Annotation:When William at Eve
X:1 T:William at Eve M:6/8 L:1/8 B:Edward Riley – “Riley’s Flute Melodies vol. 1” (New York, 1814, No. 144, p. 37) B: https://archive.org/details/flutemelodies0000rile/page/n51/mode/2up Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:D A/G/|FAd dcd|ceg g2g|fdA Bec|dD/E/F/G/ A2 a/g/|f/a/d/a/f/a g/a/e/a/g/a/| f/a/d/a/f/a/ g/a/e/a/g/a/|fd'A Bec|dAF D2::"Song"A/G/|FAd dcd|ceg g2g| fdA Bec|d2 d'/4b/4d'/4b/4 d'2d/e/|f>ed cBA|^GBe d2B|cea c>dB| A2 a'/4e’/4a'/4e'/4 a2 c/d/|e>fe gfe|fed cBA|Bcd ege|d3 c AA| d3 (d/e/)(d/e/)(d/e/)|f3 (f/g/)(f/g/)(f/g/)|.a.f.d' afd' |!fermata!a3 b/a/g/ f2 a/g/| fdA Bec|dd/e/f/g/ a/b/a/g/f/e/|f/a/d/a/f/a/ g/b/e/a/g/a/|f/a/d/a/f/a/ g/a/e/a/g/a/|fd'A Bec|dAF D2:|
WHEN WILLIAM AT EVE (Nuair Uilliam air tratnona). English, Air (6/8 time). C Major: D Major (Riley). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. "When William at Eve" was composed by English composer and songwright William_Shield and is Phoebe's aria for his opera Rosina (1782). It begins:
When William at eve meets me down at the stile,
How sweet is the Nightingale’s song;
Of the days I forgot all my labour and toil,
Whilst the moon plays yon branches among.
By her beams without I hear him complain,
And beleive every word of his song;
You know not how sweet ’tis to love the dear swain,
Whilst the Moon plays yon branches among.
The melody was adapted for use as an Irish jig, perhaps by Sergeant James O'Neill, who may have had it from his musician father in County Down.
