The Blackbird

hornpipe

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on January 14th 2005 by slainte.

This tune has been added to 131 tunebooks.

Also known as An Londubh, Blackbird, The Old Blackbird.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A Highland Fiddler by Duncan Chisholm, Iain MacFarlane And Bruce MacGregor
• A Treasury Of Irish Music 2 by Various Artists
• A Tribute To Andy McGann by Joe Burke, Brian Conway And Felix Dolan
• A Tribute To Michael Coleman by Joe Burke, Andy McGann And Felix Dolan
• An Feochan by Philippe Barnes
• An Tobar Gl�é by Neil Mulligan
• Angelina Carberry And Martin Quinn by Angelina Carberry And Martin Quinn
• At The Feis by John Doonan
• Baker's Well by Baker's Well
• Bandalised by Vin Garbutt
• Between The Showers by Grainne Hambly
• Boxed by Anders Trabjerg
• But Why, Johnny? by John Halloran
• Call The Tune: Music For The Sets Volume 4 by Various Artists
• Celtic Ceili by Various Artists
• Celtic Harp Airs And Dance Tunes by Robin Williamson
• Ceol Cill Na Martra by Connie O'Connell
• Ceolbeg by Ceolbeg
• Claddagh's Choice: An Anthology Of Irish Traditional Music by Various Artists
• Classic Recordings Of The Irish Fiddle Legend by Paddy Reynolds
• Come West Along The Road by Brian O'Connor
• Dance Music Of Ireland by Jerry O'Brien, Joe Derrane And The Irish All Stars
• Dark Of The Moon by Grey Larsen And Paddy League
• De Danann by De Danann
• Dead String Rhythm by Flynn Cohen
• Deborah Quigley With Martin Gould by Deborah Quigley
• Dig With It by Randal Bays, Dave Marshall And Willie Bays
• Donncha O'Briain by Donncha O'Briain
• Drioball Na Fáinleoige by Johnny Connolly
• Dublin Banjos by Sully And John Keenan
• Eavesdropper by Kevin Burke And Jackie Daly
• Far Green Country by John Sherman
• Fermanagh Ceili by Pride Of Erin Ceili Band
• Festival Of Traditional Irish Music by Various Artists
• Fiddle And Concertina Player by John Kelly
• Folktrax 154 - The Sligo Fiddler: Michael Coleman by Michael Coleman
• Folktrax-074 Johnny Doherty - The Pedlar's Pack by John Doherty
• Folktrax-170: Neil Boyle, Fairy Fiddler Of Donegal by Neil Boyle
• Fonnsheen by Fiona Davidson
• From West To East - Live Sessions by Various Artists
• Give It Shtick by Matt Cranitch
• Golden, Golden by Silly Wizard
• In Safe Hands by Various Artists
• In The Smoke by Various Artists
• Irish Accordion Masters by Joe Derrane And Jerry O'Brien
• Irish Button Accordion by Billy Moran
• Irish Violin by Jackie Roche
• Jody's Heaven by Jody's Heaven
• Kevin Burke In Concert by Kevin Burke
• Kitty Lie Over by Mick O'Brien And Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh
• Leo Rowsome: Classics Of Irish Piping by Leo Rowsome
• Like Magic by Todd Denman And Bill Dennehy
• Live At Lena's by The Lahawns
• Live In The Highlands by Maire Ni Chathasaigh And Chris Newman
• Live Wizardry by Silly Wizard
• Masters Of Irish Music by Martin Byrnes
• Masters Of Tradition by Various Artists
• McGlynn's Fancy by Arty McGlynn
• Memories Of Clare by Bobby Gardiner
• Mick Mulcahy by Mick Mulcahy
• Mo Chairdin by Paul Brock
• Na Fili 3 by Na Fili
• Newtown Bridge by Eileen O'Brien
• Noonday Feast by Joe Shannon And Johnny McGreevy
• Out Of The Wind Into The Sun by The Bothy Band
• Over The Edge by Moher
• Paddy Keenan by Paddy Keenan
• Patrick Kelly From Cree : Fiddle Music by Patrick Kelly
• Pedlar's Pack by John Doherty
• Rags, Reels And Airs by Dave Swarbrick
• Return To Droim by Colm Gannon
• Rince: Complete Irish Dancing Set - First Steps And Beyond by Various Artists
• Rock And More Roses by Pat Kilbride
• Sligo Ceili by Seamus Tansey
• Step Into The Beat: Modern Irish Dance Music by Ellery Klein And Ryan Lacey
• Step This Way by David Lindquist
• Stormy Weather by Beginish
• Swingin' From The Lightbulbs by Josh O Loughlin And Mairtin Quigley
• The Best Of by The Bothy Band
• The Bucks Of Oranmore by Joe Burke
• The Bunch Of Keys: The Complete Recordings Of Johnny Doran by Johnny Doran
• The Celtic Harp by The Chieftains
• The Clare Shout by Bobby Gardiner
• The Classic Recordings Of Michael Coleman by Michael Coleman
• The Coolin': Classic Slow Airs And Laments by Various Artists
• The Dear Little Isle by Inishbofin Ceili Band
• The Donegal Fiddler by Danny O'Donnell
• The Enduring Magic by Michael Coleman
• The Flow by Chris Leslie
• The Galway Girl by Sharon Shannon
• The Gentlemen Pipers by Various Artists
• The Hidden Note by Jacqueline McCarthy
• The Horse's Tail by Zoe Conway
• The Irish Fiddler by Sean Maguire
• The Lark In The Clear Air by Various Artists
• The Liffey Banks by Tommy Potts
• The Man From Clare by Micho Russell
• The Master Pipers Volume 1 by Johnny Doran
• The Music Of Kevin Keegan by Kevin Keegan
• The Nervous Man by Mícheál O' Raghallaigh
• The New Road by Charlie Piggot And Gerry Harrington
• The Red Wellies by The Red Wellies
• The Road To Glenlough by James Byrne
• The Sitting Room by Various Artists
• The Sligo Champion (CD 2) by Michael Gorman
• The Sligo Indians by Tony DeMarco
• The Sligo Indians by Tony DeMarco
• The Star Above The Garter by Denis Murphy And Julia Clifford
• The Thorn Tree by Grainne Hambly
• The Wandering Minstrel by Seamus Ennis
• To Hell With The Begrudgers by Seamus Tansey And Jim McKillop
• Traditional Fiddle Music From Donegal by Frank Cassidy
• Traditional Irish Music From County Clare by Micho Russell
• Traditional Irish Sessions by Various Artists
• Traditional Irish Tunes Played On The Tin Whistle (2/2) by Geraldine Cotter
• Traditional Music Of Ireland And The Bucks Of Oranmore by Joe Burke And Charlie Lennon
• Traditional Music Of Ireland, Vol. 1 by Sean Ryan
• Traditional Music Of Ireland, Vol. 2 by Sean Ryan And Peter Carberry
• Tunes For Practice by Seamus Creagh
• Turning The Tune by Charlie Lennon
• Unison by Jack Brennan
• Up And Away by Paul Smyth
• Virtuoso Of The Irish Accordion by John Kimmel
• Where I Am by Brendan Callahan
• Witt's End by Hell On The Nine Mile
• Wooden Flute Obsession: Volume 2, Disc 2 by Various Artists
• Yeh, That's All It Is by John Carty

