Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID# 193 (Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine)

RhythmBars8-bar phrase structureMode
March32AABBA Dorian
Transcription of first 2 bars of Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine
 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 NR (details in the Discography below).

Where do you get the tune titles?
Titles given to this tune in the sources listed below (plus notes of mine about this tune):
Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine / Napoleon Crossing the Rhine / Napoleon Crossing the Alps / Bonaparte Crossing the Alps / Bony Crossing the Alps / Tom Ash's March / The Ashe March (also in E) (compare as hornpipe #1133 and as song #1122; 1st part is used as accompaniment to song Wexford Fisherman #4435) (compare old-time setting as Bonaparte Crossing the Rocky Mountains)
What do the "track#tune" codes mean?

cd 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). Album details
and contents
19769#1[Chi] various. Traditional Irish Music in America. Chicago. View album details
199314#1[MR 5] Micho Russell. Ireland's Whistling Ambassador. Micho Russell (whistle, vocals).View album details
19945#1[MH 2] Martin Hayes. Under the Moon. Martin Hayes (fiddle).View album details
20003#2[NR] Charlie Piggott and Gerry Harrington. The New Road. Charlie Piggott (accordion), Gerry Harrington (fiddle).View album details
~20042(2:53)#2[Boh 4] Bohola. 4. Jimmy Keane (piano accordion, vocals, foot), Sean Cleland (fiddle), Pat Broaders (dordan, vocals), Kat Eggleston (vocals).View album details

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.

As tune #1824 in [1850] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. [available]
On page 51 of [FF] David Brody. The Fiddler's Fakebook. [available]

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): 1903
Please cite your source when you use information from this document.
© 2000–2008 Alan Ng, agng@facstaff.wisc.edu. Questions? Comments? Please use the easy Feedback Form. Thank you!
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