal of background information on these tunes, but I do know that the Bothy Band played the first one on one of their CD's (and the third one, I think) and Martin Hayes played the second one at a live concert. (I heard it on the "Thistle and Shamrock" - I wasn't at the concert.) One more comment about the third tune - it suggests to me that Craig had a good set of pipes and he knew how to use them!!

Set #30
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Da Slockit Light	slow air	Tom Anderson
Timour the Tartar	reel
Bonnie Banchory	reel	J.S. Skinner
The first tune in this set is a bit hard to classify, but I have listed it as an air because it was listed as a "slow air, Cape Breton style." It was written by Tom Anderson, a Shetland fiddler, in 1969. I think I remember reading somewhere that the "slockit light" is what Shetlanders call the light that appears on the horizon just before sunrise. The second tune in this set was played by the Chieftains in their "Tribute to Bunting" set (listed as "Peter Street"), and the final tune is yet another of James Scott Skinner's compositions.

Set #31
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Donncha Lynch's	polka
Maurice Manley's	polka
Tom Billy's	polka


No, there's no need to get your eyesight checked - this is a set of polkas. Polkas are actually popular in some parts of Ireland, so I don't think it's unreasonable to throw in a few of them on these pages. This is a set of three Irish polkas which are often played as a set.

Set #32
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Belfast Hornpipe	hornpipe
The Salley Gardens	reel
Trip to California	reel
This set starts off with a traditional Irish hornpipe which sounds best to me when it's played with a lot of swing like it is here. It is followed by a couple of traditional reels which I have given a little extra "lift" by adding my own chords. (By the way, this set is one of my favorites!)

Set #33
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Untitled	dañs plin
Untitled	dañs plin
Untitled	gavotte
This is a set of three Breton tunes - the first two are "double plins," just like the three tunes in set #14. The third tune in the set is a "gavotte," which is a type of dance tune in 12/8 time. Unfortunately, I don't have any names for these tunes.

Set #34
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
The Kid on the Mountain	slip jig
The Choice Wife	slip jig
This is a pair of Irish slip jigs which I have heard on the "Thistle and Shamrock," played by Liam O'Flynn on the uilleann pipes. I've tried to produce a reasonable arrangement here, but I have to admit that I'm not an expert at arranging tunes for the pipes. As you can see, though, that didn't stop me from trying...hope you like the result anyway! (And if you don't, you can just blame Fionan, who made an entry in my guestbook suggesting that I do more pipe tunes!! Although it is a good suggestion, after all....)

Set #35
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Anne's Favourite	hornpipe
Martin Hayes' Hornpipe	hornpipe
Solus Lillis' Reel	reel
The first two tunes in this set are ones I'm not particularly familiar with, but I do like the way they go together in this set. The last tune is one I'm sure I've heard before, but I don't know who played it.

Set #36
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Dinky's	reel	Francie Byrne
The Shetland Fiddler	reel
The Cape Breton Fiddler's Welcome to the Shetland Isles	reel	Willie Hunter
This is a really neat set of reels which starts off with a tune I remember hearing in "Lord of the Dance." There was an interlude where a couple of fiddlers got up on the stage and played an outstanding set of tunes, and I think this was the first one in the set. The third tune comes from the playing of Leahy and was also featured in "Riverdance," almost in the same way as the first tune was played in "Lord of the Dance."

Set #37
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Music of Spey	strathspey	J.S. Skinner
Lime Hill	strathspey	Dan R. MacDonald
Aly Anderson	reel
Patricia Wilmot's	reel	Johnny Wilmot
Miss Eleanora Robertson's	reel
Those of you who have visited before will probably notice that I've changed some of the tunes in this set, and that I've also changed the style of this set considerably. After putting together set #90, I decided to redo this set in a similar style. The first tune was composed by James Scott Skinner, the second by Dan R. MacDonald, and the fourth by Johnny Wilmot.

Set #38
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Auld Luckie	strathspey
Miss Lyall	strathspey
Miss Lyall	strathspey
Angus Campbell	strathspey
This set starts off with a strathspey that I'm not very familiar with, but I like the way it sounds. The second and third tunes in this set are ones I remember from the playing of The Cast. If the final tune sounds familiar to you, it probably is - it's a reel version of James Scott Skinner's "Laird of Drumblair," which is part of set #27.

Set #39
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
King George IV	strathspey
King George V	strathspey
Old King's Reel	reel
The King's Reel	reel
Old Traditional	reel
This set of tunes is popular in Cape Breton. I don't know much about the tunes, but I suspect that kings were on the mind(s) of whoever composed them. (What would give me that idea?) The last tune is also known as "Colonel Thornton."

