Annotation:Maid Behind the Bar (1) (The)
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MAID BEHIND THE BAR [1], THE (An Gearrchaile taobh thiar den Bheár). AKA and see "Barmaid (The)," "Bartender (The)," "Green Mountain (2)," "Haymaker Reel (1) (The)," "Indy's Favorite," "Little Judy," "Long Island Reel," "Judy's Reel," "Maid Behind the Barrel (The)," "Maid Behind the Counter (The)," "Maids of Castlebar (The)." Irish, Reel. D Major (most versions): C Major (Cranitch). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (most versions): AA'BB (Bain). The tune was popularlized through the recording by Sligo fiddle master James Morrison (and piper Tom Ennis) and has become (along with its variants) one of the most ubiquitous tunes in modern Irish sessions. The melody appears earliest in print as "Indy's Favorite" and "Judy's Reel" in Ryan's Mammoth Collection (1883). O'Neill prints the tune also under the title "Maid of Castlebar," but title may be a corruption of "Maid Behind the Bar," or vice-versa. Philippe Varlet believes that a recording for Columbia Records by accordion player James Murphy in 1920 is the first time that the use of the title "Maid Behind the Bar" can be documented. He notes that accordion player John "Dutch" Kimmel recorded the tune the same year as "The Bartender" and that flute player John Sheridan waxed it as "Maid Behind the Barrel" in 1928.
The second strain of 'Maid' was employed as the third strain of the French-Canadian tune "Snoring Gobeil/Snoring Mrs. Gobeil." See also note for "Annotation:Long Island Reel."
Source for notated version: fiddler Frank Ferrel (Seattle/Boston) [Brody]; Elmer Robinson (b. c. 1910, Mounty Pleasant, now resides in Woodstock, West Prince County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman]; Larry Redican [O'Malley].
Printed sources: Bain (50 Fiddle Solos), 1989; p. 12. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; p. 181. Cranitch (Irish Fiddle Book), 1996; No. 68, p. 151. Cranitch (Irish Session Tunes: Red Book), 2000; 67. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 4, p. 1. Mallinson (100 Essential), 1995; No. 21, p. 9. Martin & Hughes (Ho-ro-gheallaidh), 1990; p. 34. O'Malley (Luke O'Malley's Collection of Irish Music, vol. 1), 1976; No. 70, p. 35 (appears as "The Barmaid"). Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; p. 73. Sullivan (Session Tunes), vol. 2; No. 7, p. 4. Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, vol. 1), 1999; p. 20.
Recorded sources: Canadian Broadcasting Corp. NMAS 1972, Natalie MacMaster - "Fit as a Fiddle" (1993). Coleman Music Center CHC 009, whistle player Jim Donoghue - "The Coleman Archive, vol. 2: The Home Place" (2005. Various artists). Edison 50870 (78 RPM), John H. Kimmel (1866-1942, accordionist from N.Y.C.), 1920 {appears in "Oh Gee Medley Reels"}. Edison Blue Amberol 3985 (Cylinder), John H. Kimmel (1920, "Oh Gee Medley Reels"). Flying Fish FF 70572, Frank Ferrel - "Yankee Dreams: Wicked Good Fiddling from New England" (1991). Gael Linn CEF 175, Colm Murphy - "The Irish Drum/An Bodhran." Green Linnet 1022, Michael and Andrew Carnase- "Irish Music: The Living Tradition, vol. 2." Green Linnet SIF 1040, Touchstone - "The New Land." Green Linnet SIF 1131, Tom Doherty - "Take the Bull by the Horns." Green Linnet 3008, "Matt Molloy." Green Linnet 3098, Brendan Power - "New Irish Harmoica." Green Linnet SIF 3051, Frankie Gavin - "Frankie Goes to Town" (appears as "Maid Behind the Barrel"). Mulligan 004, "Matt Molloy." Ossian OSS 6, Matt Cranitch - "Irish Fiddle Music 2: Give It Shtick!" Voyager 320-S, Frank Ferrel- "Fiddle Tunes."
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]
Hear Kimmel's 1920 recording at the Cylinder Preservation Project [4] (2nd tune in “Oh Gee” medley”)