Annotation:Little Heathy Hill (The)

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LITTLE HEATHY HILL, THE (An Cnoicín Fraoich). AKA - "Knuckeen Free." Irish, Air and Hornpipe. A Dorian (Mulvihill): A Minor (O'Neill): G Minor (Joyce); B Minor (Roche). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Howe, O'Neill, Joyce): AABB (Roche): AABB' (O'Neill). O'Niell (1922) remarks: "In the days of our fathers, 'An Chnoicin Fraoich', or 'Little Heathy Hill', both as song and air enjoyed no little popularity in the province of Munster, particularly in the counties of Cork and Kerry. As an air several settings of the melody have been printed, but never as a hornpipe until now, and under its colloquial name among the peasantry. It will be remembered that many notable dance tunes, especially hornpipes and long dances, have been derived from song airs, such as 'The Blackbird', 'The Job of Journeywork', 'The Garden of Daisies', 'Rodney's Glory', and many others." Joyce (1873) says "A setting of this air has been given in Mr. John O'Daly's Poets and Poetry of Munster (2nd ed., p. 70) with one strain of an Irish song." The title has been Englished as "Knocken Free" or "Knucken Free." O'Neill's version is note-for-note that printed earlier various publications of 19th century Boston publisher Elias Howe under the title "Cnoicín Fraoigh." Paul de Grae points out the cleric James Goodman's mid-19th century-collected melody "An Garbh Chnoicín Fraoich" (The rough heathery little hill) may be a version of the tune in major mode (D major), suggesting it may be an instance of a "creative mistake" in transcription of the version later printed by O'Neill (or vice versa).

Sources for notated versions: piper James Buckely (Limerick) [Joyce]; John Doonan [Bulmer & Sharpley].

Printed sources: Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland), 1974, vol. 1, No. 78. Howe (1000 Jigs and Reels), c. 1867; p. 18 (appears as "Cnuicin Fraoigh"). Joyce (Ancient Irish Music), 1873; No. 71, p. 72. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 5, p. 119. O'Neill (Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody), 1922; No. 312. O'Neill (O'Neill's Irish Music), 1915; No. 18, p. 19. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 3, p. 1. Roche (Collection of Traditional Irish Music, vol. 1), 1912; No. 23, p. 13.

Recorded sources:



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