Annotation:Little Molly O!: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:12, 9 November 2012

LITTLE MOLLY O! (Mairin Beag O!). Irish, Air (3/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. The Irish collector Edward Bunting maintains that this triple-time air was the original from which developed the famous (duple-time) "Molly Asthore" (Molly My Treasure) although Donal O'Sullivan (1983) thinks there is little evidence either way. He finds a 4/4 version of Bunting's tune in MacBean's Songs and Hymns of the Gael (1900) under the title "Mo Mhali Bheag Og" (My Dear Little May) {along with five verses with the note "Composed by a Highland officer, who accidentally killed a lady"). The melody was played by harper James Duncan (1747-c. 1800) at the famous Belfast Harp Festival in 1792. Elderly harper Arthur O'Neill told Bunting that Duncan was born into a wealthy family and received his training on the harp as part of his education. He had a reputation as an excellent performer.

Source for notated version: Bunting noted the tune (along with "Molly Astore") from the harper Charles Fannin in 1792; O'Neill's version is copied from Bunting.

Printed sources: Bunting (Ancient Irish Music), 1840. Heymann (Legacy of the 1792 Belfast Harp Festival), 1992; p. 32. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 162, p. 28. O'Sullivan/Bunting, 1983; No. 90, pp. 134-135.

Recorded sources:

Back to Little Molly O!

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 </font></p>
 <p><font face="garamond, serif" size="4">
-''Source for notated version'': Bunting noted the tune (along with "Molly Astore") from the harper Charles Fannin in 1792.
+''Source for notated version'': Bunting noted the tune (along with "Molly Astore") from the harper Charles Fannin in 1792; O'Neill's version is copied from Bunting.
 <br>
 <br>