Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID#156 (Bird in the Bush)
| Rhythm ? | Bars | 8-bar phrase structure | Mode ? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reel | 32 | AABB | G Major |
about these two bars
These two bars are the start of my transcription of how this tune was played – the first time through – on the recording MC (details in the Discography below).
Titles given to this tune in the sources listed below (plus notes of mine about this tune):
Bird in the Bush, The / Bird in the Bush / The Bird on the Bush / The Bird in the Tree / Bird in the Tree / The Bird on the Tree / An tÉan ar an gCrann / An tÉan ar an gCraobh / Birds in the Tree / The Two Birds in the Tree (also in A as hornpipe)
Discography
Here are all recordings of this tune considering only the indexed recordings. I have discovered by careful listening that these sources are in fact musically the same tune, regardless of the tune titles they use, key changes, retuning, etc.
| Year Recorded |
Track #Tune? |
[Album code] Artist. Title. Primary musicians (instruments). |
|---|---|---|
| 1923 | 11#2 | [JKm] John J. Kimmel. John J. Kimmel. Early Recordings of Irish Traditional Dance Music. John J. Kimmel (accordion). |
| 1927 | 1.18#2 | [MC] Michael Coleman. Michael Coleman 1891-1945. Michael Coleman (fiddle). |
| ~1956 | 6#2 | [Rnys] The Raineys. The Raineys. Paddy Rainey (fiddle), Stephen Rainey (fiddle), Bridie 'Biddy' Rainey (vocals). |
| 1960 | 12#1 | [ECr] Elizabeth Crotty. Concertina Music from West Clare. Elizabeth Crotty (concertina). |
| 1960 | 25#1 | [ECr] Elizabeth Crotty. Concertina Music from West Clare. Elizabeth Crotty (concertina). |
| ~1967 | 23#1 | [PKlly] Patrick Kelly. Patrick Kelly From Cree. Fiddle Music. Patrick Kelly (fiddle). |
| ~1977 | 4#1 | [JDSC] Jackie Daly, Séamus Creagh. Jackie Daly. Séamus Creagh. Jackie Daly (accordion), Séamus Creagh (fiddle). |
| ~1979 | 7#2 | [KB Pr] Kevin Burke, Mícheál Ó Domhnaill. Promenade. Kevin Burke (fiddle), Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (vocals, guitar, piano). |
| 1993 | 12#2 | [MoD] Tony Mac Mahon, Noel Hill, Iarla Ó Lionáird. Music of Dreams. Tony Mac Mahon (accordion), Noel Hill (concertina), Iarla Ó Lionáird (vocals). |
| 1998 | 1#3 | [JWh] John Whelan. Come to Dance. John Whelan (accordion). |
| ~1998 | 11#2 | [TP 7] Tommy Peoples. The Quiet Glen / An Gleann Ciúin. Tommy Peoples (fiddle). |
| 1999 | 13#1 | [MCnnly] Mick Conneely. Selkie. Mick Conneely (fiddle, bouzouki). |
| ~2007 | 7#2 | [Hmdgr] Paul Brock and Enda Scahill. Humdinger. Paul Brock (accordion), Enda Scahill (banjo, mandolin). |
| 2009 | 3#3 | [Hmmrs] The Hammers. From Distant Shores. Paul Hammer (mandolin, banjo), Susan Hammer (whistle, concertina). |
Bibliography
Here are all transcriptions of this tune under any title whatsoever – considering only the indexed books – listed in chronological order. I have discovered by careful comparison that these are very similar to this tune as played on the recordings listed above.
| On page 49 of [RM] Randy Miller and Jack Perron. Irish Traditional Fiddle Music. |
| As tune #87 in [CRE 1] Breandán Breathnach. Ceol Rince na hÉireann 1. |
| On page 44 of [FF] David Brody. The Fiddler's Fakebook. |
| As tune #151 in [JOL] Terry Moylan. Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra. Dance Music from the Cork-Kerry Border. |
| As reel #198 in [MM] Martin Mulvihill. First Collection of Traditional Irish Music. |
| As tune #74 in [DM 1] Dave Mallinson. 100 Essential Irish Session Tunes. |
| On page 4 of [M2] Phil Rubenzer. Midwestern Irish Session Tunes. Millennium Edition. |
| As reel #13 in [Cobb] Dan Cobb. Cobb's Music of Ireland. |
If you are considering using the above transcriptions to help you learn this tune, I invite you to check these practical Tips for Learning Irish Traditional Music. See also: So why do you bother indexing books and abc?
Year of the oldest source for this tune, considering the recordings and transcriptions listed above (note that I concentrate on sources after 1900): 1923