Liberal Arts Blog — “Danny Boy” (Ireland) — Universality, Irony, Beauty
Liberal Arts Blog — Thursday is Joy of Music Day
Today’s Topic — Key to the Hearts of Seven Billion People — “Danny Boy” (Ireland) — Universality, Irony, Beauty
No song touches the heartstrings more than “Danny Boy.” Its appeal stretches far beyond the shores of the emerald isle. Without an ounce of Irish blood myself, I have felt its tugging at my soul — deep and often. The theme of losing a child even temporarily is universal. I think immediately of two of Schubert’s songs, the Erl-King, and Death and the Maiden. And then of course there is the Pieta. The irony is that the lyrics were written by an Englishman! Worse — an English lawyer! But the tune is Irish. The song’s popularity is especially strong among the Irish diaspora — in the US and Canada. Often sung at funerals — for example, by Renee Fleming, the Metropolitan Opera star, at the funeral of John McCain in 2018. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
LYRICS (First Stanza) — by Frederick E. Weatherly (1913)
1.) Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
2.) The summer’s gone, and all the roses falling,
It’s you, It’s you must go and I must bide.
3.) But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow,
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow,
It’s I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow, —
Oh, Danny boy, O Danny boy, I love you so!
LYRICS (Second Stanza)
1.) But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
2.) Ye’ll come and find the place where I am lying,
And kneel and say an Avè there for me.
3.) And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
THE TUNE — CALLED THE “LONDONDERRY AIR”
1. “Londonderry” is the Irish county where the woman who collected the tune was born. It was first published in a book on ancient Irish music published in 1854. The book was edited by George Petrie whose notes on the song are these:
2. “For the following beautiful air I have to express my very grateful acknowledgment to Miss J. Ross, of New Town, Limavady, in the County of Londonderry — a lady who has made a large collection of the popular unpublished melodies of the county, which she has very kindly placed at my disposal, and which has added very considerably to the stock of tunes which I had previously acquired from that still very Irish county.”
3. “I say still very Irish, for though it has been planted for more than two centuries by English and Scottish settlers, the old Irish race still forms the great majority of its peasant inhabitants; and there are few, if any counties in which, with less foreign admixture, the ancient melodies of the country have been so extensively preserved. The name of the tune unfortunately was not ascertained by Miss Ross, who sent it to me with the simple remark that it was ‘very old’, in the correctness of which statement I have no hesitation in expressing my perfect concurrence.”
JOHN MCCORMACK (1884–1945), PERHAPS THE GREATEST IRISH TENOR, TELLS THE REAL STORY ABOUT THE AIR’S ORIGINS (the words in this version are different. The song’s title is “Oh Mary Dear.”)
1. It was the leprechauns.
2. An old Londonderry fiddler told McCormack. “You came to the right man, John. It was myself who found it.”
3. Apparently the fiddler was at a wedding and after toasting the bride and groom a few times he fell asleep. He woke up to the sound of the loveliest tune and when he opened his eyes he saw an orchestra of leprechauns playing away. He got up and wrote it down. Fell back to sleep. Woke up again. And that’s the story. And he’s sticking to it.
NB: This is what I like about this blog. I wake up at 5am, do some research, and get closer to the truth.
JOHN MCCORMACK SINGS — O MARY DEAR 1937 BROADCAST- rare
NOTES
1. In keeping with a new tradition, I included images of three of the most beloved sons and daughters of the country whose song is featured in this series.
2. The choice is somewhat arbitrary but not random.
3. Today’s choice of Swift, Wilde, and Yeats is highly personal. They are three of my favorite writers. Two are hilarious — Swift and Wilde. Yeats is much more serious.
NB: Weatherly was a practicing barrister who wrote over 3000 songs!!!!!
APPENDIX: Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People — Past Posts in This Series This is the list of songs with which, before Covid, I used to greet tourists from around the world at the North Bridge in Concord or wherever I else I happened to meet them — eg. waiting in line at grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, or the Department of Motor Vehicles.
4/9/20 — Nkosi — South African National Anthem
4/16/20 — Sweet Mother — unofficial national Anthem of Nigeria
4/23/20 — Jambo — the Swahili equivalent — Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda
4/30/20 — Sakura — Japan — the cherry blossom song
5/7/20 — Arirang — Korea (North and South)
5/14/20 — Chuang Tian — China — Li Bai — Gong Linna
5/21/20 — Ode to Joy — German — Beethoven/Schiller
5/28/20 — La Marseillaise — French — France plus many more french-speaking nations
6/4/20 — Volare — Italian — Domenico Modugno
6/11/20 — Arrorro and Cielito Lindo — Spanish speakers
6/18/20 — La Garota de Ipanema — Brazil and other Portuguese speakers
6/22/20 — Gayatri Mantra — Hindus
7/2/20 — Pokarekare Ana — Maori — New Zealand
7/9/20 — Aseda Yede Ma Onyame — Ghana
7/16/20 — “Al Fatihah” — most sacred Islamic prayer (Arabic)
7/23/20 — “Tavaszi Szel” — Hungarian Folk Song
7/30/20 — “Modeh Ani” — the Jewish Waking Up Prayer
8/6/20 — “Stolat, Stolat” — Polish Birthday Song
8/20/20 — “Lang Zal Ze Leven” — Dutch Birthday Song
8/27/20 — “Oh Danny Boy” — Ireland
I feel strongly that the core humanities curriculum of every school in the world should consist of the most beloved songs of the world’s peoples. Music unites. The opportunity cost of any other texts is infinite. Why not give every 18-year-old the keys to hearts of seven billion people? I am not sure this is the perfect list. But I have spent 10 years testing the hypothesis. And the results are not scientific but they are pretty convincing. Proposals welcome.
YOUR TURN
Time to share the coolest thing you learned in the last week related to music. Or the coolest thing you learned in your life related to music. Say your favorite song or songs. Or your favorite tips for breathing, posture, or relaxation. Or some insight into the history of music….Or just something random about music… like a joke about drummers. jazz, rock….or share an episode or chapter in your musical autobiography.
This is your chance to make someone else’s day. And perhaps to cement in your memory something important you would otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than you otherwise would about something that matters to you.
