Annotation:Looney McTowlter

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LOONIE McTOWLTER. AKA – "Looney MacTwolter," "Looney McTwolter," "Looney Mactwolter." AKA and see "Humors of Limerick (5)." English; Jig or Slide. G Major (Cole, O'Flannagan): B Flat Major (Hardings). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Cole): AAB (O'Flannagan): AABB (Hardings). "Looney McTwolter" is a favorite Irish comic character, a servant, in the musical farce "The Review, or the Wags of Windsor". The play, by George Colman Junr. (1762–1836) was written to conform to songs that had already been composed, and was first produced in 1800, running for nine performances. It proved to be one of Colman's favorite works, however, and was frequently staged in Britain, Ireland and America in the first half of the 19th century. The tune sometimes appears under the title "Judy O'Flannikin," the name of the girl of Looney's heart.

George Colman

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; p. 75. Harding's All Round Collection, 1905; No. 50, p. 15 (appears as "Looney MacTwolter"). Manson (Hamilton's Universal Tune Book, vol. 2), 1846; p. 174. O'Flannagan (The Hibernia Collection), 1860; p. 3. Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 108. White's Unique Collection, 1896; No. 22, p. 4 (appears as "Looney McTwolter").

Recorded sources: Great Meadow GMM 2018, Frank Ferrel & Joe Derrane – "Fiddledance" (2004).




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