Londonderry Air
Encyclopedia
Londonderry Air is an air
that originated from County Londonderry
in Ireland
. It is popular among the Irish diaspora
and is very well known throughout the world. The tune is played as the victory anthem of Northern Ireland
at the Commonwealth Games
. "Danny Boy
" is a popular set of lyrics to the tune.
came from the name of County Londonderry
in Ireland
. The air was collected by Jane Ross of Limavady
.
Ross submitted the tune to music collector George Petrie, and it was then published by the Society for the Preservation and Publication of the Melodies of Ireland in the 1855 book The Ancient Music of Ireland, which Petrie edited. The tune was listed as an anonymous air, with a note attributing its collection to Jane Ross of Limavady.
This led to the descriptive title "Londonderry Air" being used for the piece; the title "Air from County Derry" or "Derry Air" is sometimes used instead, due to the Derry-Londonderry name dispute
.
The origin of the tune was for a long time somewhat mysterious, as no other collector of folk tunes encountered it, and all known examples are descended from Ross's submission to Petrie's collection. In a 1934 article, Anne Geddes Gilchrist suggested that the performer Ross heard played the song with extreme rubato, causing Ross to mistake the time signature
of the piece for common time
(4/4) rather than 3/4. Gilchrist asserted that adjusting the rhythm of the piece as she proposed produced a tune more typical of Irish folk music.
In 1974, Hugh Shields found a long-forgotten traditional song which was very similar to Gilchrist's modified version of the melody. The song, Aislean an Oigfear (in modern Irish Aisling an Óigfhir, "The young man's dream"), had been transcribed by Edward Bunting in 1792 based on a performance by harper Donnchadh Ó Hámsaigh
at the Belfast Harp Festival. Bunting published it in 1796. Ó Hámsaigh lived in Magilligan
, not far from Ross's home in Limavady. Hempson died in 1807. In 2000, Brian Audley published his authoritative research on the tune's origins. He showed how the distinctive high section of the tune had derived from a refrain in The Young Man's Dream which, over time, crept into the body of the music. He also discovered the original words to the tune as we now know it which were written by Edward Fitzsimmons and published in 1814; his song is 'The Confession of Devorgilla', otherwise known by its first line 'Oh Shrive Me Father'.
The descendants of blind fiddler Jimmy McCurry assert that he is the musician from whom she transcribed the tune but there is no historical evidence to support this speculation. A similar claim is made that the tune came to the blind itinerant harpist Rory O'Cahan in a dream, and a documentary detailing this version was broadcast on the Maryland
Public Television in USA in March 2000.
" ("Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling"), written by English lawyer Frederick Edward Weatherly
in 1910, and set to the tune in 1913.
The first writer, after Petrie's publication, to set verses to the tune was Alfred Perceval Graves, in the late 1870s. His song was entitled 'Would I Were Erin's Apple Blossom o'er You.' Graves later stated '.....that setting was, to my mind, too much in the style of church music, and was not, I believe, a success in consequence.' (ref Audley, below).
, Londonderry Air is also used as a hymn tune
; most notably for I cannot tell by William Young Fullerton
.
It was also used as a setting for I would be true by Howard Arnold Walter at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales
:
"Londonderry Air" was also used as the tune for the Southern Gospel hit "He looked beyond my fault" written by Dottie Rambo
of the group "The Rambos"
Other hymns sung to this are:
Air (music)
Air , a variant of the musical song form, is the name of various song-like vocal or instrumental compositions.-English lute ayres:...
that originated from County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It is popular among the Irish diaspora
Irish diaspora
thumb|Night Train with Reaper by London Irish artist [[Brian Whelan]] from the book Myth of Return, 2007The Irish diaspora consists of Irish emigrants and their descendants in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa,...
and is very well known throughout the world. The tune is played as the victory anthem of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
at the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
. "Danny Boy
Danny Boy
-Background:The words to "Danny Boy" were written by English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly in 1910. Although the lyrics were originally written for a different tune, Weatherly modified them to fit the "Londonderry Air" in 1913, after his sister-in-law in the U.S. sent him a copy. Ernestine...
" is a popular set of lyrics to the tune.
History
The title of the airAir (music)
Air , a variant of the musical song form, is the name of various song-like vocal or instrumental compositions.-English lute ayres:...
came from the name of County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The air was collected by Jane Ross of Limavady
Limavady
Limavady is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. It lies east of Derry and south west of Coleraine. It had a population of 12,135 people in the 2001 Census, an increase of some 17% compared to 1991...
