Annotation:Major (3) (The)

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MAJOR [3], THE. AKA and see "Mooncoin Jig (The)." Irish, English; Jig (6/8 time). A Major (Mulhollan, O'Farrell, Thompson): G Major (Geoghegan). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Thompson): AABBCCDD (Kennedy, O'Farrell): AABBCCDDEEFFGG (Geoghegan): AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMMNNOOPPQQRRSSTTUUVV (Mulhollan). The melody first appears under this title in Wright's Compleat Collection of Celebrated Country Dances, vol. 2, published in London by John Johnson in 1742. Mulhollan (Edinburgh, 1804) identifies the tune's provenance as "Irish," and it was printed in Samuel, Ann & Peter Thompson's collection of Irish tunes, The Hibernian Muse (1787). "The Major" also was entered into the 1762 music copybook of Cumbrian musician Joseph Barnes. "Major (1) (The)" is a Northumbrian variant of the same tune. First strains of the tune tend to be the same, second strains differ, perhaps the result of the numerous variation settings of the tune.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Aird (Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 1), 1782; No. 141, p. 49. Geoghegan (Compleat Tutor for the Pastoral or New Bagpipe), c. 1745–46; p. 25. Kennedy (Fiddler's Tune-Book: Jigs & Quicksteps, Trips & Humours), 1997; No. 111, p. 28. Mulhollan (Selection of Irish and Scots Tunes), Edinburgh, 1804; p. 46. O'Farrell (Pocket Companion), c. 1805; p. 24. Samuel, Ann & Peter Thompson (The Hibernian Muse), London, 1787, No. 83, p. 51. Thumoth (12 Scotch and 12 Irish Airs), 1748; No. 6, p. 36–37. Walsh (Compleat Country Dancing-Master, vol. 6), 1754; p. 166.

Recorded sources:

See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]