Annotation:Mrs. Casey (1)
X:1 T:Mrs. Casey [1] M:6/8 L:1/8 R:Air B:Samuel, Anne & Peter Thompson – The Hibernian Muse (London, 1787, No. 6, p. 4) N:”A Collection of the most Favorite Compositions of Carolan the Celebrated Irish Bard” Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:Emin B|G2E EFE|D2D DED|{F}E2E EFE|G3 B2B| G2E EFE|D2D D>ED|E2E E>FE|G3 B2D| G2A B2c|d2e d2B|G2A B2c|d3 e2d| Te2c Td2B|Tc2A !fermata!B2A|G2E E>FE |Tc3 B2B| G2E E>FE|D2D DED|G2E EFE|G3 B2A| {A}G2E EFE|D2D D>ED|G2E E>FE|G3 B2||
MRS. CASEY [1]. AKA – "Mrs. Casey's Lament." AKA and see “Billy O'Rourke's the Buachaill (1)," "Miss Casey (2).” English, Air, Jig and Morris Dance Tune (6/8 time); Scottish, Jig. E Minor (Bacon Ascot, Dale, Mallinson, Raven): A Minor (Bacon Fieldtown, Howe, Kerr, O'Flannagan, Thompson): B Minor (Gibbons, Kennedy): E Minor (Thompson/Hibernian). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB {x5}, A (Bacon, Mallinson): ABA (Howe): AAB (Dale): AABB (Kennedy, Kerr). The late Bruce Olson believes the title comes from a song by playwright John O’Keefe in his play Fontainbleu (1784), which begins “The British Lion is my sign” (see Elliot and Kay [1788]). The Gows printed a version of the tune as “Madam Cassey” and included it in a section of ‘Fashionable Dances in Edinr. 1787-88’, about the same time it was published by the London firm of Samuel, Ann and Peter Thompson (in their Hibernian Muse and Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 5). As a morris dance tune, it was played for dances in the villages of Ascot under Wychwood (Oxfordshire) and Fieldtown (Leafield, Oxfordshire), in England's Cotswolds. "Mrs. Casey" was also entered into the 1850 music manuscript collection (p. 39) of shoemaker and fiddler William Winters (West Bagborough, Somerset, southwest England).
