Annotation:Farinell's Ground
X:1 T:Farinel's Ground M:3/4 L:1/8 S:D'Urfey - "Pills to Purge Melancholy" (vol. 2, 1719) K:Dmin A2|d2d3e|^c2A2c2|d2d3d|e2=c2e2|f2f3g| e2e2 fe|d2d3e|^c4 A2|d2 d3e|^c2A2c2| d3f ed|e2=c2e2|f2 f3g|e2e2 fe|fd d3^c|d4||
FARINELL'S GROUND. AKA and see "Folies d'Espagne (Les)," "Joy to Great Caesar," "King's Health (1) (The)," "Loyal Health (The)." English, Country Dance Tune (3/4 time). D Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). One part. The air was used for the songs "The King's Health" (which appears in Pills to Purge Melancholy, vol. II, 1719, p. 152) or "Joy to great Caesar" (the first line of "The King's Health"). A 'ground' is a theme that is then meant to be played with numerous variation sets. It was composed by singer and violinist Michel Farinelli (1649-1726), born in Grenoble, but who migrated to Portugal and Spain (where he was intendant of music to the Queen of Spain), before returning to Grenoble to become singing master to the nuns of Montfleury. Farinell visited London around 1675, and in a register of 1690 he is described as "a gentleman pensioner of the King of England," signing his name "Michel Farinelly."
The "Faronell's Divisions Upon a Ground", first published in 1685, when Farinel was around age 36. The melody is based on an earlier one called "La Folia" [1], for which variation sets were composed by Baroque composers Vivaldi, Lully, Pergolesi and Corelli. The air was included in John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (1728).
