Annotation:Romeo's First Change
X:1 T:Romeo's First Change C:Andy De Jarlis M:6/8 L:1/8 Z:abc by Bruce Osborne - bosborne@kos.net K:D fg|a2 ^g a2 b|afd Adf|g2 f g2 b|afd Adf|! a2 ^g a2 b|afd Adf|gec ABc|d4 z:|! |:B|AFA dcB|ABA [F2 A2] [F A]|GEC A,CE|DFB A2 A|! DFA dcB|ABA [F2 A2] [F A]|GFG ABc|d4:|!
ROMEO'S FIRST CHANGE. AKA - "Romeo's Jig." Canadian, Jig (6/8 time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The tune is generally attributed to Woodridge, Manitoba, Métis fiddler wikipedia:Andy_de_Jarlis [1] {1914-1975}, however, Canadian music researcher Anne Lederman noted that the tune seems to have been well-known among Métis fiddlers before DeJarlis recorded it, and was a standard first-change tune (see also "House Party Jig"). The title "Romeo's First Change" for the tune is DeJarlis's, however, and his influential version is more 'square' than other Métis versions of the tune. Lederman points out the similarity of the opening measures with Canadian 6/8 'down-east' standards "Bride of the Wind" and "Little Burnt Potato." 'First Change' in the title refers to its being played for the first figure of a dance.
Canadian radio and TV fiddler and entertainer Don Messer recorded the tune with his band as "Romeo's Jig" (backed with "Carnival Hornpipe") on 45 and 78 RPM, and helped popularize it. It is still a staple of New Brunswick fiddle repertory.
Many Washington and Idaho fiddlers used to call the tune "Romeo's Last Chance."
