Easy Dance tune

[Spanishpiper]

First off, thanks to David Siegel for adding the grace notes to this tune for me and arranging the piece for such.

This was written for the smallpipes in an Irish-style, that is, originally without grace notes. I normally always improvised the grace notes but after a while I started using the same doubles and singles in the same spots.

I normally play this solo on the smallpipes for dancers or accompanied either by a bodhrán or both a bodhrán and a low whistle. This is an easy dance tune to play and it always gets a reaction. Try it with a harp if you will. It works equally as well on the GHB but does not have that certain "feel" you get when playing it on the smallpipes. I would appreciate, as would David I am sure, any comments on this one. Enjoy!

[callanish]

I think it's a nice little tune! I just got myself a set of Hamish Moore small pipes a few weeks ago, so I will try it out on them.

My one small criticism would be about the name: I assume it's intended to be "Dance in candle light" or something like that, but the Gaelic should be "dannsa ann an solas coinnle" ("dance in candle light") or "dannsa ri solas coinnle" ("dance by candle light"). In Gaelic the describing words come after the thing described, just as in Spanish (e.g. "la luz de una vela", not "la vela luz")

Co-dhiù, ’s math a rinn thu -- ’s e deagh phort a th' ann. (Anyway, well done -- it's a nice tune.)

[Spanishpiper]

Thanks, but yes I did know that. The problem was when my translation program, as I do not type in English, sent the file with the name in it, it tries to convert the Gaelic and does so improperly. It tends to do that with certain phrases that in English would make no sense.

You are correct in assuming that the English title intended is "Dance by Candle Light".

[callanish]

Bheil Gàidhlig agad? Math fhèin! The Gaelic teacher in me gets nitpicky. Sorry if I was a pain there. I do think it's quite a nice little tune.

[Spanishpiper]

Thank you. And I understand your nick-pickiness - it always irritates me when this program does that and I cannot correct it for anything. Do you teach in a high school here? Or just as an after-school type thing for kids who want to learn it?

[Aaronjw]

Great little tune! I'm a beginning piper, but I know a good tune when I hear one.

I am in a band, and would like to play this tune in public gigs. Would this be alright with you?

[gflee]

According to my Church Hymnal, this is the music to "There's A Wideness In God's Mercy." The text is by Frederick W. Farber, 1814-1863 and the music is: Oude en Nieuwe Hollanste Boerenlities en Contradanseu, ca. 1710.

[Spanishpiper]

I have looked up that reference, gflee and it does sound similar. However, this tune was completely and independently original to me, and I did not base it on any other song at all. I actually started writing it with the smallpipes in mind because I wanted something clean, simple and direct as far as a dance tune was concerned.

If anybody else has or knows of any other songs that this may sound similar to, I would be eager and pleased to hear them, or at least, about them.