Annotation:Three Captains (1) (The)
X:1 T:Three Captains [1], The T:Three Sea Captains, The M:C L:1/8 R:Reel B:Stephen Grier music manuscript collection (Book 2, c. 1883, No. 32, p. 6) B: http://grier.itma.ie/book-two#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=5&z=390.4964%2C146.4494%2C2042.4994%2C714.5007 N:Stephen Grier (c. 1824-1894) was a piper and fiddler from N:Newpark, Bohey, Gortletteragh, south Co. Leitrim. Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:G D|GABG cAFD|GABc dBGB|ce/c/ Ac Bd/B/ GB|ABcB AB/G/ FE/D/| GABG cAFD|GABc dBGB|ce/c/ Ac Bd/B/ GB|Ac/B/ AG/F/ G3|| f|g2 dc B2 Gf|g2 dg ec/A/ Af|g2 bg/e/ f2 af/d/|eg/f/ ed/c/ d2B2| c2 ec/A/ B2 dB/G/|ABcB AB/G/ FE/D/|GABG cAFD|GABc dBGB| ce/c/ Ac Bd/B/ GB|Ac/B/ AG/F/ G2||
THREE CAPTAINS [1], THE (Na Tri Taoisaig/Taoiseaca). AKA and see "Clark's Favorite," "William Clark's Favorite," "Three Sea Captains." Scottish, Irish; Long or Set Dance (in duple or triple time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABB (Roche): AABB (O'Neill). Duple and triple time setting of the melody can be found dating back over two hundred and thirty years. The tune can be found set in 6/8 time John Lee's Collection of Country Dances for the Present Year 1791 (Dublin), and in the Calvert Collection (1799), assembled by Thomas Calvert, a musician from Kelso, Scotland. A note in the manuccript states that Calvert supplied “a variety of music and instruments, instruments lent out, tun’d and repaired.” O'Neill records that none of the musicians in the Irish Music Club in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century knew the tune (contributed by James O'Neill), and that it did not appear in any Irish source known to him. He found the earliest appearance in print in McGoun's Repository of Scots and Irish Airs (1799) as "Mr. William Clark's Favorite." South County Leitrim piper and fiddler Stephen Grier (c. 1824-1894) entered a version of the set dance in duple time in his large c. 1883 music manuscript collecction. Editor Frank Roche credited O'Neill with his setting, remarking that he "slightly altered it" for his 1927 publication.
See note for “annotation:Three Sea Captains (The)” for more on the original of this tune and set dance.
