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. They are listed in order of when they were recorded.
| 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