Tunes for longsword dancing?

Subject: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 12:28 PM

Every year in December I teach a simple longsword dance (with wooden swords) to my 5th graders. The kids really look forward to it and it's a big hit, especially when they manage to do the lock and hold it high. Gasps of astonishment from the audience: How do they do that? For music we have used a recording in the past, with what it calls the North Skelton longsword dance. Now that I can play a few recognizable tunes on the fiddle without too much screeching, I would like to learn something besides that one tune, to accompany the li'l darlings once they know the dance. I used to see a children's team dance it to Bobby Shafto and Weel may the keel row; I can do that, but wondered if there were any other traditional tunes I could try?

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: GUEST,Matt_R
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 12:48 PM

Are you talking about the Ghillie-Gallum--the Highland sword dance? I know some great pipe tunes for that. Pipe tunes can sound excellent on a group of recorders.

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: Ringer
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 02:02 PM

In my youth as a Morris Dancer and second-hand-bookshop-browser, I acquired some copies of Sharpe's "Longsword Dances of Northern England" in the hope that one day I'd be able to play them. But I've long-since accepted the fact that I'm no musician, so they merely gather dust at present. If you PM me with an address, Animaterra, they're yours. (And perhaps a name, too.) I'd rather they were put to good use than wasted.

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: Jacob B
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 02:06 PM

Hi, Animaterra. Which longsword dance are you doing (or, which traditional dance did you base yours on?) I can look up the tunes for it.

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: MMario
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 02:08 PM

a longsword dance site on the web reccomends "The oyster girl" and "the keel row" for longsword dance

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: L R Mole
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 03:37 PM

Something by Korn? Nine Inch Nails? An old piece by Maria Callas? Um, sorry.

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: Micca
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 03:53 PM

Allison, PM Manitas( in case he is asleep) he plays for sides that do it and rapper too, tell him I sent you... he is Liz t squeaks SO!!!!

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: bill\sables
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 05:48 PM

Hi Allison as you know I play for Castleford Longsword. We do three local dances Boosbeck, Escrick and Ricall The Boosebeck tunes are "Lass of Dallerghill" and "Oyster Girl". Escrick is "Keel Row" in 4/4 time and "Bobby Shaftoe" and for Ricall which is slightly slower it being a left handed eight man dance we play "British Grenadeers" and "Brighton Camp" (Girl I Left Behind Me) which was also one of Custers favourites. Cheers Bill

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 07:22 PM

You are all wonderful. I don't know the name of the dance; it comes from a book of simplified morris dances and this one is credited as being from North Skelton. I've played it (sort of!) for Bill- glad to see the water hasn't gotten to the computer yet, Bill! I'll PM the suggested people, and look up Oyster Girl and Lass of Dallerghill. No, (Matt R, not Highland but English longsword.)

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: Snuffy
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 07:27 PM

The North Skelton Sword Dance has five parts, and three tunes are used.

The walk on is usually to "The Keel Row"

Part I is to "The Lass of Dallogill"

Part II is to "The Oyster Girl"

Part III is to "The Lass of Dallogill" again

Part IV is to "The Keel Row"

Part V is to "The Oyster Girl" again.

Wassail! V

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: Snuffy
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 07:48 PM

I forgot to mention that the tunes are usually played "single" (without repeats) - ie ABABAB etc, not AABB etc

Here are the tunes in ABC notation

X: 5
T:SWD North Skelton Sword Dance
M:6/8
L:1/8
Q:360
S:J. Winspear
A:North Skelton
P:(AB)(CD)(AB)(EF)(CD)
N:from Douglas Kennedy's description in the EFDSS
K:C
T:Lass O' Dallogill
M:6/8
P:A
ede G2G|A2A G3 |ede G2G|A2B c3|
ede G2G|A2A G3 |ede G2G|A2B c2||
P:B
d|
e2c d2B|c2c BAG|e2c d2d|e2f g3|
a2f g2e|f2d e3 |ede G2G|A2B c3||
T:The Oyster Girl
K:G
P:C
ded B2d|c2B A2F|GAG G2B|d3 A2d|
ded B2g|f2e c2e|ded c2A|G3 G3 ||
P:D
B3- BcB|e3 e3 |A3- Ace|d3 d2d|
ded B2g|f2e c2e|ded c2A|G3 G3 ||
T:The Keel Row
K:D
M:4/4
P:E
G|
F2 DF |G2 EG |F2 DF|EF GE |
F2 DF |G2 EG |FA GE|D3 E ||
P:F
FA dc |B2 AG |FA/F/dF|GF E2 |
DF/A/dA |B2 AG |FA GE|D3 ||

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: MMario
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 07:52 PM

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 07 Nov 00 - 08:10 AM

I can't add much to the above but since I have been invoked I would say don't change the tune more than once for each figure. The dance should become quite hypnotic and changing the tunes would detract from it.

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 07 Nov 00 - 08:23 AM

Snuffy and Manitas, thanks for the additional input. I'm going to JC's Tunefinder as soon as I can to look up those other tunes.
MMario, could you provide a clicky to the longsword web page you mentioned?

Subject: RE: Tunes for longsword dancing?
From: MMario
Date: 07 Nov 00 - 08:28 AM

I'll try. My computer crashed right after I got those tune names (doing a complicated remote procedure that overloaded my memory) and not sure if I remember what I searched on. Probably 'longsword dance'