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Most-Recorded Tunes of the 1920s

This list ranks the top 10 most-recorded tunes during the 1920s. By carefully comparing the 598 individual tune recordings dated as from the 1920s which appear on the indexed recordings, I identified a total of 365 musically distinct tunes. The top ten of those tunes are listed below, in order of how many albums they appear on. When tunes have the same number of recordings, tunes having the oldest recordings appear first. Note that reuses of a particular cut in other anthologies are counted, which is fair, since the popularity of a recording is a good indicator both of the popularity of the tune and of the likelihood that musicians will learn the tune from that recording.

Of related interest:
RankNumber of
Recordings
Explanation
Rhythm
Title (and link to tune details)
18Reel
Transcription of first 2 bars of Woman of the HouseWoman of the House
27Reel
Transcription of first 2 bars of Swallow's TailSwallow's Tail
36Reel
Transcription of first 2 bars of Duke of LeinsterDuke of Leinster
46Reel
Transcription of first 2 bars of Green Groves of ErinGreen Groves of Erin
56Reel
Transcription of first 2 bars of Boys of the LoughBoys of the Lough
66Reel
Transcription of first 2 bars of Ballinasloe FairBallinasloe Fair
75Reel
Transcription of first 2 bars of Boyne HuntBoyne Hunt
85JigD
Transcription of first 2 bars of Rambling PitchforkRambling Pitchfork
95Reel
Transcription of first 2 bars of Kerry ReelKerry Reel
104Reel
Transcription of first 2 bars of Ladies' PantalettesLadies' Pantalettes