Annotation:Molly on the Shore (1)

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MOLLY ON THE SHORE [1]. AKA and see "Mossy Banks (2) (The)." Irish, Reel. Ireland, County Cork. E minor/dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABC. Violinist Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) once recorded a setting of this popular tune, probably based on a transcription by Australian pianist, composer and folk music collector Percy Grainger (1882-1961) in an early 20th century edition of the Journal of the Folk Song Society, muses Joel Shimberg (who also says: "I've never heard another fiddler other than a young Brendan Mulvihill, play it...I'm pretty sure {his was} the Grainger version"). In fact, Mulvihill recorded the tune as the 2nd piece in the medley entitled "Temple Hill" on his band The Irish Tradition's album "The Corner House." Grainger's "Molly on the Shore" is based on two reels he found in Charles Stanford Villiers's The Complete Petrie Collection of Irish Music, found next to each other on the page, called "Temple Hill" and "Molly on the Shore." Grainger make the first setting of the melodies and arrangement for string quartet in 1907 as a birthday gift for his mother, but arranged it for orchestra in 1914 and later for piano and band. Violinist Kreisler was an acquantance of Sligo fiddle master Michael Coleman and Donegal fiddler Hugh Gillespie. Notes in the booklet "Michael Coleman 1891-1945" record that Gillespie recounted an impromptu session that Kreisler did with the two Irish fiddlers in a rehersal room at WHOM, a New York City radio station. Kreisler accompanied the melody playing of the two with double stops on the lower strings, which Gillespie thought was far better than the pianos or guitars that were their usual accompaniment. Fiddler Séamus Connolly (2002) remarks that the "Molly on the Shore" in his book is actually a composite of two reels from County Cork. The first reel, in three parts, comes from the playing of piper Leo Rowsome, whose own version included a two part tune called "Temple Hill" with a third part taken from "Molly on the Shore."

Sources for notated versions: "A Cork reel. From P. Carew's MSS" [Stanford/Petrie]; banjo player Tommy Finn (b. 1964, Barlow, Ballymote) [Flaherty]; piper Leo Rowsome [Connolly & Martin].

Printed sources: Connolly & Martin (Forget Me Not), 2002; pp. 74-75. Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 47 (appears as "Unknown"). Stanford/Petrie (Complete Collection), 1905; No. 902, p. 228.

Recorded sources: Green Linnet SIF 1016, Irish Tradition - "Corner House" (1978). Richard Greene - "Molly on the Shore."

See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]

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