Annotation:Simple George
X:1 T:Simple George M:2/4 L:1/8 B:Thompson’s Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 1 (London, 1757) Z:Transcribed and edited by Fynn Titford-Mock, 2007 Z:abc’s:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:G (GA) (Bc)|d2 b2|(ag) (fg)|a2 A2|(cB) (AB)|c2 e2|dg fa|g2 G2:| |:ba (3gab|(af) ed|ef ge|a2 A2|dB AG|c2 e2|af df|g2 G2:||
SIMPLE GEORGE. English, Country Dance Tune (2/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. The melody first appears in print in John Johnson’s 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 7 (London, 1756). However, dance instructions for “Simple George” appear in Peter Thompson’s Twenty Four Country Dances for the Year 1754 (London, p. 43). Researcher Jean Duval has identified "Gigue des amoureux," recorded by Isidore Soucy and Donat Lafleur in Montréal in 1929, as a derivative of "Simple George." The two tunes are generally similar but also differ in significant ways. Whether the Québécois tune is a derivative is speculative, but intriguing.
