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[[File:Beltaine.jpg|400px|link=|left|The day of the mouth of the fire]]
[[File:northbridge.jpg|400px|link=|left|North Bridge of Edinburgh]]
The first of May was traditionally a day for romance and was important in ancient times as the date of the festival of La Bealtaine (the day of the mouth of the fire), one of the most important Celtic celebrations. During Bealtaine ceremonial fires would be lit on either side of a path and cattle driven up the middle to purify them for the coming year and to help protect them against disease and insure their health.  
<br>An anonymous tune commemorating the opening of an Edinburgh bridge in 1772. The span was originally called the 'New Bridge', but after a few years was known as the North Bridge of Edinburgh. It connected the Old Town at High Street and the developing New Town of the city over the Nor' Loch. The loch had become an olfactory and ocular eyesore ("a fetid dump for rubbish") until it was drained by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, George Drummond, and replaced by gardens (originally reserved for the private use of Princess Street residents). Engineer William Mylne's (1734-1790) three-arched bridge was not at first welcomed:
 
<blockquote>
''Many persons, whose prejudices were inveterate, ridiculed the idea of a new city, and the North Bridge was a structure of'' ''popular dislike, though to please them it was pretended that it was merely to be a more convenient access to Leith than by'' ''Leith Wynd and the Canongate. The fall of the south end of the bridge in August 1769, when nearly completed, and by which five'' ''persons were killed, confirmed the opposition of many of the citizens. This accident was caused by the insecurity of the'' ''foundations, and an immense pressure of earth on the top of the vaults and arches to raise the structure to a proper level; but'' ''the denizens of the old alleys maintained that it was the fulfilment of a prophecy of the renowned Thomas the Rhymer, one of'' ''whose visions of the future was this same North Bridge of Edinburgh, and who predicted that it would fall three times. This'' ''absurdity was religiously believed, and probably assisted indirectly in the formation of the Earthen Mound. The bridge was'' ''speedily repaired, and was opened to the public in 1772, at the expense, before its completion a few yearsafterwards, of'' ''₤18,000.''
</blockquote>
John Glen (1891) finds the earliest printing of this tune in Joshua Campbell's 1778 collection (p. 60). The Gow's "[[North Bridge of Edinburgh (The)]]" is a different melody, honoring the same structure.  
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<br>
Philippe Varlet says the tune was quite popular during the 78 RPM era and was recorded by Tom Ennis, Packie Dolan, and the Flanagan Brothers, among others. O'Neill (1913, p. 132), Bayard (1981) and Emmerson (1971) all say this double hornpipe is either a derivative, a variant, or development from a common ancestor of the jig tune known as "[[Fágamaíd Súd Mar Atá Sé]]" ([[Let us leave that as it is]]), also known as "[[Galbally Farmer (The)]]," "[[Get Up Early]]," "[[Rakes of Kildare (The)]]," "[[Old Barndoor Jig (The)]]," and "[[Barndoor Jig (The)]]." The melody, points out musician and researcher Don Meade, was also employed as the vehicle for several songs, including "The Little Skillet Pot"/"[[Colcannon]]." Set as a reel, the "First of May [1]" was included in vol. 2 of the large mid-19th century music manuscript collection of County Cork cleric and uilleann piper [[biography:James Goodman]].
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The group Téada recorded the tune as "[[Mayday Hornpipe (The)]]."  See note for "[[annotation:Arthur's Seat (2)]]" for another association to the first of May.
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"The First of May" also shows up in Ireland as the first tune in a medley of flings called "The Four Provinces."
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The title is among those mentioned in Patrick J. McCall's (who co-edited the 1914 '''Feis Ceol Collection''') 1861 poem "The Dance at Marley," the first three stanzas of which goes:
<blockquote><i>
Murtagh Murphy's barn was full to the door when the eve grew dull,<br>
For Phelim Moore his beautiful new pipes had brought to charm them;<br>
In the kitchen thronged the girls – cheeks of roses, teeth of pearls –<br>
Admiring bows and braids and curls, till Phelim's notes alarm them.<br>
Quick each maid her hat and shawl hung on dresser, bed, or wall,<br>
Smoothed down her hair and smiled on all as she the bawnoge entered,<br>
Where a shass of straw was laid on a ladder raised that made<br>
A seat for them as still they stayed while dancers by them cantered.<br>
<br>
.....
</i></blockquote>
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[[Annotation:First_of_May_(1)|THE FIRST OF MAY full Score(s) and Annotations]] and [[Featured_Tunes_History|Past Featured Tunes]]
[[Annotation:New_Bridge_of_Edinburgh_(The)|NEW BRIDGE OF EDINBURGH full Score(s) and Annotations]] and [[Featured_Tunes_History|Past Featured Tunes]]
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X:1
X:1
%
T:New Bridge, The
T:First of May [1], The
M:C|
M:C|
L:1/8
L:1/8
R:Reel
R:Reel
S:Rev. James Goodman music manuscript collection (vol. 2, p. 159)
B:Robert Ross – Choice Collection of Scots Reels or Country Dances
N:Canon Goodman was a uilleann piper and cleric who collected primarily
B:& Strathspeys (Edinburgh, 1780, p. 7)
N:in County Cork in the mid-19th century
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:Amin
K:D
AG|EAAA cAAA|dcde f2 ef|gfed defd|dcAF G2z2|
f|d2 (AG) (F>ED).F|Eeed (c>BA).c|(d/c/B/A/ B).G (F>GA).F|Ad (e/f/g) fd d:|
EAAA cAAA|dcde f2 ef|gfed cAdc|A2 AA A2:|
f|defg a>baf|a>baf beef|defg a>baf|ge (a/g/f/e/ f)ddf|
fg|agfa afeg|fedf e2d2|cdef gfed|dcAF G2 z2|
defg a>baf|a>baf beef|defg (3agf 93gfe|(g/a/b) (e/f/g) fd d||
EAAA cAAA|dcde f2 ef|gfed cAdc|A2 AA A2:||

