Bird's Nest

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Also known as
Composer/Core Source
Region	Scotland, Canada
Genre/Style	Cape Breton/PEI, Pipe
Meter/Rhythm	Reel (single/double)
Key/Tonic of	A
Accidental	1 sharp
Mode	Dorian
Time signature	4/4
History	Canada/Maritimes (English)"Canada/Maritimes (English)" is not in the list (IRELAND(Munster), IRELAND(Connaught), IRELAND(Leinster), IRELAND(Ulster), SCOTLAND(Argyll and Bute), SCOTLAND(Perth and Kinross), SCOTLAND(Dumfries and Galloway), SCOTLAND(South Ayrshire), SCOTLAND(North East), SCOTLAND(Highland), ...) of allowed values for the "Has historical geographical allegiances" property.
Structure	AB
Editor/Compiler
Book/Manuscript title
Tune and/or Page number
Year of publication/Date of MS
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Score ()

BIRD'S NEST. AKA - "Put Out the Fire." Scottish, Canadian; Reel. Canada; Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island. A Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Dunlay): ABB (Shears): AA'B (Perlman). Dunlay and Greenberg (1996) find that the second part of "Ratha Fair" bears some resemblance to the first part of "Birds Nest;" similarly, the first part to "Feargan" (in Kerr's) is also close to the first of "Bird's Nest." Angus Chisholm and Winston Fitzgerald paired the tune with "The Bonnie Lass of Fisherrow" in recordings which have become classic. Gaelic words for the tune were obtained from Lorrie MacKinnon from Archie Neil Chisholm:

Tha nead na h-eoin anns a'choille (x3)
Far an d'fhuair an smeorach.
(The bird's nest is in the woods (x3)
Where the thrush is gotten.)

Sources for notated versions: fiddler Angus Chisholm, learned this tune from the Gaelic singing of his mother (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia) [Dunlay & Reich]; Peter Chaisson, Sr. (b. 1929, Bear River, North-East King's County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman].

Printed sources: Cranford (Jerry Holland's Collection), 1995; No. 75, p. 22. Dunlay & Greenberg (Traditional Celtic Violin Music of Cape Breton), 1996; p. 66. Dunlay & Reich (Traditional Celtic Fiddle Music of Cape Breton), 1986; No. 65, p. 66. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; p. 99. Shears (Gathering of the Clans Collection, vol. 1), 1986; p. 60 (pipe setting-the second part is altered somewhat to fit the pipe scale).

Recorded sources: Breton Books and Records BOC 1HO, Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald - "Classic Cuts" (reissue of Celtic Records CX 40). Canadian Broadcasting Corp. NMAS 1972, Natalie MacMaster - "Fit as a Fiddle" (1993). CX 009, CX 1, SCX 57, and Shanachie 14001, Angus Chisholm - "The Early Recordings of Angus Chisholm." CX 40, Winston Fitzgerald. Decca 14006, The Inverness Serenaders (appears as "Put Out the Fire"). Green Linnet GLCD 1117, Altan - "Harvest Storm" (1992. Learned from accordion player Paddy O'Brian from Co. Offaly, now living in Minneapolis). PKMMCD-17, Peter Chaisson (P.E.I.) - "Road to Rollo Bay." Rounder 7001, Joe Cormier - "Scottish Violin Music from Cape Breton Island" (1974).

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