Annotation:Murphy's Hornpipe (1)
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MURPHY'S HORNPIPE [1] (Cornphiopa Uí Mhurchada). AKA – "Murphy's Fancy." AKA and see "Nellie Murphy’s," "Touhey's Favorite Hornpipe." Irish, Hornpipe. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Brody): AA'BB' (Kerr): AABBCDE (Breathnach): AABB'CCDD' (Miller): AABCCDD' (Carlin). The earliest sound recording of the hornpipe was made in 1904 by Capt. Francis O'Neill, from the tin-whistle playing of uilleann piper and vaudeville performer Patrick "Patsy" Touhey. O'Neill used a home cylinder machine. The closely related "Kilderry Hornpipe" was recorded in 1928 by Boston fiddler Michael Hanafin with Dan Sullivan's Shamrock Band on a side that paired it with an unrelated "Murphy's Hornpipe." This might explain why the "Murphy's" name was subsequently transferred to the Touhey/Hanafin tune. The setting now current is the one recorded in 1935 as "Murphy's" by Sligo master Michael Coleman, who transformed the basic two-part reel into a four-part fiddle showpiece.
Sources for notated versions: Jean Carignan (Montreal, Canada) [Brody]; Michael Coleman (1891–1945, Co. Sligo/New York) [Miller & Perron]; accordion player Sonny Brogan (Ireland) [Breathnach]; Bronx-born fiddler Andy McGann (1928–2004) [Miller & Perron].
Printed sources:
Breathnach (CRÉ 1), 1963; No. 213, p. 86.
Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; p. 200.
Carlin (Master Collection), 1984; No. 285, p. 160.
Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 4), c. 1880's; No. 280, p. 30.
Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 1977; vol. 1, No. 23.
Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 2nd Edition, 2006; p. 119 (appears as "Murphy's Fancy").
O'Brien (Irish Folk Dance Music), 1952 (appears as "The Kilderry Hornpipe").
Recorded sources:
Cló Iar-Chonnachta CICD 167, Peter Horan & Gerry Harrington – "The Merry Love to Play" (2007).
DECCA 2057A (78 RPM), Michael Coleman (1935).
Flying Fish FF-246, The Red Clay Ramblers – "Hard Times" (1981).
Folkways FW 8876, Kevin Burke – "Sweeney's Dream."
Gael-Linn Records CEF 161, "Michael Coleman 1891–1945."
Green Linnet SIF 1138, James Keane – "That's the Spirit."
Philo FI 2018, Jean Carignan – "Plays Coleman, Morrison and Skinner" (appears as first tune of "Hornpipe Set" medley).
Shanachie 29008, Frankie Gavin – "Traditional Music of Ireland."
Shaskeen Records OS-360, Andy McGann, Joe Burke, Felix Dolan – "A Tribute to Michael Coleman" (c. 1965).
Johnny O'Leary – "Dance Music from the Cork-Kerry Border."
Kevin Henry – "One's Own Place-A Family Tradition."
See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]
Hear the tune played by fiddler Michael O'Rourke at the Comhaltas Archive [3]
Hear Patsy Touhey's tin-whistle cylinder recording at the Dunn Family Archives [4] (appears as "Touhey's Favorite Hornpipe").