Annotation:Christmas Eve (2)

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X:1 T:Christmas Eve [2] R:Reel S:Noted from the playing of Brian Conway Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion M:C L:1/8 K:G DB,DE ~G3A|B2dB ABGA|BAGE DB,DE|G2BG ABGE| DB,DE ~G3A|B2dB ABGA|BAGE G2BG|1 ABGE ~G3E:|2 ABGE ~G3A|| |:BABd edeg|a2ge g2eg|a2ge ~g3e|dedB A2GA| BABd edeg|bage g2eg|a2ge dBGB|ABGE ~G3A:| |:BG~G2 DGBd|eg~g2 egdc|BG~G2 DGBG|EA (3AAA EAAc| BG~G2 DGBd|eg~g2 dega|bgaf gedB|1 ABGE ~G3A:|2 ABGE ~G3E||

CHRISTMAS EVE [2] (Oíche Nollag). AKA and see "Tommy Coen's Reel (1)." Irish, Reel (cut time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB: AABBCC (Harker/Rafferty, Mallinson, Taylor, Tubridy): AA'BB'CC' (Prior). A popular session tune composed by Urrachree, Aughrim, East County Galway, fiddler Tommy Coen (1910-1974). Coen, who later lived in Salthill, was a conductor for Connemara buses during the day. A story about the title that has been circulating is that Coen's tune was called "Christmas Eve" by the leader of a ceilidh band from Coen's area who had been having a fight or dispute with the fiddler. He was invited with his band to play for a radio show in Dublin just before the Yule, and when introducing the tune names they were to play he choose not to mention Coen, but said the name of the reel was "Christmas Eve" because of the proximity of the holiday and to irk Coen. No one seems to know if the composer himself had a title for it.

Additional notes
Source for notated version : - New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].

Printed sources : - Breathnach (Ceol Rince na hÉireann vol. II), 1976; No. 140. Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland, vol. 2), 1974; No. 10. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 163, p. 50. Mallinson (100 Essential), 1995; No. 52, p. 23. Prior (Fionn Seisiún 3), 2007; p. 8. Taylor (Traditional Irish Music: Karen Tweed's Irish Choice), 1994; p. 32. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Blue Book), 1995; p. 14. Treoir, vol. 40, No. 1, 2008, p. 28. Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, vol. 1), 1999; p. 24.

Recorded sources : - Flying Fish FF-409, Robin Williamson - "Winter's Turning" (1986). Phaeton Records SPINCD 999, James Kelly & Zan McLeod - "The Ring Sessions" (1995). Rex LPR.1006, Liverpool Céilí Band - "Off to Dublin" (1966).

See also listing at :
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2].

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