Annotation:Mary Queen of Scots (1)
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS [1]. AKA and see "Foxie Mary," "Foxy Mary (3)" "Scotch Molly." Irish, Reel (cut time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB, AABB. Researcher Conor Ward finds this tune under the "Mary Queen of Scots" title contained in the O'Farrell-Reynolds collection of Gaigue, Ballinamuck, Co. Longford. It is a cognate of the popular reel "Roaring Mary." Ward also finds a version called "Scotch Molly" in the c. 1883 music manuscript collection of fiddler biography:Stephen Grier, of Gortletteragh, Co. Leitrim. The title suggest to him that the tune is of Scottish origin, and he concludes: "These two local [Leinster] versions are different to others that have been published. For instance, the normal motif at the start of the second part that goes from a high 'a' to high 'f' to a 'd' in thirds, i.e. a-f-d is replaced in the local versions by a-g-d. It's a subtle difference, but changes the tune structure." Grier has an unrelated hornpipe in his collection, called "Mary Queen of Scots (2)."
