Annotation:Greenfields of America (1)
X:1 T:Green Fields of America [1] M:C L:1/8 K:G |:AB|c2ec B2dB|AGAB AGEF|GAGE DEGB|AGAB AGEB| cdec BcdB|AGAB AGEF|GAGE DEGA|BGAF G2:| |:D2|GABc d2ef|gfge dBGB|c2ec B2dB|AGAB AGE2:| |:gfge dBGB|(3cBA BG AGEF|GAGE DEGA|BGAF G2:||
GREENFIELDS OF AMERICA [1] ("Garranta Glasa Mheiriceá," "Na Paircib Glais America" or "Páirci glasa America"). AKA and see "Greenfields of Virginia" (Pa.), "Greenfields of Canada (The)," "Pretty Molly Brallaghan," "Pretty Judy Brallaghan," "Judy Brallaghan (1)," "Judy Brannagan," "Charming Molly Brannigan," "Molly Brallaghan (1)," "Miss Wedderburn's Reel (1)," "Cossey's Jig," "Jimmy O'Brien's Jig," "Garranta Glasa Mheiruceá," "Under the Rose." See also the related Appalachian tune "Old Mother Flanagan." Irish, American; Reel. USA; New England, southwestern Pa. A Major (Brody, O'Connor): G Major (Bayard, Breathnach, Cole, Miller & Perron, Mitchell, O'Neill, Phillips, Prior, Tolman). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Bayard, O'Neill/1915 & 1850): AAB (Mitchell): AABB (Miller & Perron, Phillips): AABB' (O'Neill/Krassen, Prior): AABC (Breathnach): AABBCC (Brody, Cole, Tolman): AABBCCDD (Kennedy). P.W. Joyce (1909) thought the melody of "Greenfields of America" was related to a group of song airs popular in Munster in the mid-18th century, that include "Grand Conversation of Napoleon (The)," "John Doe," and "McKenna's Dream." Francis O'Neill adds several others familiar to him from his time in South Munster, naming "Farmer Hayes," "Raking Paudheen Rue," "Bold and Undaunted Fox," and "Raking Red-Haired Pat." See Annotation:McKenna's Dream for more on this. Samuel Bayard (1981) sees the tune as having two separate versions, a song air which is the elder and an instrumental air deriving from it. The song, says Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains, "is surely one of the finest songs of emigration in our tradition and many versions of it abound." It is generally thought to have Ulster origins, although at least one early version of the song has the emigrant bidding farewell to County Wicklow. The earliest published version is to be found in a 19th century collection by S.A. Such, London. Interestingly, the reel appears in the c. 1840's manuscript collection of Setauket, Long Island, New York, painter and fiddler William Sidney Mount [1] (1807–1868) in a setting little changed from that played at present. John Hartford believes the tune is a cousin to "Speed the Plow."
W.B. Laybourn, editor of Köhler’s Violin Repository, Book Second (p. 104), prints "Green Fields..." in the key of 'A' with the usual first strain given as the second strain, while Laybourn's first strain appears unrelated to other "Green Fields..." versions.
The melody has also been popular when set in 6/8 meter, and at least a few versions retain the "Greenfields" title (see Annotation:Greenfields of America (4) (The)). Breathnach (1963) says "Greenfields..." is similar to "Cossey's Jig," first published in Jackson's Celebrated Tunes (1774), a version of which jig appears as "Maid in the Meadow (1)" and "Jimmy O'Brien's Jig," printed by O'Neill. A jig called "Humors of Newtown (1)" in the mid-19th century James Goodman manuscripts, collected in Cork and elsewhere in Munster, has a first part that shares melodic material with the first part of "Greenfields of America" but not the with the second. As "Casey's Jig (2)" the jig was printed by Glasgow musician James Aird (Selections of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 3, 1788), and by Niel Gow as "Cossey's Jig" in the same year.
See also West Clare fiddler Junior Crehan's hornpipe "Stack of Rye (The)" which uses similar melodic themes.
