Annotation:Miss Johnston (1)
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MISS JOHNSTON('S) [1] (Iníon Mhic Eoin). AKA and see “Belvidere Hornpipe,” “Cow that Ate the Blanket (2),” “Fifer's Reel (The),” “Miss Johnson of Houghton Hall,” "Muster Bank (The)," “Munster Bank (2) (The),” "Mountainy Man (The)," “Reedy Johnson’s,” "Rock the Cradle." AKA – “Miss Johnson’s.” Scottish (originally), Irish; Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Breathnach, Cole, O’Neill, Roche, Taylor): AAB (Athole, Gow, Kennedy, Kerr): AABB (Cranford/Holland). Scottish sources, which predate Irish ones, credit composition to a “Mrs. Robertson,” and indeed, the melody was printed by Gow and Shepherd in 1802 as “Miss Johnston of Huttonhall’s Reel" (elsewhere printed under the variant spellings Miss Johnson of Houghton Hall) attributed to Mrs. Robertson of Ladykirk (for whom see John Gow’s composition “Mrs. Robertson of Ladykirk’s Favorite.” Versions of this tune seem to vary greatly, often with melodic differences or with parts reversed, even within the same tradition (it is popular in Scottish, Irish, and Cape Breton traditions). As “Miss Johnson of Houghton Hall” it is in Goulding & Co.’s Select Collection of Country Dances for the Pianoforte (c. 1807). Breathnach (1976) finds a related reel in “Humours of the Priest’s House (The),” and notes it was called “Mountainy Man (The)” by Pádraig O’Loughlin of Miltown Malbay, County Clare.
Sources for notated versions: set dance music recorded at Na Píobairí Uilleann in the 1980’s [Taylor]; whistle player Des O'Conner (Ballinasloe, Ireland) [Breathnach].
Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ II), 1976; No. 188, pp. 98 99. Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 286. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; p. 8. Cranford (Jerry Holland: The Second Collection), 2000; No. 201, p. 75. Gow (Fifth Collection of Strathspey Reels), 1809; p. 30. Jones [Ed.] (Complete Tutor Violin), c. 1815; p. 3. Kennedy (Traditional Dance Music of Britain and Ireland: Reels and Rants), 1997; No. 134, p. 32. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 1; Set 15, No. 2, p. 10. O'Neill (O’Neill’s Irish Music), 1915; No. 244, p. 129. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 127. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 1376, p. 256. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 626, p. 113. Roche (Collection of Traditional Irish Music, vol. 1), 1912; No. 173, p. 67. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 169. Surenne (Dance Music of Scotland); 1852; p. 65. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Yellow Book), 1995; p. 10 (appears as “Miss Johnston”).
Recorded sources: Jerry Holland – “Master Cape Breton Fiddler” (1982).
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 [3]
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