The Braes of Marr
Notation:
Standard Notation
ABC Notation
Mandolin Tablature
Violin Tablature
traditional
PDF Files:
--- choose file type ---
Standard Notation
Mandolin Tablature
Violin Tablature
Tune Sheet
Scottish
Play
MIDI
No audio
available
Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
"The Braes of Marr", also known as "Braes o' Mar", "Braes of Mor", sometimes known as<br> "Johnny Will You Marry Me", "Love Won't You Marry Me?", "Lasses of Donnybrook",<br> "Lord MacDonald", "Sir Alexander McDonald's Reel" or "Some Say the Devil's Dead" is a<br> Scottish and Canadian strathspey. It is known in Canada in Prince Edward Island and<br> Cape Breton. It is in D Major. The parts are played AAB (Gow, Milne), AABB<br> (Athole, Kennedy, Kerr, Skye [Old Set version]), AABB' (Perlman, Skye), AABBC<br> (Cranford/Holland), AABCD (Dunlay & Greenberg/Campbell), AABBCCD (Davie, Martin),<br> AABBCDD (Dunlay and Reich) or AABB'CCDD' (Skinner).<br> It is attributed to John Coutts of Deeside and used for the dance the Highland Fling<br> or Highland Schottische.<br> Imported by Scottish emigrants to the new world, "Braes of Marr" is considered an<br> old tune in the Cape Breton and Nova Scotia fiddling repertoire.<br> The third turn may be of Cape Breton origins. From there it perhaps entered into<br> French-Canadian fiddling repertoire, for Willie Ringuette recorded the melody as a<br> reel in 1927 under the title "Reel des noces".<br> In western Ireland the tune is known as "Johnny Will You Marry Me" and is used for<br> the dance "the Fling". Irish versions of strathspeys usually are played as reels,<br> without the distinctive dotted rhythm. <br> It was printed in Anderson's Anderson's Budget of Strathspeys, Reels & Country Dances<br> (c. 1820),<br> Carlin's The Gow Collection (1986),<br> Cranford's Jerry Holland: The Second Collection (2000),<br> Davie's Davie's Caledonian Repository (1829-30),<br> Dunlay & Greenberg's Traditional Celtic Violin Music of Cape Breton (1996),<br> Dunlay and Reich's Traditional Celtic Fiddle Music of Cape Breton (1986),<br> Gow's Complete Repository, Part 2 (1802),<br> Gow's Complete Repository, Part 3 (1806),<br> Henderson's Flowers of Scottish Melody (1935),<br> Honeyman's Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor (1898),<br> Hunter's The Fiddle Music of Scotland (1988),<br> Kennedy's Fiddler's Tune-Book, vol. 2 (1954),<br> Kerr's Merry Melodies, vol. 1 (c. 1880),<br> Lowe's Collection of Reels, Strathspeys and Jigs, book 3 (1844–1845),<br> MacDonald's The Skye Collection (1887),<br> Martin's Traditional Scottish Fiddling (2002),<br> Milne's Middleton’s Selection of Strathspeys, Reels &c. for the Violin (1870),<br> Morison's Highland Airs and Quicksteps, vol. 2 (c. 1882),<br> Perlman's The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island (1996),<br> Skinner's Harp and Claymore (1904),<br> Stewart-Robertson's The Athole Collection (1884) and<br> Banalari's Celtic Encyclopedia (1999).<br> It was recorded by Hector MacKenzie on MacNeil's Highland Ceilidh (1992),<br> Alasdair Fraser & Jody Stecher on The Driven Bow (1988),<br> Doug MacPhee on Cape Breton Piano (1977),<br> Winnie Chafe on Highland Melodies of Cape Breton (1979),<br> Donny LeBlanc on Roisining Up the Bow (1993),<br> Tommy Basker on The Tin Sandwich (1994),<br> Dan Joe MacInnis on Celtic Music of Cape Breton, vol. I. and<br> Jerry Holland on Crystal Clear (2000).<br>
Click
here
for a full page view.