MAIRI'S  WEDDING

Time signature:  4/4
Gaelic lyrics: J. R. Bannerman
English lyrics: Sir Hugh Robertson
​Music:  J. R. Bannerman
​Dance tune: James B. Cosh  
Accordion Notation   Source:  Paul Hardy's Session
​                                                                                            Tunebook 2021
Beats per bar = 2
​Beat symbol = Colon ( : ) or equivalent
Either row:    Butttons 4 to 7
The two pickup notes below are optional.  Many music sheets & books (for example, Kelly Russell's "Button Box") omit them, leaving players, if they wish, to put in their own musical starters

Pattern:​  AB repeated
    Tune: Part A          "6  "5*  > |
     Lyrics: Chorus
   ;5    "5       .5    .5*    |   .6    .7*    :7    |
Step  we    gail -  y         as   we    go
 
  .7*     .6      .5*    .6    |   .7    .7*   :7     |
Heel   for   heel  and     toe  for   toe

  ;5    "5     .5       .5*   |   .6      .7*   :7   |
Arm   in   arm   and      row  on   row  

 .7*   .6      .5*     .4*    |      :5        :5     |  
​All   for   Mair -  i's        wedd  -  ing
​    Tune:  Part B                  |
     Lyrics:  Verse
.8    .8      ;8      "9*       |   .8    .8*     :7     |
O - ver   hills   and        up  and  down

  .7*  .6      .5*     .6    |    .7     .7*   "7 ;8   |
Myr-tle  green  and    brack-en  brown

  .8     .8     ;8    "9*   |       .8      .8*    :7   |
Past the  shiel-ing    through the town

 .7*  .6     .5*    .4*   |   :5     :5      |  <
All  for  sake  of       Mair - i 


​
Embedded youTube VIDEOS
Fifteen videos from various diatonic collections: 
​
​A=2    A,B=1    Bb=1   D=2?   D,G=1   E,G=1   F=2   G=5    G,A=1

Each video seems to have its own order of chorus and verse, and most contain many repeats.
 Key:  A      Singing begins at time 0:40

Performers:  Van Morrison & the
                      Chieftains

​Posted by:  Lyenna
Key:   A     Singing begins at time 0:35

Group:  Orthodox Celts

​Posted by: BicycleFanatic89
Key:  A  for most of the sung parts
         B  short singing part near end.

Group:  Willoughby Brothers

​Posted by:  Willoughby Brothers - Topic
Key:  Bb

Group:  The Alexander Brothers

​Posted by:  Alexander Brothers - Topic
Key:  D

Singer: West London Folk Band

​Posted by:  Rosa Conrad
Key:  G from time 0 to 0:50
​             from time 2:21 to 3:11

Group:  Vanisle Scottish Country Dance
​             Society (Victoria, B.C.)

​Posted by:  John Duffus
Key:  D  from time 0:20 to  1:51  singing
         G  from 1:52 to End    singing

​Pattern:  AABB  (mainly)

Group:  Angelo Kelly & Family

​Posted by:  Angelo Kelly - Topic

Some of the musical interludes do not follow the accordion notation given above.
Key:  E  from time 0:10 to time 1:17
         G  from time 1:18 to 2:13
              Followed by instrumental
​                                  and dancing.

Group:  Rankin Family

Posted by:  Siobhan Cohen 
Key:   F

Performer:  Rhanah

Posted by:  Rhanah
Key:   F

Performer:  Amy Turke

Posted by:  Amy Turke
Key:   G

Performers:  Possibly Irish 

​Posted by:  Possibly Irish
Key:   G 

Group:  Dun Aengus

Posted by:  Dun Aengus - Topic
Key: G, with interesting embellishments
​
Arranged by Drew Collins

​Posted by: Carl Fischer Music
Key:    G  

Group:  Rob ? & Hector
              from Australia

Posted by:  Hector Awol
Key:  G     for "Mairi's Wedding" opening (47 s) and closing (30 s)  sets.  There are a number of other tunes between the opening and closing sets.

Musical Group:  ?

Dance at the St. Andrew's Ball in Singapore in 2019
​
​Posted by: Peter Tan

Instrumental for this Scottish country dance.
Key:  G   For most of the song.
          A   Briefly at the very end.

Group:  The Ugly Mugs

​Posted by: The Ugly Mugs
DANCE/SONG Version for a
Line dance (Heel & Toe)

Key:  G   For most of the song.
          A   Briefly at the very end.

Group:  ?

​Dancers: Ciaran Rosney and
Micaela Svensson Erlandsson
(Sweden?)
BACKGROUND MATERIALS, INFORMATION & LINKS

Chorus  A





Verse B1



Verse B2




Verse B3

​
LYRICS

​Step we gaily on we go
Heel for heel and toe for toe
Arm in arm and on we go
All for Mairi's Wedding

Over hills and up and down
Myrtle green and bracken brown
Past the shieling through the town
All for sake of Mairi

Plenty herring plenty meal
Plenty peat to fill her creel
Plenty bonnie bairns as weel
That's the toast for Mairi

Cheeks as bright as rowans are
Brighter far than any star
Fairest of them all by far
Is my darling Mairi
Background:
Click HERE for Wikipedia background information.  This opens in a separate window to make it easy to return to this site.