Annotation:Opera Reel (1)

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X:1 T:Opera Reel, The M:C L:1/8 R:Reel B:William Campbell – “Campbell’s 1st Book of New and Favorite Country Dances & B:Strathspey Reels for the Harp, Piano-Forte & Violin, with their Proper Figures, as B:Danced at Court, Bath, Williss’s, & Hanover Square Rooms” (Soho, London, B:edition of c. 1793, first published c. 1786, p. 4) F: https://s9.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/6/61/IMSLP655929-PMLP1052069-campbells1stbook00camp.pdf Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:D V:1 D/D/D DG TFEFA|D/D/D DF TEDEF|D/D/D DG FEFA|BdAF E2E2:| |:(dD)(dD) (dA).F.D|(dD)(dD) .d(gfe)|(dD)(dD) dAFA|BdAF E2E2:| |:afaf gege|fdcd fcBA|afaf gege|fdec d/d/d d2:| |:.D)dfd .E(ege)|Aceg fdfd|.D(dfd) .E(ege)|fdec d/d/d d2:|] V:2 clef = bass D,2D,2D,2D,2|D,2D,2A,,2A,,2|D,2D,2D,2D,2|G,2D,2A,2A,,2:| |:D,2D,2D,2D,2|D,2D,2D,2D,2|D,2D,2D,2D,2|G,2D,2A,2A,,2:| |:F,2D,2E,2C,2|D,2F,2A,2A,2|D,2F,2E,2C,2|D,2A,,2D,2D,,2:| |:D,2D,2A,,2A,,2|A,2A,,2D,2D,2|D,2D,2A,,2A,,2|D,2A,,2D,2D,,2:|]

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OPERA REEL [1]. AKA and see "Celebrated Opera Reel (2)," "Duke of Cornwall's Reel," "Grand Opry Reel," "McDonagh's Reel (4)," "Tommy Gunn's Reel." American, Irish, English; Reel. USA; Missouri, New York, New Hampshire, New England, southwestern Pennsylvania, Michigan. D Major (most versions): C Major (Howe/Accordeon). Standard or DDae (Bronner) tunings (fiddle). ABCD (Silberberg): ABCDD (Christeson): AABBC (Ruth): AABBCCDD (Bayard, Brody, Ford, Howe, Kennedy, Linscott, Sweet): AA'BBCCDD (Phillips): ABBCCD (Cole, Miller & Perron): ABBCCDD (Bronner). Bayard (1981) did not find it in any collection older than the early 19th century (however, earlier printings did exist--see below). According to Linscott (1939) the tune "was fitted for a contra dance performed on the stage." Bronner (1987) thinks there may be stage origins for the tune on the strength of his observation that "besides producing light operas, popular theaters and chautauquas often did vernacular versions or even parodies of opera," though he admits the tune sounds Scottish or Irish. Apparently as another speculation, he also suggests the "operatic" triplet pattern in the third part "probably suggested the name of 'Opera Reel' in its early forms." There is also a rumor floating about the the reel is made up of strains from different French operas, although this appears to be completely erroneous. Tony Parkes and Steve Woodruff (1980) state the tune was an early 19th century American melody likely modeled on the multi-part Irish and Scottish reels of the 18th century and was particularly popular in the 1850's. Indeed, the "Opera Reel" appears in the 1823 music manuscript book of H. Canfield (Hartford, Conn.), A Choice Selection of Flute Melodies.

Despite the tune's profound association with New England contra dancing, an American claim of provenance (or even partial provenance) is not supported by the evidence. "Opera Reel" was published in Dublin in 1795 in a gentleman's literary journal called Walker's Hibernian, and around the same time by Dublin publisher T. Cooke in Tracy’s selection of the present favorite country dances (c. 1795). Anne Loughran and Vic Gammon's Sussex Tune Book (English Folk Dance and Song Society, 1982) contains what may be a cognate or ancestral melody under the title "The Duke of Cornwall's Reel," sourced from a manuscript music book compiled by William Aylmore of West Wittering (Sussex, England). Aylemore was a clarinet player whose book contains dance, military and religious music and is dated 1796 in one place and 1818 in another.

In New Hampshire the tune was used for the dance Boston Fancy or Lady Walpole's Reel, as well as the dance also called The Opera Reel [1]. Directions for the dance were printed in H.G.O. Washburn's The Ball-Room Manual of Contra Dances and Social Cotillons (Belfast, Maine, 1863):

OPERA REAL. 80 Steps.
Note. – Form sets of five or six couples only in each. First couple balance, down the centre to foot of set--second couple balance, down to foot of set--four right and left at foot--both couples up the centre, first couple down outside and remain at the foot.

"Opera Reel" was entered into the music manuscript copybook of M.E. Eames, frontispiece dated Aug. 22nd, 1859 (p. 7); nothing is known of the fiddler, save that he may have been from Philadelphia (from the titles of other tunes in the MS). It was cited as having commonly been played {under the title "Opera"} for Orange County, New York country dances in the 1930's (Lettie Osborn, New York Folklore Quarterly), and Bronner (1987) says it a standard of the upstate New York old-time repertoire. Jim Kimball concurs with Bronner and remarks that in rural New York state "Opera Reel" remained a favorite tune and dance well into the 20th, and that it was still performed at house dances in the central part of the state in the 1930's. The Opera Reel longways dance was a version of what was known in New England as the Chorus Jig, and there is a dance from Vermont called the Celebrated Opera Reel that also uses this melody as a vehicle. Kimball states that there exists a 1920's recording (for Edison) of regional musician 'old' Jasper Bisbee (b. 1843) playing and calling "Opera Reel," and records that Bisbee lived in Michigan prior to the Civil War (c. 1858), but was born in the town of Ossian, Livingston Co., New York (which has an area that elderly residents still call Bisbeetown). Paul Gifford states that informants have told him that "Opera Reel" was also played and danced in western Michigan at least until the 1920's. "Opera Reel" is one of '100 essential Missouri tunes' listed by Missouri fiddler Charlie Walden. It was also in the repertory of influential Texas fiddler Benny Thomasson.

Irish versions can be found as "McDonagh's Reel (4)," recorded by flute player Matt Molloy and fiddler Sean Keane ("Contenement is Wealth", 1985), from the playing of Tommy Gunn (it has also thus been called "Tommy Gunn's Reel").

The similar title, "Celebrated Opera Reel (2)," was used by Elias Howe in his mid-1850's publications, but that name has also has been employed for other tunes.