Annotation:Morgan Rattler

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MORGAN RATTLER (Murcada Rocalloir). AKA and see "Cordal Jig," "Five Hundred a Year," "Idle Road (The)," "If I Had in the Clear," "Jackson's Bouner Bougher," "Land of Potatoes," "Marsden Rattler." Scottish, English, Irish, American; Double Jig. England, North-West. D Major (most versions): C Major (O'Neill/1850 & 1001): G Major (Clinton, Haverty, Kerr): F Major (Galwey, Harding). Standard tuning (fiddle). One part (Galwey): AABB (Clinton, Cole, Haverty, Kerr): AABBCC (Hardings, Kennedy, Knowles, O'Farrell, Doyle): ABCD (Manson): AABBCCDD (Gow): AABBCCDDEE (O'Neill/Krassen): AABBCCDEEFFGGHHIIJJ (O'Neill/1850 & 1001). Partridge's Dictionary of the Underworld defines a 'morgan-rattler' as a loaded club, stick or cane. The phallic association was made clear in a bawdy 18th century song called "Morgan Rattler" about a virile weaver. The song's refrain goes:

I lathered her up with my Morgan Rattler,

The reference and song were well-known enough to be referenced in other songs. One was printed in a chapbook by W. Goggin in Limerick about 1785:

Great boasting of late we have heard of the fates,
Of the comical rake called Morgan Rattler,
But now we have found one will cut him down
Well known by the name of young Darby O'Gallagher.

The verses become rather crude. The fourth goes:

If you would see him dandle that yellow sledge handle,
As stiff as the leg of a stool in a wallet, sir,
Each maid with surprise does twinkle their eyes,
At the wonderful size of his D. O'Gallagher.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Morgan Rattler was the name attached to several racehorses.

O'Neill (1913) states the original of "Morgan Rattler" (before the embellishments) is a two-strain melody called "Jackson's Bouner Bougher" (found in James Aird's Selection of Scotch, Irish, English and Foreign Airs, vol. 3, 1788) which carries the name of the Irish composer, uilleann piper and fiddler Walter "Piper" Jackson. In volume five of the series (Glasgow, 1797) Aird printed the same tune, in four parts as "The Morgan Rattler." This same latter version appears in John Preston's Entire New and Compleat Instructions for the Fife (London, 1796), Petrie's Third Collection (1790), McGoun's Repository of Scots and Irish Airs, and in McFadyen's Selection (1797). A three-strain version appears in Wilson's Companion to the Ballroom (London, 1816), and, indeed, Barry Callaghan (2007) notes that three strain versions are the norm for modern playing, "with the 'B' part showing the most variation.". English versions are several, many from 19th century fiddlers' manuscripts including those of William Aylmore (West Wittering, Sussex, 1796), Joshua Gibbons (Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, 1820), Ellis Knowles, John Clare (Helpston, Northants, c. 1820), William Mittel (New Romney, Kent, 1799), Joshua Jackson (Harrogate, north Yorkshire, 1798), Yarker and John Fife (Perthshire and at sea, begun in 1780 and continuing until 1804). "Morgan Rattler" appears in many North American musicians' copybooks as well, including: William Patten (Philadelphia, 1800), Daniel Henry Huntington (Onondaga, N.Y., 1817), fluter Thomas Molyneaux (Shelburne, Nova Scotia, in a volume that indicates he was an Ensign with the 6th Regiment), and P. Van Schaack (Kinderhook, N.Y., 1820). Dance instructions for "Morgan Rattler" appear published in the Phinney's Select Collection of the Newest and Most Favorite Country Dances (Ostego, N.Y., 1808) and in Henry Moore Ridgely's commonplace book of 1799.

Sources for notated versions: fiddler and Chicago police Sergeant James O'Neill, originally from County Down, copied from his father's music books [O'Neill]; from a collection by the London publisher Thompson, late 18th century [Knowles].

Printed sources: Aird (Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 5), Glasgow, 1797; No. 108, p. 41. Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 357. Clinton (Gems of Ireland: 200 Airs), 1841; No. 175, p. 90. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; p. 53. Doyle (Plain Brown Tune Book), 1997; p. 32. Gow (Third Collection of Niel Gow's Reels), 3rd ed., 1792; p. 30. Hardings All-Round Collection, 1905; No. 93, p. 29. P.M. Haverty (One Hundred Irish Airs vol. 2), 1858; No. 114, p. 52. Kennedy (Traditional Dance Music of Britain and Ireland: Jigs & Quicksteps, Trips & Humours), 1997; No. 122, p. 30. Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 1), c. 1880; No. 39, p. 39. Knowles (A Northern Lass), 1995; p. 6. Levey (First Collection of the Dance Music of Ireland), 1858; No. 17, p. 7O. Farrell (Pocket Companion, vol. II), c. 1806; p. 109. Galwey (Old Irish Croonauns), 1910; No. 11, p. 4. Manson (Hamilton’s Universal Tune Book vol. 1), 1854; p. 145. O'Flannagan (The Hibernia Collection), Boston, 1860; p. 23. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 60. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 1046, p. 196. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 257, p. 57. Petrie (Third Collection of Strathspey Reels and Country Dances), 1790; p. 5. Riley's Flute Melodies, vol. 3, 1820; p. 84. Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 81. Sussex Tune Book. Wilson (Companion to the Ball Room), 1816; p. 88.

Recorded sources:

See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]

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