Annotation:Rory Dall's Sister's Lament

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X:1 % T:Rorie Dall’s sister’s Lament T:Cumh Peathar Ruari M:3/4 L:1/8 R:Air B:Dow – Ancient Scots Music (c. 1775, p. 14) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:Ddor D3 EDE|C3 DEG|A2 A,4|AGEGAB|c2 C4| c3d (3edc|A2 GAcG|A2G2E2|cAGA c2|AGEG A2| C3 DEG|E4D2:|c3 ABc|d3 Bcd|e3 dcd| e3g (3edc|d3 cde|a3 ged|c3d (3edc|c2B2 AG| G3 GAB|c3d (3edc|A3 GAc|A>cAG (E/G/A/)B/| cAGA c2|AGEGAc|C3 DEG|TE4 D2||

RORY/RORIE DALL'S SISTER'S LAMENT (Caome Dearbsiur Ruaidri Daill). Scottish, Irish; Air (3/4 time). E Minor/G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Composed either by Scottish wire-harper Roderick Morison (circa 1656-1713), harper to Clan MacLeod, or possibly by the Ulster-born (d. 1653) Rory Dall (O'Caithean or O'Cahan), who was harper to several Scottish noble families in the 17th century. Both carried the Gaelic sobriquet dall, meaning 'blind'. Unfortunately, little is known about either. The melody appears in Donald Dow's (1732-1783) Collection of Ancient Scots Music and at the end of Bruce Armstrong’s The Highland Harp. A slow air entitled "A Port" in the Straloch Lute Manuscript of 1627-29 (pp. 23-24) appears to be a distanced version (perhaps a precursor) of "Rory Dall's Sister's Lament."

See note for “annotation:Give Me Your Hand" for more.

Additional notes

Source for notated version: - I.S. Dunning, former city engineer of Aurora, Illinois [O’Neill].

Printed sources : - Aird (Sixth and Last Volume of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs), 1803; No. 107, p. 41. Dow (Collection of Ancient Scots Music), c. 1775; p. 14. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 47, p. 9.

Recorded sources: - Iona Records, Ossian - "Borders" (1984).