Annotation:Poor Soldier (1) (The)

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POOR SOLDIER [1], THE. English, Country Dance (4/4 time). England, Dorset. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. The Poor Soldier [1] (1763) is the name of a two-act comic opera that was immensely popular in Britain, Ireland, and even the United States. The play was by John O’Keefe [2] (1747–1833), but music was composed and arranged by violinist, violist and the successful composer William Shield [3] (1748–1829). Shield, like many composers for stage of his era, freely borrowed from folk repertory for many of his melodies.

The finale of the work showcases a tune by the blind Irish harper Turlough O’Carolan (1670–1738), “John O'Connor” (“Planxty Mrs. O’Conor”). An early publication of the tune appears in a collection published in 1799 by Thomas Calvert, a musician from Kelso, Scotland. A note with his collection states that Calvert supplied “a variety of music and instruments, instruments lent out, tun’d and repaired.”

Compare the first strain with those of the American tunes "Joe Smith" and "Love in a Village (5)."

Additional notes

Printed sources : - Thomas Calvert (A Collection of Marches & Quick Steps, Strathspeys & Reels), 1799; p. 12. Trim et al (The Musical Heritage of Thomas Hardy), 1990; No. 93.

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