Annotation:Langstrom's Pony
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LANGSTROM'S PONY (Capaillín Langstern). AKA - "The Langstern Pony," "Langstram Pony," "Lostrum Ponia," "Lanstrum Poney," "Lastrum Pone," "Lanxtrum Pony." AKA and see "Draught of Ale (A)," "Farrell's Pipes," "Fourpenny Girl (The)," "Grania's Welcome Home (2)," "Priest's Leap (3)," "Saddle the Pony (3)," "Sweet Tibby Dunbar." Irish, Double Jig. A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Breathnach, Kennedy, O'Farrell): AABBCCDD (Brody, Flaherty, Mallinson, Mulvihill): AABCCDDE (Mitchell). One of the oldest continuously played jigs in the Irish repertoire, although the tune may possibly be of Scots origin, as has been noted in several sources. The titles "Lang Strumpony" and "Lass Trumponey" have also been identified by Matt Seattle as coming from older Scottish collections, and there is some conjecture that all these permutations may have derived from an original title in Gaelic. A setting is to be found in Oswald's Caledonian Pocket Companion which was published around 1760.
However, "Langstrom Pony" appears several decades prior to Scottish versions in an Irish publication, John and William Neal's (A Choice Collection of Country Dances with their Proper Tunes, Dublin, 1726) as "Lastrum Pone" in a seven-part setting. It also was printed in the 18th century in Hibernian Muse (lxxxvi, c. 1780) as "Lostrum Ponia" and, at the beginning of the 19th century, under the titles "Lastrum Pony" and "Farrell's Pipes" in O'Farrell's Pocket Companion (1806-11) and National Music for the Union Pipes (c. 1800) respectively. The melody, in a more developed Irish setting, has long been a favorite of uilleann pipers. Breathnach (1976) says his variant is "more or less" the version found in O'Neill's as "Saddle the Pony," and also finds it in another, unknown, manuscript as "Fourpenny Girl (The)." He finds the tune similar in parts to "Paddy O'Rafferty." Paul de Grae finds another variant in Feldman & O'Doherty's Northern Fiddler (1976) under the title "King William's Rambles." See also the Québecois jig "Uncle Paddy," which shows some striking resemblances to "Langstrom's Pony", and can be considered a derivative tune-certainly in the first strain.
Sources for notated versions: How to Change a Flat Tire [Brody]; piper Seamus Ennis, 1959 (Dublin, Ireland) [Breathnach]; fiddler Philip Duffy (b. 1966, London, now residing in Dublin) [Flaherty]; piper Willie Clancy (1918-1973, Miltown Malbay, west Clare) [Mitchell]; fiddler John Doherty (1895-1980, Donegal) [Feldman & O'Doherty]; fiddler Pat Neilly [Bulmer & Sharpley].
Printed sources: Breathanch (CRÉ II), 1976; No. 46, p. 26 (appears as "Capaillín Langstern" {Langstern Pony}). Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; p. 163. Boys of the Lough, 1977; p. 6. Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland), 1974, vol. 2; No. 44. Cotter (Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor), 1989; 54. Feldman & O'Doherty (The Northern Fiddler), 1979; p. 61 (appears as "Untitled Slip Jig"). Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 31. Kennedy (Jigs & Quicksteps, Trips & Humours), 1997; No. 99, p. 24. Mallinson (100 Essential), 1995; No. 78, p. 34. Mitchell (Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1993; No. 80, pp. 74-75. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 55, pg. 77. O'Farrell (Pocket Companion, vol. 1), c. 1805; p. 32 (appears as "Laustrum Poney"). Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 91. Sullivan (Session Tunes), vol. 2; No. 26, p. 11 (appears as "The Langstern Pony").
Recorded sources: Front Hall 018, How To Change a Flat Tire- "Traditional Music of Ireland and Shetland." Gael-Linn CEF 069, Paddy Glackin- "An Fhidil Straith II" (1980). Island ILPS9432, The Chieftains - "Bonaparte's Retreat" (1976). Maggie's Music MM220, Hesperus - "Celtic Roots." Shanachie 79006, Mary Bergin- "Traditional Irish Music."
See also listings at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index []
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources []
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info []
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