Annotation:Mopsy's Tune (the Old Way)

Back to Mopsy's Tune (the Old Way)

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MOPSY'S TUNE; THE OLD WAY. AKA and see "Mopsi-dôn: yr hên fford," "Obsidion," "Upside Down," "Welsh Jig (The)." Welsh, Jig. D Major (most versions): B Flat Major (Dale). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The melody is a version of the Irish jig "Priest and his Boots (1)/Priest in his Boots (1)/Parson in Boots (1)" (Sagart na mBuatasi). "Mopsy's Tune" appears as "Welsh Jigg" in the c. 1820 music manuscripts of Helpstone, Northants, flute player and poet John Clare. Clare gained some notoriety as a poet, but succumbed to an opium addiction and ended his days in as asylum.

Source for notated version: Edward Jones' The Bardic Museum (1802) [Mellor].

Printed sources: (Joseph) Dale's Selection of the most favorite Country Dances, Reels &c., London, c. 1800; p. 11 (as "The Welsh Jig"). Jones (The Bardic Museum), 1802; p. 105. Hamilton (Blodau'r Grug: 100 Popular Welsh Folk Dance Tunes), 1992. Mellor (Welsh Dance Tunes), 1935; p. 14.

Recorded sources:

See also listing at:
Hear the tune played on Welsh bagpipes on youtube [1]

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