Morning Dew (Edor)

Drops of Morning Dew

This reel is called “Morning Dew” by Irish musicians, and often called “Hare Among The Heather” by non-Irish musicians.  It is a popular tune, and so there are many versions.  Though typically it is thought of as a three-part tune, there are variations that make it seem like a four-part tune.  It is played many different ways.  So, where “A” is the first part of the tune, “B” the second, “C” the third, and perhaps “D” the fourth (a variation on one of the other parts, or something else), when played single it will be ABCABC, or ABCABD, or even ABCD, etc.; when played double it will be AABBCC, AABBCD, AABBCCAABBDD.  These are just some of the many ways it is played, of course.  At many sessions it is more usually played ABC or AABBCC.

CRE 1

It’s listed in Breandán Breathnach’s Ceol Rince na hÉireann, vol I (1963), No. 198, p. 77; and can be heard on a re-released recording by Paddy Canny, P. J. Hayes, Peadar O’Loughlin, and Bridie Lafferty entitled An Historic Recording of Irish Traditional Music (Shanachie, 2001), which was originally entitled All-Ireland Champions – Violin (Shamrock, 1959).  It is also on Michael Coleman’s The Classic Recordings of Michael Coleman (1992), Chieftians 4 (1974/1983), and on the Danú CD Think Before You Think (2000).

For the ABC click Morning Dew

Morning Dew, slow tempo

Morning Dew, 3/4 tempo (mandolin)

Morning Dew, 3/4 tempo (fiddle, flute, mandolin)

Morning Dew Reel in Edor