Annotation:Showman's Fancy

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SHOWMAN'S FANCY. AKA and see “City Life,” “Londonbridge Hornpipe (The),” “O'Keeffe's Hornpipe (2),” "Sweep's Hornpipe (4) (The)," “Violetta Hornpipe.” Irish, Hornpipe. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The tune appears under the titles “City Life—a Clog” and “Violetta” in Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883). The tune was recorded by James Morrison, Ed Reavy and others in the 78 RPM era, according to Philippe Varlet. An elaborate version of “Showman’s Fancy” appears in Boston button accordion player Jerry O’Brien’s Irish Folk Dance Music, a version which contains both parts of another tune, “St. Johnston’s,” as well. Source for notated version: New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].

Additional notes

Source for notated version: -

Printed sources : - Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 269, p. 83. McDermott (Allan's Irish Fiddler), c. 1920’s, No. 84, p. 21. O’Brien (Irish Folk Dance Music). O’Malley (Luke O’Malley’s Collection of Irish Music, vol. 1), 1976, No. 150, p. 75. Roche (Collection of Traditional Irish Music, vol. 2) 1912; No. 203, p. 8.

Recorded sources: -Cló Iar-Chonnachta, CICD 148, Mick Conneely – “Selkie” (2001). Gael-Linn CEF132, Johnny O’Leary - “An Calmfhear/The Trooper” (1989. Appears latter tune in set "Hornpipe ui Chaoimh.").

See also listings at:
Alan Snyder’s Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index [1]
Jane Keefer’s Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Alan Ng’s Irishtune.info

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