X: 1
T: Blackbird, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: Dmaj
|:AG|FEFA GFD2|defd dcAF|G2GF GFDE|FGAF GBAG|
F2FA GFD2|defd dcAG|Ad (3cBA GBAG|F2D2 D2:|
|:fg|agfa gfeg|fdec dcA2|agfa gfde|(3fed gf e2fg|
(3agf ge f2fe|d2de fdec|dcAF GBAG|F2D2 D2:|

The Blackbird

This beautiful tune comes from Mayo flute player Paul Smyth's solo album. There're some other tunes with the same title, but this one wasn't on this site yet, and so I ended up learning it by myself. Hope there is no serious mistake in the transcription.

According to the notes of the recording, it was from the repertoire of the Kilmovee Ceili Band, which P. Smyth used to play with. Smyth actually couples this with another nice hornpipe, and I will post it in a couple of days.

P.S. I know another lovely tune called "The Blackbird" but haven't learned it. That is on Bothy Band's "Out of the Wind, Into the Sun," Mick O'Brien and Kevin O'Reilly's "Kitty Lie Over," and Angelina Carberry and Martin Quinn's duet album. I'll appreciate if somebody transcribes it from one of these recordings.

# Posted on January 14th 2005 by slainte

Aaagh, this tune is also on Paul McGrattan's "Keelwest": the second hornpipe on track 3. What a mighty playing! It seems he learned it from Sean Potts in Dublin when he was young.

# Posted on January 14th 2005 by slainte

Isn't this just a version of the Blackbird Setdance? I suppose it strays enough from the original to qualify for a separate entry.

# Posted on January 15th 2005 by Donough

Yeah, I think so. Bothy Band recorded three different settings in a set, but this one is different from either of them.

# Posted on January 15th 2005 by slainte

I disagree. It is very likely from a common source but, to my ear, is quite a different tune. For starters, it has a regular 32-bar hornpipe structure, unlike the set dance, which has the type of irregular structure typical thereof. Furthermore, whilst the two tunes may be descended from the air of the same name (and the same may be true of the other Blackbird, as recorded by The Bothy Band, O'Brien/Ó Raghallaigh etc.), the ways in which the notes are fitted into the respective rhythmic structures are entirely different.

Would you have noticed they were the same tune if they were not known by the same name?

Definitely worthy of its own entry.

# Posted on January 15th 2005 by OrganicPeatCreature

This is also in Breathnach v.1 (207) as a hornpipe.

# Posted on January 16th 2005 by edl

Another version of the tune can be found in Norbeck's collection: hornpipe #9.

# Posted on January 16th 2005 by slainte

Also recorded by Kathleen Collins as New Century.

# Posted on April 28th 2005 by Matt Harris

You mean this hornpipe? There's another hornpipe of the same name, which I am going to transcribe hopefully in a few days.

# Posted on April 28th 2005 by slainte

Yes. Your transcription of the Blackbird is the first of two hornpipes on her great recording Traditional Music of Ireland. Very similar settings.

# Posted on April 28th 2005 by Matt Harris

This particular HP setting of the Blackbird seems popular among box and melodeon players. Charlie Piggott recorded it with Gerry Harrington on their album "The New Road," and I heard John Halloran play it as "the Old Blackbird" on the radio ages ago. Then it's on Connemara man John Gannon's up-coming solo album, which Claire Keville recently introduced on her programme.

# Posted on August 9th 2006 by slainte

Listen to Tim Collins play this hornpipe: http://www.suttnerconcertinas.com/sounds/Tim_Collins_A2-1.mp3 (From Suttner Concertina Catalogue Page: http://www.suttnerconcertinas.com/catalogue.html)

# Posted on February 6th 2007 by slainte

Not New Century... and what about the Cn...

Sorry Matt- but it isn't The New Century. That's a different, lovely tune with a few F naturals sprinkled throughout.

In this tune I hear lots of C naturals which haven't been notated.

# Posted on August 13th 2008 by cocus