Annotation:Over the River to Charlie (1)

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OVER THE RIVER TO CHARLIE [1]. Irish, Scottish, English, American, Jig or Song Tune. USA, West Virginia. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. The tune, states Bayard (1981), has been extremely popular as a vocal and instrumental air since the second half of the 18th century. Sometimes the order of the parts is reversed, or, in vocal sets, only the second half is used. Bayard's source learned the tune as a boy in West Virginia and related that people used to dance a "sword dance" to it, substituting crossed broomsticks for swords. Vocal versions of the tune (in either 6/8, 2/4 or 4/4 time) include "Billy O'Rourke's the Buachaill (1)" (Pa.), "Mr. Grumble" (Pa.), "Battle of Harlaw (The)," "Baffled Knight (The)" (The Shepherd's Son), "Sir Hugh," and "Earl of Errol (The)." Instrumental variants are usually in 6/8 time, he says, and appear as "Miss/Mrs./Mistress/Madam Casey/Cassey," "Is It Silk that's in Your Bag My Boy?" (An Sioda Ata id' Bhalluit, a Bhuachaill), "Brown Wallet."

Source for notated version: James Taylor (Wetzel County, W.Va., 1930's) [Bayard].

Printed sources: Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 555, p. 493.

Recorded sources:

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