Annotation:Swaggering Boney
X: 1 T:Freedom And Liberty. JBs.054 T:Swaggering Boney,aka. JBs.054 R:Jig B:Jas.Blackshaw MS, 1837, N.Shropshire Z:Village Music Project, T. Weatherall 2006 M:6/8 L:1/8 Q:3/8=120 A:North Shropshire F:http://www.cpartington.plus.com/Links/ShropshireMss/BLkshw(12-4-16).ABC K:G d|BGB dBd|ede d2f|gfg efg|agf g2:| |:g|fga afd|afd d2B|ded dcB|cAB c3| B2 d BGB|c2e cAc|Bcd efg|agf g2:|
SWAGGERING BONEY. AKA and see “Gee Ho Dobbin,” “How Do You Do? (1)”, “Oddington,” "Old Frog Dance (The)." English, Morris Dance Tune (6/8 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBB (x4), AACCC (x4), AA. The morris dance version was collected from the village of Longborough, Gloucestershire, in England's Cotswolds, but "the tune was apparently popular all over England, as a number of different songs were written to it" (Williamson, 1976). The title refers to Napoleon Bonaparte, dating this version of the tune from the late 1700's to early 1800's. As Steve Winick points out, Bonaparte was "a frequent character in English and Irish folklore [who is] often the hero in Irish songs and the villain in English ones[1]. However, the melody is considerably older than the French emperor as versions appear under other titles in Northumbrian musician Henry Atkinson's late 17th century manuscript and in one of London publisher John Walsh's early 18th century volumes (see alternate titles).
The tune was used as the vehicle for morris dancing under the titles "Swaggering Boney" (Longborough, Cheltenham), "Old Frog Dance (The)" or "The Frog Hop" (Oddington), and "How Do You Do? (1)" (Sherborne). The 'Frog' titles are presumable references to Napoleon as well. "Swaggering Boney" was collected from Henry "Harry" Taylor, who was aged 68 in 1910, and who was the leader of the Longborough morris, although the last time he had danced with the side was at the jubilee of 1887. While Taylor might have played the fiddle at one time, the tune was transcribed by Cecil Sharpe from his singing.
See also O’Neill’s similar “Old Leather Breeches (1).”
- ↑ Steve Winick, liner notes to Martin Carthy's "The Collection" (1993).