.
Ross submitted the tune to music collector George Petrie, and it was then published by the Society for the Preservation and Publication of the Melodies of Ireland in the 1855 book The Ancient Music of Ireland, which Petrie edited. The tune was listed as an anonymous air, with a note attributing its collection to Jane Ross of Limavady.
For the following beautiful air I have to express my very grateful acknowledgement to Miss J. Ross, of New Town, Limavady, in the County of Londonderry--a lady who has made a large collection of the popular unpublished melodies of the county , which she has very kindly placed at my disposal, and which has added very considerably to the stock of tunes which I had previously acquired from that still very Irish county. I say still very Irish, for though it has been planted for more than two centuries by English and Scottish settlers, the old Irish race still forms the great majority of its peasant inhabitants; and there are few, if any counties in which, with less foreign admixture, the ancient melodies of the country have been so extensively preserved. The name of the tune unfortunately was not ascertained by Miss Ross, who sent it to me with the simple remark that it was 'very old', in the correctness of which statement I have no hesitation in expressing my perfect concurrence.
This led to the descriptive title "Londonderry Air" being used for the piece; the title "Air from County Derry" or "Derry Air" is sometimes used instead, due to the Derry-Londonderry name dispute
Derry-Londonderry name dispute
The names of the city, county, and district of Derry or Londonderry in Northern Ireland are the subject of a naming dispute between nationalists and unionists. Generally, although not always, one will find nationalists calling them Derry, and unionists referring to them as Londonderry...
.
The origin of the tune was for a long time somewhat mysterious, as no other collector of folk tunes encountered it, and all known examples are descended from Ross's submission to Petrie's collection. In a 1934 article, Anne Geddes Gilchrist suggested that the performer Ross heard played the song with extreme rubato, causing Ross to mistake the time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of the piece for common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
(4/4) rather than 3/4. Gilchrist asserted that adjusting the rhythm of the piece as she proposed produced a tune more typical of Irish folk music.
In 1974, Hugh Shields found a long-forgotten traditional song which was very similar to Gilchrist's modified version of the melody. The song, Aislean an Oigfear (in modern Irish Aisling an Óigfhir, "The young man's dream"), had been transcribed by Edward Bunting in 1792 based on a performance by harper Donnchadh Ó Hámsaigh
Donnchadh Ó Hámsaigh
Donnchadh Ó hAmhsaigh, aka Denis Hampsey,aka Denis Hampson Irish harper, 1695 – 5 or 11 November 1807.-Early life and background:Ó hAmhsaigh's was born in Craigmore, County Londonderry in 1695...
at the Belfast Harp Festival. Bunting published it in 1796. Ó Hámsaigh lived in Magilligan
Magilligan
Magilligan peninsula lies in the northwest of County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, at the entrance to Lough Foyle...
, not far from Ross's home in Limavady. Hempson died in 1807. In 2000, Brian Audley published his authoritative research on the tune's origins. He showed how the distinctive high section of the tune had derived from a refrain in The Young Man's Dream which, over time, crept into the body of the music. He also discovered the original words to the tune as we now know it which were written by Edward Fitzsimmons and published in 1814; his song is 'The Confession of Devorgilla', otherwise known by its first line 'Oh Shrive Me Father'.
The descendants of blind fiddler Jimmy McCurry assert that he is the musician from whom she transcribed the tune but there is no historical evidence to support this speculation. A similar claim is made that the tune came to the blind itinerant harpist Rory O'Cahan in a dream, and a documentary detailing this version was broadcast on the Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
Public Television in USA in March 2000.
Danny Boy
The most popular lyrics for the tune are "Danny BoyDanny Boy
-Background:The words to "Danny Boy" were written by English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly in 1910. Although the lyrics were originally written for a different tune, Weatherly modified them to fit the "Londonderry Air" in 1913, after his sister-in-law in the U.S. sent him a copy. Ernestine...
" ("Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling"), written by English lawyer Frederick Edward Weatherly
Frederick Weatherly
Frederic Edward Weatherly was an English lawyer, author, lyricist and broadcaster. He is estimated to have written the lyrics to at least 3,000 popular songs, among the best-known of which are the sentimental ballad Danny Boy set to the tune Londonderry Air, the religious "The Holy City", and the...
in 1910, and set to the tune in 1913.
The Confession of Devorgilla
The first lyrics to be sung to the music were, "The Confession of Devorgilla", otherwise known as "Oh! shrive me, father".- 'Oh! shrive me, father - haste, haste, and shrive me,
- 'Ere sets yon dread and flaring sun;
- 'Its beams of peace, - nay, of sense, deprive me,
- 'Since yet the holy work's undone.'
