Annotation:Young May Moon (1) (The)

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YOUNG MAY MOON, THE. AKA and see "Dandy O (2) (The)," "Gallant Tipperary," "Gallant Tippeary Boys (The)," "New May Moon," "Old Figary O'." English, Jig and Morris Dance Tune; Scottish, Jig. England, North West, Dorset. Scotland, Low Lands. D Major (Raven, Trim, Wade): C Major (Carlin, Kerr, Williamson). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Raven): AAB (Williamson): ABB (Wade): AABB (Kerr, Trim): AA'BB (Carlin). According to Robin Williamson, the tune was popular in the 19th century as a jig for country dances in South Scotland. The tune is in use as accompaniment for a single step dance in the North West (England) morris dance tradition, and (as "New May Moon") appears in a Yorkshire MS collection of the mid-19th century. It appears in several English and Scottish collections of the early 19th century, including Davie's Caledonian Repository for Violin (1816), Glazier, Masters & Co. A Complete Preceptor for the Clarionet (c. 1828), and Z.T. Purday's Royal Keyed Bugle Tutor (c. 1830).

The title "Young May Moon" comes from a song set to the tune by Thomas Moore (1779–1852) and published in his Irish Melodies; it was set to the tune "Dandy O (2) (The)." It begins:

The young May moon is beaming, love,
The glow-worm's lamp is gleaming, love;
How sweet to rove
Through Morna's grove,
When the drowsy world is dreaming, love!
5 Then awake!—the heavens look bright, my dear,
'Tis never too late for delight, my dear;
And the best of all ways
To lengthen our days
Is to steal a few hours from the night, my dear!

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Carlin (Master Collection), 1984; No. 50, p. 38. Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 2); No. 260, p. 28. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; p. 118. Trim (The Musical Heritage of Thomas Hardy), 1990; No. 48. Wade (Mally’s North West Morris Book), 1988; p. 5. Williamson (English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes), 1976; p. 20.

Recorded sources:

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