BILLY McCOMISKEY COMPOSITIONS ARCHIVE
Welcome Reviewers!
This is a growing archive of Billy McComiskey’s compositions and arrangements (i.e. settings), including several tunes that he co-composed with Brendan Mulvihill. It also features an assortment of Sean McGlynn’s arrangements.
The music in this archive was transcribed by Peter Brice from various commercial and private recordings of Billy (except “Thomas Friel’s, a jig recorded by Tommy McMahon and Bernard O’Sullivan on Clare Concertinas, Topic, 1975). Billy then edited and authorized Peter’s transcriptions, and those authorized scores have been reviewed for notational consistency by Samantha Suplee. Myron Bretholz and Peter Brice are writing and editing copy that will supplement the archive.
We have sought to document Billy’s compositions in three volumes: the first volume, from historical sources (i.e., published recordings and field recordings); the second, those transcriptions arranged and authorized by Billy (presented in this archive); and the third, the authorized scores as edited by Billy after a closed peer review. Our intention is to document the changes Billy has made to his compositions as his taste has evolved, and to document subsequent alterations Billy may choose to make in light of peer review. (Note that our intention is not necessarily to publish each of these “volumes”, but they will exist as a product of this collection.)
Billy has been careful to style his music for the fiddle and flute as well as for the button accordion, so feedback is essential for determining whether he has achieved the musical consensus he is seeking. Although each volume in the sequence is rendered from the scores in the previous volume, the earlier volumes have no dependencies on the latter. Therefore, there is no risk that suggestions made at this stage will expunge the archive of previous versions, or tarnish their validity.
I developed this methodology after working my way through Ed Reavy’s collection [Reavy, Joseph M. (c. 1984) The Collected Compositions of Ed Reavy. Green Grass Music. Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim]. I began to wonder how Ed senior might have edited his compositions for publication in light of their popularity in the years since his death. Over the years, Billy has edited many of his own compositions to meet musicians’ interests, so I would like to afford him the opportunity to publish an archive that is both historically valuable and retrospective.
We intend that in the completed archive, scores will be accompanied by narratives that explain the origin of the tune’s title and its history. This process has already begun. We are also currently expanding the number of Billy’s and Sean McGlynn’s arrangements in the collection.
(L to R) Larry Redican, Paddy O’Brien, and Billy McComiskey, c 1970.
Billy and I would be grateful to you if you would review these scores, and submit feedback via the form linked below (and above). As I mentioned in my email to you dated 4 February 2022, we are seeking to achieve three objectives:
We would like to collect or otherwise make ourselves aware of compositions we may have overlooked. We are working from memory and from a few very limited collections, so we aren't certain that the archive is complete. Every lead will be pursued.
We would like your critical input on the layout and content of the authorized scores. Are you able to interpret the scores? Do you think your students will be able to interpret the scores? Did you learn the composition from Billy (or from another source) in a different setting, or with variations, or with a different title? Is any part of the setting impossible to play on your instrument? Were you under the impression that a certain tune was composed by someone else? Answers to these questions will help us to anticipate criticism and flesh out the geographic range and history of the tunes.
We would like to know whether the collection is sufficient for your purposes. That is to say, for instance: Would you prefer more detail from the scores? Do you feel that a certain score is incomplete because it omits Billy's variations? Would you prefer to see the compositions published with other musicians’ settings or variations?
We appreciate that your familiarity with the tunes affords you rare insight into their construction and history. We look forward to receiving your expert advice.
Please review the transcriptions with the following in mind:
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: Please do not share the link and password to this archive, as we are trying to restrict its readership in the interest of publishing for a fresh audience.
PLAYBACK: Every score on this website features audio playback. You may use the controls at the bottom of the embedded score to enlarge the score, increase or decrease the tempo, and/or add a metronome.
PRESENTATION: The order of the scores and their categorization within this archive is not meant to indicate their intended order or categorization in a published collection. The order of the scores here is roughly alphabetical within categories, but the alphabetization distorts when I have to insert a score. In the interest of time, I do not re-alphabetize every time I add a new score.