Set #40
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Father John MacMillan of Barra	4/4 march
Father John MacMillan of Barra	reel
This set starts off with a wonderful Scottish march that I heard Alasdair Fraser play on his CD "The Driven Bow." I have followed it with a reel version which I arranged myself, complete with some pretty interesting ornamentation.

Set #41
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Tommy's Tarbukas	strathspey
Tommy's Tarbukas	reel
This pair of tunes starts off with a strathspey version of "Tommy's Tarbukas," which I arranged myself. It's followed by the "original" version, a Scottish reel which I first heard played by Alasdair Fraser. (In fact, I think he may have composed it, but I'm not sure.)

Set #42
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
The Graf Spee	reel
The Grand Spey	reel
Rolling Waters	reel	Tony Upton
This set of tunes starts off with two tunes which are very closely related to each other, even though the first one is Irish and the second one is Scottish. You could probably say that the third tune is related to both of them as well, even though I composed it without having heard either of the other two tunes beforehand.

Set #43
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
The Navvy on the Line	reel
Paddy Lynn's Delight	reel
Pachelbel Reel	reel
The first tune in this set comes from the playing of the Bothy Band. I don't know anything about the second one, but I have a feeling that I've heard it played before with a different name. The final reel in this set comes from the playing of Eileen Ivers - it's a lively version of Pachelbel's "Canon" which I have rearranged a bit.

Set #44
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
An Buachaillín Bán	double jig
An Buachaillín Bán	reel
This set features a traditional Irish jig, followed by a reel version that I have arranged myself. I haven't heard the "original" tune before, but I did like the way it sounded when I played it from the ABC notation.

Set #45
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Rothiemurcus Rant	strathspey
Captain Campbell	strathspey
Calum Breugach	strathspey
Perrie Werrie	reel
This set starts off with a well-known strathspey which was formerly featured as the first tune in set #11. It is followed by two traditional tunes which are a part of Leahy's "Cape Breton Set," and then by a reel which is also popular in Cape Breton.

Set #46
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Trip to Alexandria	strathspey	Tony Upton
Union Station	hornpipe	Tony Upton
The Reunion Reel	reel	Tony Upton...sort of
This set features three of my own compositions. The inspiration for these tunes was a trip I took back in 1998 (I think) to visit a friend (see the first tune in set #1) in the Washington, DC area. The final tune in this set is actually a variation of "Dungarthill," a Scottish march.

Set #47
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
George Brabazon		Turlough O'Carolan
Carolan's Concerto (Mrs. Power)		Turlough O'Carolan
Loftus Jones		Turlough O'Carolan
These are three of Turlough O'Carolan's most "famous" tunes. The first tune was composed for a patron family (presumably headed by George Brabazon) in County Mayo. The second, also commonly known as "Mrs. Power," was composed for Elizabeth Power of Loughrea, County Galway. I like the way that Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains describes the tune - "They must have had something going together, because it's a really great tune." Does he know something we don't?? The final tune is one of my all-time favorites. It was written sometime towards the end of Carolan's life (probably in the 1720's) for the son of Thomas and Susanna Jones of Ardnaglass, County Sligo. He must have been a lively little boy…

Set #48
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Dwyer's Hornpipe	hornpipe
Sheehan's	reel
Joys of West Mabou Coal Mines	reel
East Neuk of Fife	reel	J.S. Skinner
This set of tunes starts out with a (presumably) Irish hornpipe, and then is followed by three reels which are popular in Cape Breton. "Sheehan's" is familiar from the playing of Natalie MacMaster and Jerry Holland, Ashley MacIsaac played "The Joys of West Mabou Coal Mines" on his CD "Fine Thank You Very Much," and the final tune is yet another of James Scott Skinner's many compositions.

Set #49
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Cutting Ferns	strathspey
Highlander's Farewell to Ireland	strathspey
Paresis	reel
Paddy on the Turnpike	reel
This set of tunes starts out with a couple of strathspeys, and then finishes with a couple of reels which are often played in Cape Breton. Natalie MacMaster and Ashley MacIsaac have both played them on some of their CD's.

Set #50
Tune name	Type	Composer (if known)
Napoleon Crossing the Rhine	hornpipe
The Battle of Aughrim	4/4 march
The Old Grey Gander	reel
West Clare Railway	reel	Junior Crehan
I don't know anything about these tunes for the most part, but I do know that the final tune was written by Junior Crehan. I wish I knew more, but I do know the tunes sound pretty good to me!