The first writer, after Petrie's publication, to set verses to the tune was Alfred Perceval Graves, in the late 1870s. His song was entitled 'Would I Were Erin's Apple Blossom o'er You.' Graves later stated '.....that setting was, to my mind, too much in the style of church music, and was not, I believe, a success in consequence.' (ref Audley, below).
- Would I were Erin's apple-blossom o'er you,
- Or Erin's rose, in all its beauty blown,
- To drop my richest petals down before you,
- Within the garden where you walk alone;
Irish Love Song
The tune was first called "Londonderry Air" in 1894 when Katherine Tynan Hinkson set the words of her "Irish Love Song" to it:- Would God I were the tender apple blossom
- That floats and falls from off the twisted bough
- To lie and faint within your silken bosom
- Within your silken bosom as that does now.
Hymns
As with a good many folk tunesFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, Londonderry Air is also used as a hymn tune
Hymn tune
A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm , and no refrain or chorus....
; most notably for I cannot tell by William Young Fullerton
William Young Fullerton
William Young Fullerton was a Baptist preacher, administrator and writer. He was born in Belfast, Ireland. As a young man, he was influenced by the preaching of Charles Spurgeon, who became his friend and mentor. Fullerton served as President of the Baptist Union and Home Secretary of the...
.
- I cannot tell why He Whom angels worship,
- Should set His love upon the sons of men,
- Or why, as Shepherd, He should seek the wanderers,
- To bring them back, they know not how or when.
It was also used as a setting for I would be true by Howard Arnold Walter at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
:
- I would be true, for there are those that trust me.
- I would be pure, for there are those that care.
- I would be strong, for there is much to suffer.
- I would be brave, for there is much to dare.
"Londonderry Air" was also used as the tune for the Southern Gospel hit "He looked beyond my fault" written by Dottie Rambo
Dottie Rambo
Dottie Rambo was an American gospel singer and songwriter. She was a Grammy and multiple Dove Award-winning artist. Rambo, along with husband Buck and daughter Reba, formed the award-winning southern Gospel group, The Rambos...
of the group "The Rambos"
- Amazing Grace shall always be my song of praise,
- For it was grace that bought my liberty,
- I do not know just why He came to love me so,
- He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.
- I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary,
- To view the Cross where Jesus died for me,
- How marvelous His grace that caught my falling soul,
- When he looked beyond my fault and saw my need.
Other hymns sung to this are:
- I Love Thee So
- My Own Dear Land
- We Shall Go Out With Hope of Resurrection
- Above the Hills of Time the Cross Is Gleaming
- Lord of the Church, We Pray for our Renewing
- "What Grace is Mine" by Kristyn GettyKristyn GettyKristyn Elizabeth Rebekah Getty is an Irish recording artist and worship leader. With her husband, she co-writes many new songs and hymns.An acclaimed soloist in her own right, Kristyn began singing as a teenager in her family's church in Northern Ireland...
In Derry Vale
W. G. Rothery, a British lyricist who wrote the English lyrics for songs such as Handel's "Art Thou Troubled," wrote the following lyrics to the tune of "The Londonderry Air":- In Derry Vale, beside the singing river,
- so oft' I strayed, ah, many years ago,
- and culled at morn the golden daffodillies
- that came with spring to set the world aglow.
- Oh, Derry Vale, my thoughts are ever turning
- to your broad stream and fairy-circled lee.
- For your green isles my exiled heart is yearning,
- so far away across the sea.
- In Derry Vale, amid the Foyle's dark waters,
- the salmon leap, beside the surging weir.
- The seabirds call, I still can hear them calling
- in night's long dreams of those so dear.
- Oh, tarrying years, fly faster, ever faster,
- I long to see that vale belov'd so well,
- I long to know that I am not forgotten,
- And there in home in peace to dwell.
Other
- The melody is given by Julian MayJulian MayJulian May is an American science fiction, fantasy, horror, science and children's writer who also uses several literary pseudonyms, best known for her Saga of Pliocene Exile and Galactic Milieu Series books.- Background and early career :Julian May grew up in Elmwood Park, Illinois, a suburb of...
as the anthem of the Tanu and Firvulag in her Saga of Pliocene ExileSaga of Pliocene ExileThe Saga of Pliocene Exile is a series of science / speculative fiction books by Julian May, first published in the early 1980s...
science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
series. - The song has been adapted into You Raise Me UpYou Raise Me Up"You Raise Me Up" was the debut single from Westlife's fifth studio album, Face To Face.This version is considered by many to be the most popular , of all the various versions of the same song. The single peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the band's 13th Number One. It was the first...