FORMATTING: The scores on this website, hosted on flat.io, have not been formatted specifically for presentation on flat.io. Consequently, the parts run ragged over the staves. Expect the final presentation of these transcriptions to apply four measures to a staff, or five measures to a staff that contains a second ending. Flat.io reveals notation that Musescore will hide (e.g. time signatures in the air “Perpetual Light”). I have flagged these cases in this archive when I have noticed them.
ROLLS: Within these scores, most five-note rolls are notated eighth—grace—eighth—grace—eighth (Fig. 1) with the intent to demonstrate that a roll is the decoration of a single tone, or a single tone split into three eighth notes.
Figure 1
This notation is not rhythmically accurate, but I think it is easier to read than the more accurate eighth—grace—grace—eighth—eighth (Fig. 2) where the second eighth note occupies the lowest note of the roll (you can hear this roll in my transcription of “The Commodore”).
Figure 2
We chosen not to notate rolls using a turn symbol (𝆗) because we wish to indicate the limited options that the B/C system presents for the top and bottom notes of the roll. Please share with us your thoughts and preferences regarding a format for the rolls (see Transcriptions Rationale for further discussion of this subject).
THANK YOU: Thank you for reviewing these scores. Your insight will help us prepare Billy’s collection for publication. Many thanks also to Laura Byrne, without whose encouragement this project might not have begun. Best wishes and good health on all of you.
Sincerely,
Peter Brice
February 2022
(L to R) Sean McGlynn and Billy McComiskey, c 1980.
Transcriptions Rationale
The scores in this archive are Billy’s authorized editions of transcriptions I notated from a variety of public and private recordings he made (except “Thomas Friel’s”, a jig recorded by Tommy McMahon and Bernard O’Sullivan on Clare Concertinas, Topic, 1975). I took my transcriptions to Billy, and he edited them (with me entering the notes) into versions he would be satisfied to publish. In addition, Billy authorized scores that he notated for a class at the Augusta Heritage Center’s Irish Week c. 1985, which were submitted to us by Ann Noonan (see Changelog).
The scores contained in this archive are notated mostly without ornamentation. This is Billy’s preference so as not to burden the scores with accordion embellishments. However, we deemed it appropriate to notate ornaments in instances where the ornament is so common that its omission would be glaring. In these cases, we deferred to the B/C system to illustrate deviations from standard ornamentation on the flute or fiddle. The following is a short list of cases in which we have regularized embellishments:
Five note ROLLS and similar ornaments are notated as pitched on the B/C. A roll on the G, for instance is pitched G B G F# G.
Where one TRIPLET ends and the next triplet begins on the same pitch (for instance CEC CBC), we separate the similar pitches with a grace note.
Where an upbeat DUPLET ends and is followed by a downbeat duplet beginning on the same pitch (for instance CD EC CB AB), we separate the similar pitches with a grace note.
In reels and jigs, SUBDIVISIONS of the eighth note (quaver) are notated as sixteenth notes (semi-quavers). A similar figure in hornpipes is notated as a triplet.
A notable exception to this rationale is the waltz “Sleepless Nights”, which Billy concludes is squarely within the accordion’s repertoire. We therefore styled the score for the accordion. “The Palm Tree” and “The Flowers of Brooklyn” are notated at pitch in their B-flat and E-flat settings as Billy recorded them on Making the Rounds.
Changelog & Eventlog
20 January 2022
Added the “Dungannon Road”.
Fixed several flat.io scores that contained styling errors. More to come.
1 January 2022
(Finally) uploaded authorized transcriptions from Ann Noonan MSS, and various other stragglers (about 10 scores). The archive is now 41 compositions (not including settings).
18 April 2021
Re-added section Miscellany, which had been inadvertently deleted.
Fixed mismatched titles in Jigs.
Changed “Nora Sweeny” to “Nora Sweeney”.
12 April 2021
Received Ann Noonan MS containing unpublished: “The Pilgrim”, “Three Pounds for Three Days”, “Like a Thief in the Night”, “The False Alarm” (NB. This became “Annie from Coleraine”), and “Swallow Falls”.
10 April 2021
Added images of rolls to “Welcome Reviewers!” copy
19 March 2021
Added Changelog/Eventlog
Added Reel—”The Irish Tradition”
Added Category—Billy McComiskey’s Settings
Added Category—Sean McGlynn’s Settings
Updated welcome copy to reflect changes