Dear Pipers I forwarded an extract of the problem about sources to the EFDSS library - here is the reply I received. Regards Alan Corkett
-----Original Message----- From: Elaine Bradtke [mailto:e...@efdss.org] Sent: 15 January 2009 11:19 To: a...@bcorkett.freeserve.co.uk >> Alan Corkett Subject: Re: Fw: Jimmy Allen The CDM vol. 6 was published in 1964. We don't seem to have an earlier version of it, and nothing in manuscript form. The recordings we have of it don't date back that far either. It would be interesting to see if it's in Peter Kennedy's collection - perhaps you could check with the National Sound Archive,0207-589 6603 or Topic Records, who are producing a retrospective series based on his collection. Tony Engle email: tonyen...@topicrecords.co.uk 0207-263 1240 The Northumbrian connection appears to have come from the name. I checked the Fiddler's Companion - a reasonably reliable if slightly North American biased source: http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/JIG_JM.htm#JIMMY_ALLEN JIMMY ALLEN. AKA and see “Jamie Allen,” “Reel of Tullochgorum.” English, Scottish, American, Polka or March. England, Northumberland. USA, New England. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB. Northumbrian musician Jamie Allen (1734-1810) was a famous small pipes player whose name is associated with this tune. Allen’s father Will (1704-1779) was perhaps a pipemaker and was River Warden of the Coquet. His wife, Jimmy’s mother, was a gypsy, and the elder Allen associated much with her folk. Son Jimmy (or Jamie) was the subject of two biographies, largely fanciful, and it is hard to determine the facts of his life. It is said he was at various times piper to the Duchess of Northumberland, enlisted in the army, and a fugitive from justice. At any rate, he was highly regarded by his contemporaries as a musician and is thought to have played the Northumbrian smallpipes, Border pipes, and Union (uilleann) pipes. English/Scottish versions are found under the “Jamie” title, American appear often as “Jimmy.” The melody is popular in English sessions in modern times, although considered to be somewhat of a ‘beginner’s tune’. Miller & Perron (101 Polkas), 1978; No. 52. Miller & Perron (New England Fiddlers Repertoire), 1983; No. 63. Maddeningly, he doesn't give his source for the historical information. We don't have Miller & Perron 101 Polkas, so it may be from there. Another diverting, if not necessarily enlightening discussion of the tune is here:http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/6354 Sorry we can't trace it back any further. It sounds like it's been around forever. . . > > Dear Malcolm > > A Happy New Year to you! > > The Northumbrian Pipers Society are busy discussing the origins of the > tune Jimmy Allen which was published in EFDSS CDM6 in 1964. > I felt I might have learnt this tune in the 1950s as an easy/beginners > tune, but not if it was not published till 1964, unless picked up aurally > Can you throw any light on this mystery. > Regards > Alan Corkett > > NB. Barry Say who edits their NPS magazine wrote this (an extract...) > > As an exercise, I tried to think of old tunes which would serve as > initial targets for beginner pipers. > > In the course of this, Jimmy Allan sprang to mind, but I found that it > did not appear in the Peacock Collection, Bewick Book, or the Vickers > collection and to my surprise, it did not appear in the first edition of > the Northumbrian Pipers' Tunebook (1936) nor in the Fiddler's Tune > book(1951/54) edited by Peter Kennedy. > > Peter Kennedy was a pivotal figure in the traditional music scene in the > 1950s and 60s and worked extensively in the North-East and is probably > the person most responsible for making the music of the North-East of > England available to the whole of England in that period. I do not > intend this as either praise or criticism. > > I had always assumed from its name that it was part of the Northumbrian > tradition, but I am beginning to suspect that we have been deceived by > our own willingness to believe that which seems convenient. > > The tune as we know it appears in the EFDSS Community dance manual > volume 6 on a page with two tunes composed in 1961. The copyright dates > would indicate that it was published in 1964 or 1967. I cannot lay my > hands on my copy of this but I am sure that this publication was > certainly part of Peter Kennedy's sphere of influence, but the fact that > it does not appear in the first two volumes of the Fiddlers Tune book, > would indicate that he was unaware of it in 1951 and had found it by 1964. > > The Reel of Tullochgorum is almost certainly the same tune but is > reckoned to be in D. It was published by Ian Powrie, apparently in the > late 1950s and it seems that he claimed that it was a traditional tune > which he had collected. Ian lived in Perthshire - so that is the first > place we would suspect. > > Now we come to the important link. Ian Powrie lead a Scottish Dance Band > which appeared on the 'White Heather Club', a television program which I > know was available in the North East (of England), because I saw it. > > So - unless someone can come up with some other evidence - the best > story I can come up with is that: > > ---------------- > > Ian Powrie collected the 'Reel of Tullochgorum' in North-East Scotland. > > A Northumbrian musician picked it up through the White Heather Club (or > some other route) > > It was adopted by the Northumbrian piping community who would insist on > playing it in nominal 'G'. > > ------------------------------- > > I have mentioned some of this to Matt Seattle, who, at the time I > contacted him, had no recollection of finding Jimmy Allan or any related > tunes in his researches. > -- Elaine Bradtke Assistant Librarian VWML English Folk Dance and Song Society 2 Regent's Park Road London NW1 7AY tel. 0207 485 2206 ext. 33 Fax 0207 284 0523 e...@efdss.org http://www.efdss.org A Company Registered in England Limited by Guarantee Number 2997142 Registered Charity Number 305999 ------------------------------------------------------------------ "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" --Elvis Costello (Musician magazine No. 60 (October 1983), p. 52) To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
