The Chorus Jigg
Notation:
Standard Notation
ABC Notation
Mandolin Tablature
Violin Tablature
traditional
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Irish
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
"The Chorus Jigg", also known as "The Chorus Reel", "The Glen Road to Carrick" and<br> "On the Road" is an Irish, Scottish, English and American reel in D Mixolydian<br> (Bowman, Miller & Perron/1977 & 2006), D Major & G Major (Brody, Burchenal,<br> Miller & Perron/1983, Silberberg), G Major {Ditson, Miller & Perron} or<br> D Major ('A' & 'C' parts) & G Major ('B' part/Phillips: 'B' and 'D' parts/Sweet).<br> The parts are played One part (Burchenal), AB (Silberberg), ABCC or ABAC (ending on<br> the A or B part)[Brody], AABC (Ditson, Miller & Perron/1977), ABCD (Sweet),<br> AABCCB (Kaufman), AA'BCC'B (Phillips), AABCCD (Miller & Perron/1983) or AABCC'DD (O'Neill).<br> The tune is a distanced variant of<br> "The Sligo Chorus".<br> Despite the title, the tune is a reel, with long histories both in Ireland and the<br> United States. Linscott (1948) explains:<br> "'The Chorus Jig' has always been a favorite with pipers. It is an Irish melody whose<br> author and date are unknown. Jigs were originally tunes sung after a play by the clowns.<br> During the 17th century everyone sang them and the dances were performed by persons of<br> all ranks."<br> Although the tune is Irish, the dance figures seem English according to experts. It was<br> commonly included in dance and tune books by the 1850's and can be found in an 1822<br> American collection called The Musical Cabinet and, earlier, in skeletal form in a<br> 1793 manuscript of George Otis. It was one of the tunes appearing in a repertoire list<br> of Maine fiddler Mellie Dunham, who was Henry Ford's champion fiddler in the late 1920's.<br> It was printed in Brody's Fiddler's Fakebook (1983),<br> Burchenal's American Country Dances, vol. 1 (1918),<br> Oliver Ditson's The Boston Collection of Instrumental Music (c. 1850),<br> Dunham's Mellie Dunham's 50 Fiddlin' Dance Tunes (1926),<br> Feldman & O'Doherty's Northern Fiddler (1978),<br> Elias Howe's First Part of the Musician's Companion (1842),<br> Musician's Omnibus No. 1 (1863) and<br> 1000 Jigs and Reels (c. 1867),<br> Kaufman's Beginning Old Time Fiddle (1977),<br> Linscott's Folk Songs of Old New England (1939),<br> Miller & Perron's Irish Traditional Fiddle Music (1977) (appears as "Chorus Reel"),<br> Irish Traditional Fiddle Music, 2nd Edition (2006) (appears as "Chorus Reel") and<br> New England Fiddlers Repertoire, (1983),<br> O'Neill's Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems (1907) (appears as "Chorus Reel"),<br> Phillips' Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1 (1994),<br> Saunders' New and Complete Instructor for the Violin (1847),<br> Silberberg's Fiddle Tunes I Learned at the Tractor Tavern (2002),<br> Sweet's Fifer's Delight (1964/1981) and<br> Vallely's Play 50 Reels with the Armagh Pipers Club (1982).<br> It was recorded by Alcazar Dance Series FR 203 on New England Chestnuts (1980),<br> Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra on Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra (1972),<br> Jerry O'Sullivan on The Celts Rise Again (1990) and<br> The Invasion (1987),<br> John McCutcheon on How Can I Keep From Singing (1975),<br> Allan Block and Ralph Lee Smith on Allan Block and Ralph Lee Smith (1971),<br> various artists on The Village Green: Dance Music of Old Sturbridge Village,<br> The Chieftains on The Celtic Harp (1993),<br> Frank Ferrel on Boston Fiddle: The Dudley Street Tradition (1996),<br> Julia Clifford with Con Curtin and Denis McMahon on Paddy in the Smoke (1997),<br> Dave Swarbarick on Swarbrick 2 (1977),<br> Trapezoid on Trapezoid (1975) and<br> Mellie Dunham (78 RPM) (1926).<br>
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