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John D - Posted - 05/21/2021: 06:06:12
The TOTW for 5/21/2021 is Peter Street Reel. It has lots of other names but I'm sticking to Peter Street.
Here's what the Traditional Tune Archive says about it:
PETER STREET [1] (Sráid Phaedair/Peadair). AKA – “Sweet Peter Street.” AKA and see “Babes in the Woods (3),” “Blackling Races,” “Blanchland Races,” "McGregor's Reel," "Miller's Frolics (2)," "Timour the Tartar." Scottish, Irish, New England; Reel. A Major (Cole, Haverty, Miller & Perron, O'Neill, Spadaro): G Major (Breathnach, Eames). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Cole, Haverty, O'Neill/1850 & 1001, Spadaro): AA'B (O'Neill/Krassen): AABB (Miller & Perron, Sweet): AA'BB' (Breathnach). The melody is known in English and Scottish collections as “Timour the Tartar” (see note for Timour the Tartar) for more on the origins, which predate “Peter Street”), however, it appears in the 19th century music manuscript collection of John Burks’ as “Blackling Races,” perhaps a mishearing of another alternate title, "Blanchland Races." The name “Peter Street” first appears in a publication by P. Alday in Dublin, c. 1815, as “A Favourite Dance—as danc’d at Peter Street,” a reference perhaps to Dublin's Peter Street. Peter Street in Liverpool was a notorious 19th-century red-light district, which may have contributed something to the later popularity of that name. The reel "Peter Street" appears in a repertoire list brought by Philip Goodman, the last professional and traditional piper in Farney, Louth, to the Feis Ceoil in Belfast in 1898 (Breathnach, 1997). John Hartford thinks the tune hints of "Olive Branch Hornpipe" (or perhaps, more correctly, vice-versa).
"Peter Street" seems to have enjoyed some former popularity for contra dancing. An early version (as "Peter Street") appears in the music manuscript collection of musician M.E. Eames, frontispiece dated Aug. 22nd, 1859. Nothing is known of the fiddler, although some tune titles in his manuscript suggest Philadelphia, Pa., associations. It was entered as an untitled tune into in the Woburn (Mass.) Fife Manuscript, a ms. collection inscribed with the the name Seth Johnson and "Woburn. April 20th day, 1807. I Bought this Book, 5:3." Entries were made between 1807 and as late as 1840. "Peter Street" probably gained popularity for contra dancing through its appearance in several of Boston publisher Elias Howe's publications.
In Ireland, the reel (as "Peter Street Dance") was entered into the mid-19th century music manuscript collection of County Cork uilleann piper and Church of Ireland cleric James Goodman [1], the c. 1883 collection of County Leitrim piper and fiddler Stephen Grier (Book 2, p. 1 [2]), and dancing master P.D. Reidy's 1890's copybook. Philippe Varlet remarks that the tune was often recorded during the 78 RPM era, although not very much in modern times. Early recordings include a 1927 waxing in the United States by concertina player William Mullaly, and a 1936 recording by Co. Sligo/New York fiddler James Morrison accompanied by Tom Carmody on accordion. Piper Leo Rowsome recorded it as well in 1936, and the great accordion player Paddy O'Brien recorded it for a 1950’s Copley EP that had tracks by fiddler Sean McGuire as well. Perhaps the earliest recording is from 1904 by violinist Charles D’Almaine [3], born in 1871 in England, who died in 1943. D’Almaine immigrated to the United States in 1888, and by 1890 had established himself as “instructor on violin” in Evanston, Illinois; by 1910 he had removed to Yonkers, and in 1920 was a chiropractor in New York City. He was not, however, a traditional instrumentalist but rather prolifically recorded a wide variety of popular and classical music.
I first heard Peter Street way back in the early 1980's live on radio KPFA. It was played on the hammered dulcimer by Dennis Murphy. I Was captured by the tune and right away realized my life would be lacking until I learned it. Couldn't log on to google in those primitive times but I instead found the sheet music in my trusty copy of Coles 1000 Fiddle Tunes. Learned it pretty quick and I've been trying to play it ever since.
YouTube has versions done on fiddle, guitar, piano, accordian, whistle, uilleann pipes, tenor banjo, and 3 finger 5 string banjo, but I couldn't find any done Clawhammer style. Dave Hum (RIP) has some inventive 3 finger versions here on the BHO. There's some 3 finger tab here.
I play it on a Wildwood banjo tuned to standard G tuning. I'm clawing over the neck right between the 12th and 14th frets.
Here's my too slow version:
JanetB - Posted - 05/22/2021: 14:01:51
Nice, John! When I heard those triplets you played I thought for sure I'd have to simplify. But I found a way to play the first ones by using a down stroke, a hammer-on, and a pull-off, making it not too tough. The second triplet was just going down from the fourth to second fret to an open string, not too bad. I found Peter Street as #1325 in O'Neill's Music of Ireland, 1850 Selections, published in 1903. It's also available here, including a midi file. I was able to get most of the notes in this clawhammer arrangement using the notation. It's a virtual drop thumb workout! It didn't use repeats, so I didn't, too.
Francis O'Neill wrote in 1910 that Peter Street "is well up towards the top of the list, for it may be found in most American piano publications which include reels and hornpipes among their number."
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