[NSP] Re: Happy Hours
On 11 Jun 2009, Ian Lawther wrote: Happy Hours was Emile Vacher a French accordionist and appears in Matt Seattle's Yelllow Northumbrian PIpers Pocket Book. I believe that the fact it was available there was a contributory factor in its omission in the Billy Pigg book. At the time the BP book was written I was heavily guided by both Adrian Colin since I knew little of Billy except the Border Minstrel LP. The book should really be AD Schofield (who did the research transcriptions), and C. Ross (who played with Billy got him to write some tunes out, and had recordings), compiled J. Say (because I seem to have that facility), but Colin wouldn't agree to that. The new edition (anyone wanting the full biographical one should order now - there are less than 20 left - ) will contain more of Billy's repertoire, but only very basic biog. etc, and will be tunebook shaped. The stuff about his style will be reduced to a minimum, and rewritten, since some of it - if not wrong - is a bit misleading and needs different emphasis. I think we've all learnt a lot in 12 years. Cheers Julia To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: Happy Hours
I rather assumed that the extra extra embellishment was a sort of in joke, affectionately smiling at Billy Pigg's enthusiasm for such embellishments and just overdoing it enough for the grin. Andy M only does that once - most tasteful! Mr. May, sir, - if you read this list - was that the intention? Richard. Dally, John wrote: .Happy Hours, which Andy writes he picked up from the playing of Billy Pigg. Andy slips a very Piggish embellishment in the second and third times through the tune, which some might consider improper NSP technique. It works for me. . -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: Happy Hours
It was written by Jimmy Shand (cough cough) but see below. :-) The tune has been recorded as a polka, although Scottish accordion player Jimmy Shand recorded the tune in the late 1930's where it was described as a foxtrot on the record label (Beltona BL 2382). The melody (as Plaisance Fox) previously had currency in France as part of Emile Vacher's musette repertoire, and, indeed, the composition is attributed to Vacher Peyrennin, who composed it in 1926. It is perhaps Shand (or his record company) that renamed it Happy Hours. From http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/HAA_HAP.htm Colin Hill - Original Message - From: Dally, John john.da...@hmhpub.com To: nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 10:20 PM Subject: [NSP] Happy Hours Andy May's new CD is full of great music. I've listened to it over and over again ever since I got my hands on it a couple of weeks ago. One tune sticks out, Happy Hours, which Andy writes he picked up from the playing of Billy Pigg. Andy slips a very Piggish embellishment in the second and third times through the tune, which some might consider improper NSP technique. It works for me. The tune appears on THE BORDER MINSTREL recording, but, relevant to another recent discussion on the news group, Andy takes his time with the tune, getting a lovely lift out of it. Anyway, I am curious why this tune does not appear in the wonderful book on Billy Pigg and his music written by Adrian and Julia. The tune appears to have been played by many Scottish dance bands, including Jimmy Shand's. Some of these bands toured the countryside of north Northumberland. Did Billy Pigg pick up the tune from Shand's or another Scottish dance band? Did the tune originate on the continent, perhaps France? I found it listed on a French accordion recording, and also on youtube played by a French box player. Does anyone know the composer of Happy Hours? This leads to my main question, which is, how much of an influence have Scottish dance bands had on Northumbrian pipers and music? Billy is often credited, or blasted, for bringing in Scottish pipe tunes and ornaments. The most extravagant embellishments that Billy (and also Andy for that matter) employs are rarely if ever used by Highland pipers. I don't play piano accordion, but it seems as likely if not more so that the Scottish repertoire and style that Billy is often credited or blamed for may have been the influence of Scottish accordion players, rather Highland pipers. Thanks, John -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: Happy Hours
Happy Hours was Emile Vacher a French accordionist and appears in Matt Seattle's Yelllow Northumbrian PIpers Pocket Book. Some years ago I picked up a CD of Vacher and his dance band in a hypermarket in Calais. It was made from recordings done in the 1920s and 30s and disappointingly does not have the composer playing HH. In his notes in the Yellow Book Matt notes the tunes probable progression from French to Scottish accordion and on to Pigg with notes on the sequence of parts played by Jimmy Shand. Mairtin O'Connor has Happy Hours listed as being on his Perpetual Motion CD but actually plays JB Milne, a tune that was also on the Border Minstrel LP. I assume that either he, (or someone he learned it from ) learned it from the the LP and read the wrong track title. Ian Dally, John wrote: Andy May's new CD is full of great music. I've listened to it over and over again ever since I got my hands on it a couple of weeks ago. One tune sticks out, Happy Hours, which Andy writes he picked up from the playing of Billy Pigg. Andy slips a very Piggish embellishment in the second and third times through the tune, which some might consider improper NSP technique. It works for me. The tune appears on THE BORDER MINSTREL recording, but, relevant to another recent discussion on the news group, Andy takes his time with the tune, getting a lovely lift out of it. Anyway, I am curious why this tune does not appear in the wonderful book on Billy Pigg and his music written by Adrian and Julia. The tune appears to have been played by many Scottish dance bands, including Jimmy Shand's. Some of these bands toured the countryside of north Northumberland. Did Billy Pigg pick up the tune from Shand's or another Scottish dance band? Did the tune originate on the continent, perhaps France? I found it listed on a French accordion recording, and also on youtube played by a French box player. Does anyone know the composer of Happy Hours? This leads to my main question, which is, how much of an influence have Scottish dance bands had on Northumbrian pipers and music? Billy is often credited, or blasted, for bringing in Scottish pipe tunes and ornaments. The most extravagant embellishments that Billy (and also Andy for that matter) employs are rarely if ever used by Highland pipers. I don't play piano accordion, but it seems as likely if not more so that the Scottish repertoire and style that Billy is often credited or blamed for may have been the influence of Scottish accordion players, rather Highland pipers. Thanks, John -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