, and also Ne Viens Pas by Roch VoisineRoch VoisineJoseph Armand Roch Voisine, OC better known as Roch Voisine, is a Canadian Acadian singer-songwriter, actor, and radio and television host...
. - The melody was used to words in IrishIrish languageIrish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
and sung by the Bunratty CastleBunratty CastleBunratty Castle is a large tower house in County Clare, Ireland. It lies in the centre of Bunratty village , by the N18 road between Limerick and Ennis, near Shannon Town and its airport. The name Bunratty, Bun Raite in Irish, means the 'bottom' or end of the 'Ratty' river. This river, alongside...
chorus during the 1970s. The title used was "Maidín i mBéara". The words are from a poem of the same title by Irish poet and scholar Osborn BerginOsborn BerginOsborn Joseph Bergin was a scholar of the Irish language and Early Irish literature. He was born in Cork and was educated at Queen's College Cork , then went to Germany for advanced studies in Celtic languages, working with Heinrich Zimmer at the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin...
(ó hAimheirgin)(1872-1950). - A 1938 film The Londonderry AirThe Londonderry Air (film)The Londonderry Air is a 1938 British romance film directed by Alex Bryce and starring Sara Allgood, Liam Gaffney and Phyllis Ryan. A young woman abandon her plans to settle down in a respectable marriage and runs off with a travelling fiddler she falls in love with. It was based on a play by...
features the song.
Instrumental settings
- Frank BridgeFrank BridgeFrank Bridge was an English composer and violist.-Life:Bridge was born in Brighton and studied at the Royal College of Music in London from 1899 to 1903 under Charles Villiers Stanford and others...
used the melody as basis for his An Irish Melody, H.86 for string quartetString quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
(1908) or string orchestra (1938). - AustralianAustralian peopleAustralian people, or simply Australians, are the citizens of Australia. Australia is a multi-ethnic nation, and therefore the term "Australian" is not a racial identifier. Aside from the Indigenous Australian population, nearly all Australians or their ancestors immigrated within the past 230 years...
composer Percy GraingerPercy GraingerGeorge Percy Aldridge Grainger , known as Percy Grainger, was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist. In the course of a long and innovative career he played a prominent role in the revival of interest in British folk music in the early years of the 20th century. He also made many...
wrote numerous settings, which he called "Irish Tune from County Derry", in his British Folk-Music Settings. - Lionel TertisLionel TertisLionel Tertis, CBE was an English violist and one of the first viola players to find international fame.Tertis was born in West Hartlepool, the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, and initially studied the violin in Leipzig and at the Royal Academy of Music in London...
arranged the tune for violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
or violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and piano as Londonderry Air "Farewell to Cucullain".
External links
- The Londonderry Air: facts and fiction - by Brian Audley
- The melody as a MIDI file
- "Londonderry Air" - Lead sheet at wikifonia.org
Audio clips
- Arrangement by Herbert Hamilton Harty performed by the Ulster OrchestraUlster OrchestraThe Ulster Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Belfast, the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall...
- Arrangement by Philip WilbyPhilip WilbyPhilip Wilby is a British composer.Educated at Leeds Grammar School and Keble College, Oxford, he joined the staff at the University of Leeds in 1972...
and performed by the Williams Fairey BandFairey BandThe Fairey Band is a brass band based in Heaton Chapel in Stockport, Greater Manchester.Its name comes from Sir Richard Fairey and the Fairey Aviation Company, famous in later years for the Fairey Delta 2 aircraft - the first aircraft in level flight to exceed 1,000mph, and had an important...
in Peel Hall, SalfordCity of SalfordThe City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
in July 1997 - Performed by the Sellers Engineering BandSellers International BandThe Sellers International Band was a brass band based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK, the senior section of which disbanded in 2008. The Sellers International Youth Band still rehearses and performs regularly.-History:...
and recorded at Huddersfield PolytechnicUniversity of HuddersfieldThe University of Huddersfield is a university located in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.- History :The University traces its roots back to a Science and Mechanic Institute founded in 1825...
in July 1991 - Arrangement for harmonica and harp and performed At St Silas The Martyr in Kentish TownKentish TownKentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
in December 1987 - Arrangement with comical lyrics for orchestra and solo baritone, performed by Kieran of the Potato Hermits, 2010