Annotation:Rakes of Westmeath (1) (The)

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X:1 T:Rakes of Westmeath [1], The M:9/8 L:1/8 R:Air or Slip Jig B:Burk Thumoth - 12 English and 12 Irish Airs (c. 1746, No. 2, pp. 28-29) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:D ABc dAG FED|ABc dAF G2E|ABc dAG FGA| =cBc cEF G2E::DFA dAF E/F/GE|DFA dAF BGE| DFA dAF (E/F/GE)|A/B/=cA GEF G2E::d2g (f/g/a)f (e/f/g)e| d2g (f/g/a)f g2e|d2g (f/g/a)f (e/f/g)e|=cBc cEF G2E:| |:(D/E/F/G/A/B/4c/4) dAG FDF|D/(E/F/G/A/B/4c/4) dAF BGE|(D/E/F/G/A/B/4c/4) dAG (F/G/A)F| (G/A/B)G (=c/d/e)c (E/F/G)E::d>(e/f/g/) afd gec|d>(ef/g/) a(f/g/a/f/) g(e/f/g/e/)| d>(e/f/g/) a(f/g/a/f/) g(e/f/g/e/)|=c(A/B/c/A/) G(E/F/G/E/) GFE::FDF FDF (E/F/G)E| F(DF) FDF BGE|FDF FD/E/F/D/ E/F/GE|(A/B/=c)A GEF G2E:| |:fda fda e/f/ge|fdd f(d/e/f/d/) bge|fda fda e/f/ge|a/b/=c'a ge^c g2e:|]

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RAKES OF WESTMEATH [1], THE (Racairi Iarmide). AKA and see “Blast of Wind (A),” “Clout (The),” “Cock in the Heath (2),” “Drops of Springwater,” “Humors of Caledon (The),” “Humors of Westmeath,” “Kiss in the Furz (1).” Irish, Slip Jig. D Major/D Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB (O'Neill): AABB (most versions). ‘Rakes’ appears to be short for rakehell, which itself stems from the Old Icelandic word reikall, meaning "wandering” or “unsettled." The oldest of the tune family appears to be “Clout (The),” printed by Neale in a collection of country dances, Dublin, 1726. As “The Rakes of Westmeath” it appears in several collections from the 18th and 19th century, including Burke Thumoth’s c. 1746 collection, John Johnson’s Choice Collection, vol. 4 (1748) and The Hibernian Muse (c. 1770).