Revision as of 07:27, 5 May 2019


North Bridge of Edinburgh
North Bridge of Edinburgh


An anonymous tune commemorating the opening of an Edinburgh bridge in 1772. The span was originally called the 'New Bridge', but after a few years was known as the North Bridge of Edinburgh. It connected the Old Town at High Street and the developing New Town of the city over the Nor' Loch. The loch had become an olfactory and ocular eyesore ("a fetid dump for rubbish") until it was drained by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, George Drummond, and replaced by gardens (originally reserved for the private use of Princess Street residents). Engineer William Mylne's (1734-1790) three-arched bridge was not at first welcomed:

Many persons, whose prejudices were inveterate, ridiculed the idea of a new city, and the North Bridge was a structure of popular dislike, though to please them it was pretended that it was merely to be a more convenient access to Leith than by Leith Wynd and the Canongate. The fall of the south end of the bridge in August 1769, when nearly completed, and by which five persons were killed, confirmed the opposition of many of the citizens. This accident was caused by the insecurity of the foundations, and an immense pressure of earth on the top of the vaults and arches to raise the structure to a proper level; but the denizens of the old alleys maintained that it was the fulfilment of a prophecy of the renowned Thomas the Rhymer, one of whose visions of the future was this same North Bridge of Edinburgh, and who predicted that it would fall three times. This absurdity was religiously believed, and probably assisted indirectly in the formation of the Earthen Mound. The bridge was speedily repaired, and was opened to the public in 1772, at the expense, before its completion a few yearsafterwards, of ₤18,000.

John Glen (1891) finds the earliest printing of this tune in Joshua Campbell's 1778 collection (p. 60). The Gow's "North Bridge of Edinburgh (The)" is a different melody, honoring the same structure.


NEW BRIDGE OF EDINBURGH full Score(s) and Annotations and Past Featured Tunes



X:1 T:New Bridge, The M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel B:Robert Ross – Choice Collection of Scots Reels or Country Dances B:& Strathspeys (Edinburgh, 1780, p. 7) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:D f|d2 (AG) (F>ED).F|Eeed (c>BA).c|(d/c/B/A/ B).G (F>GA).F|Ad (e/f/g) fd d:| f|defg a>baf|a>baf beef|defg a>baf|ge (a/g/f/e/ f)ddf| defg a>baf|a>baf beef|defg (3agf 93gfe|(g/a/b) (e/f/g) fd d||