Mixolydian Mode

Sun Dec 24, 2006

Merry Christmas

Here are links to Christmas music I've posted in the past. Start with December 5, 2005.

Posted by: Don on Dec 24, 06 | 4:28 pm |

[0] comments (721 views) | link

Fri Apr 14, 2006

The Cuckoo Song

Mixolydian Mode is three years old today. (Because today is Good Friday, celebrations will be deferred until next week.) This round was the first MIDI file I ever posted here, and it's going to be the last -- for a while, anyway.

Partly it's because it's getting harder to find fresh tunes. There is an infinite supply of celtic music and fiddle tunes, true, but after a few hundred jigs and reels they all start to sound alike. Collections of public-domain melodies from other traditions exist, but are much harder to find. I've largely exhausted the material I have on hand, and finding more involves time, luck and money, all of which I'm short of.

The primary reason, though, is that arranging all these tunes has become more of a chore than a pleasure. It's not fun anymore, and it's probably time to stop.

I might post occasional tunes in the future -- a melody I particularly like, perhaps, or some strathspeys for Tartan Day -- but it won't be on a regular schedule.

If you come here mainly for the music -- well, sorry about that. All the MIDI files will remain online, and that's about 700 tunes or so. You can find them by clicking the "MIDI" link in the right-hand column.

I'm not going to shut down this weblog -- if nothing else, it's a handy place to post odd and silly links, thus sparing my friends a constant barrage of emails. Posting will be spasmodic, as, music aside, it has always been. I do have something up my sleeve, which will be revealed all too soon. Some of you might find it a relief. Hint: beware the kawaii.

Posted by: Don on Apr 14, 06 | 12:01 am |

[1] comments (755 views) | link

Thu Apr 13, 2006

Parson's Farewell

A tune from the first edition of The English Dancing Master, published in 1651.

Posted by: Don on Apr 13, 06 | 10:01 am |

[0] comments (728 views) | link

Tue Apr 11, 2006

Bazetan Dantza

A Basque tune.

Posted by: Don on Apr 11, 06 | 12:01 am |

[1] comments (761 views) | link

Mon Apr 10, 2006

Avant Deux de Travers

A French tune.

Posted by: Don on Apr 10, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (857 views) | link

Fri Apr 07, 2006

Pretty Peggy

Another reel from The Harp and Claymore.

Posted by: Don on Apr 07, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (757 views) | link

Thu Apr 06, 2006

Dr. Shaw

The reel "Dr. Shaw." There's also a strathspey by that name.

Posted by: Don on Apr 06, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (712 views) | link

Tue Apr 04, 2006

Wm. Mac Hardy's Strathspey

A strathspey by Skinner.

Posted by: Don on Apr 04, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (754 views) | link

Mon Apr 03, 2006

The Strathbogie Editor

Tartan Day is this Thursday, April 6. In honor of the occasion, I'm declaring this to be J. Scott Skinner week. Here's a reel from The Harp and Claymore.

Posted by: Don on Apr 03, 06 | 12:01 am |

[1] comments (781 views) | link

Fri Mar 31, 2006

Estampie

A lively 14th-Century Italian dance tune.

Posted by: Don on Mar 31, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (807 views) | link

Thu Mar 30, 2006

Bicinium II

Another duet by Orlando di Lasso.

Posted by: Don on Mar 30, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (827 views) | link

Tue Mar 28, 2006

Bicinium I

A piece for two voices by Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594).

Posted by: Don on Mar 28, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (808 views) | link

Mon Mar 27, 2006

The March of the King of Laois

This march sounds more mellow than martial to my ears. Malcolm Dalglish did a fine version of this Irish tune on the first album he did with Grey Larson.

Posted by: Don on Mar 27, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (841 views) | link

Fri Mar 24, 2006

Tobin's Favorite

An Irish jig.

Posted by: Don on Mar 24, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (754 views) | link

Thu Mar 23, 2006

The Morning Dew

A lively Irish reel.

Posted by: Don on Mar 23, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (742 views) | link

Tue Mar 21, 2006

Der Neve Bauernschwanz

An anonymous 15th-century tune from the Glogauer Liederbuch.

Posted by: Don on Mar 21, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (753 views) | link

Mon Mar 20, 2006

Wherligig

A tune from the first edition of Playford's The English Dancing Master (1651).

Posted by: Don on Mar 20, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (756 views) | link

Fri Mar 17, 2006

The Celtic Society's Quickstep

In A mixolydian. The first half of the tune is in the pure mode, with all G's unsharped; in the second half the G is sometimes natural and sometimes sharped.

Posted by: Don on Mar 17, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (777 views) | link

Thu Mar 16, 2006

Ducks on the Pond

A friend found this in a collection of contradance tunes. It sounds particularly good on a hammered dulcimer.

Posted by: Don on Mar 16, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (777 views) | link

Tue Mar 14, 2006

Geloxia

I know little about this tune. I found it in Lord Longwind's Book of Dance Music; Longwind found it in the East Kingdom Dance Book and Tape of Lynn Symborski. A quick search turned up an attritbution to "Caroso, 1580." I've never heard of Caroso, but the date sounds plausible.

Posted by: Don on Mar 14, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (777 views) | link

Mon Mar 13, 2006

Abbot's Bromley Horn Dance

Everything I've arranged recently sounds stale to me, so I'm going to post tunes from the first few months of MM for a few weeks.
According to Sara Lee Johnson in The Litel Renaissance & Medaeival Faque Booke, the "Abbots Bromley" is an "ancient ritual dance procession from th English town of Abbots Bromley" performed with a set of reindeer horns which has been performed from the fifteenth century down to the present. This particular tune probably dates from about 1700, though it was first transcribed in 1857.

Posted by: Don on Mar 13, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (771 views) | link

Fri Mar 10, 2006

Vals Frn Jeppo "ngen var gr*n"

Or "the Meadow Was Green." A tune from Finland with a garbled title.

Posted by: Don on Mar 10, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (730 views) | link

Thu Mar 09, 2006

Klvsj Brudmarsch

Another tune from Sweden with mystery vowels in the title.

Posted by: Don on Mar 09, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (736 views) | link

Tue Mar 07, 2006

Ringlander efter Nille Henningsgarad (Brekken)

Another tune from Sweden. The title is probably spelled wrong; there are some odd characters in the print-out I worked from probably signifying umlauts or worse.

Posted by: Don on Mar 07, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (724 views) | link

Mon Mar 06, 2006

Skuckupolska

A tune from Norway.

Posted by: Don on Mar 06, 06 | 12:01 am |

[0] comments (896 views) | link

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The weather in Emerald City:

Sun Dec 24, 2006

Merry Christmas

Fri Apr 14, 2006

Thu Apr 13, 2006

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Mon Apr 10, 2006

Fri Apr 07, 2006

Thu Apr 06, 2006

Tue Apr 04, 2006

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Fri Mar 31, 2006

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