Annotation:If the Life of a Man
X:6 T:Country Dance. GHW.006 T:If The Life Of A Man,aka. GHW.006 M:6/8 L:1/8 Q:3/8=120 B:George H.Watson,MS,Swanton Abbott,Norfolk,c1890 R:.Jig A:England; Norfolk N:Pause sign at end of A part -meaning Fine. Pause sign over second beat N:of 6th. bar of B. DC at end of B Z:Village Music Project, Taz Tarry, 2000 K:D F/G/|A>BA A>BA|d2 A A2 F/G/|A>BA A>BA|eeA AFG| ABA ABA|d2A e2A|f>ed A>dc|d2D HD2|| z|f>ed f>ed|e2A A3|f>ed f>ed|g2 e e3| {d/e/}f>ed f>ed| gfe Ha2 g|f>ed A>dc|d2D D3:|
IF THE LIFE OF A MAN. AKA and see "If the Heart of a Man," "Jenny Lind's Quadrille," "Lancers Quadrilles Third Figure," "Would You have a Young Virgin," "Would You have a Young Virgin of Fifteen Years," "Poor Robin's Maggot." English, Air and Country Dance (6/8 time). The tune was entered into the c. 1890 music manuscript collection of brickmaker and musician George H. Watson of Swanton Abbott, Norfolk, under the title "If the Life of a Man." The title is a variant of "If the life of a man (is deprest with cares)," the name of a song set to the tune in John Gay's Beggar's Opera (1729). The melody is even older, as "Would You Have a Young Virgin" or "Would You Have a Young Virgin of Fifteen Years." It can sometimes be found as the vehicle for a quadrille figure.
