hen's March to the Midden

[michael sam wild]

There's a bit about this tune on the post by Alan Day 'I really want to cuddle you'

Any more info on the history of this tune would be welcome. Dave Swarbrick popularized it as a fiddle piece along with 4 Poster Bed, the fiddle wrecking tune , in the 60s.

Edited February 28, 2010 by michael sam wild

[Alan Day]

John Kirkpatrick does a nice version of this tune on Anglo International, but gave us no explanation of the tune other than it was traditional. It certainly has a strong similarity with Trumpet and Air . If you Google this piece of music (Trumpet and Air) there seems to be a 50/50 decision on who was the writer between Henry Purcell and Jeremiah Clarke.

Al

[David S]

This is more or less what I play and it is fairly similar to the version on the album 'Rags, Reels and Airs' by Swarbrick and Carthy. Had never noticed the similarity to Trumpet and Air, but now that you mention it.........

 

X:1

T:Hens March To the Midden

M:4/4

L:1/8

K:G

D|G2 D2 G>AB>c|(3Bcd c>B A2 D2|G2 G>G B2 B2|c>Bc>^c d2 d>d|

d>cB>d c>BA>c|B>AG>B A3 D|G>BA>c (3Bcd c>B|1A2 D2 G3:|2A2 D2 G4||

D2 A2 D2 A2|D2 D>F A2 B2|G2 B2 G2 B2|G2 G>A B2 d2|

G2 G>A c2 e2|G2 G>A B2 d2|G2 G>A c2 e2|G2 G>A B2 d2|

d>cB>d c>BA>c|B>AG>B D4|G>BA>c (3Bcd c>B|A2 D2 G4:|

 

(ABC originally from Nigel Gatherer's collection)

[davidcorner]

Any more info on the history of this tune would be welcome. Dave Swarbrick popularized it as a fiddle piece along with 4 Poster Bed, the fiddle wrecking tune , in the 60s.

The version commonly played nowadays comes from Shetland, and was played by the late Tom Anderson, Aly Bain's teacher.

The original tune, "The Hen's March", came from 18th century Edinburgh, and was a much more genteel piece for string orchestra.

Incidentally, another fiddle tune played in Shetland, "The Soo's Lament for the Tatties" (trans. the sows lament for the potatoes) also had its origin in 18th century Edinburgh, but with the title "The Sow's Tail to Geordie", refering to one of the mistresses of King George I.

The story has changed, now it's about a pig which broke into the potato shed, and after eating them all, had to be eaten itself, but the tune retains the fiddle trick of playing notes on the other side of the bridge to imitate the squealing of a pig.

[michael sam wild]

I wonder whether the original Clarke/Purcell baroque trumpet march that seems to have mutated into the pantomime Hen's March tune in Drury Lane in the 1750s got to Edinburgh in the play or was carried by musicians .

 

It is also possible that the Baroque piece was a folk tune originally , they seemed to be as careless about copyright as musicians are still.