Happy New Year!
Thought this video micht mean a bit more today for those that may have indulged a bittie ower much over the Hogmanay spirits….
Farewell to Whisky was written in 1799, by famous Scottish Fiddler, Niel Gow. After the prohibition of whisky distilling, which followed a poor barley crop, new excise laws all but ended legal whisky distilling in the Highlands. “A Highlander’s Farewell to his favourite beverage” as Niel Gow put it.
Music has a unique way of connecting us across cultures and history, and “My Father Was a Dutchman,” also known as “Paddy Kelly’s,” is no exception. I recently played this delightful tune on my accordion for a YouTube friend in Holland (@Shandfan), and it got me reflecting on its fascinating journey across the world.
I first heard this tune in a Facebook video featuring the legendary Irish button accordionist Bobby Gardiner. His rendition was so captivating that it led me down a rabbit hole of musical history. What I discovered was a story that spanned continents!
This tune has a special place in Australia’s bush music tradition, where it’s often said to have been brought over by Dutch settlers. Interestingly, its style leans more toward a Mazurka than a traditional waltz.
But the variations don’t stop there—this melody has traveled far and wide, picking up different names and nuances along the way. From “Fanny Elsler’s Spanish Cachuca” to “Aggie’s Waltz,” it has an almost endless list of aliases, including “Mayflower Waltz,” “My Heart is in the Highlands,” and even “They Said She Was a Virgin.” Each name hints at a different cultural moment or interpretation, adding layers of depth to its history.
Whether you call it “My Father Was a Dutchman,” “Paddy Kelly’s,” or any of its myriad names, this melody resonates with the universality of music. It’s a bridge between traditions, a dance between cultures, and a testament to the enduring power of a great tune.
For those interested in exploring the sheet music, I found a version on The Traditional Tune Archive. While it’s different from my interpretation, that’s the beauty of traditional music—every player brings their own flavor to the mix.
Have you heard this tune before? What name do you know it by? Let me know in the comments, and share your connection to this remarkable piece of music history. 🎶
Doric Film Festival 2022 winner.
The story o’ Taranty Ha’
You can see all the other Doric Film Festival winners and runners up here https://doricfilmfestival.com/
Albert Thomson and I put together a film entry for the Doric Film Festival 2022. Albert came up with script and with my mums help we translated it into Doric for the film festival. Albert has a great knowledge of the Trinity Hall and the seven incorporated Trades of Aberdeen. He has written books on the subject and gives tours to private parties of the building. Albert is also a member of the Shoemakers incorporation.
The story of Trinity Hall in Aberdeen is a long one stretching back over 800 years to the days of King William the Lion. The Trinity Hall is now sited on the corner of Great Western Road and Holburn Street in Aberdeen, the third known site of the hall in its 800-year history. The Trinity Hall has been used as a Chapel by King William the Lyon, by the Trinitarian Friars, and since 1631 is now home to the Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen perhaps one of the oldest trade organisations in the world (since 1537). Originally sited near Guild Street as King Williams Chapel ( the Chapel was rebuilt due to a fire and later due to bad repair), subsequently the hall moved to a more prestigious Union Street in 1847 due to the arrival of the railways. Then in 1960, a new hall was built on Holburn Street due to the Trinity Shopping Centre being built and decimating an iconic building, something that seems to have been a habit in Aberdeen over the years, and a real shame for future generations. Few could argue the trinity Shopping Centre was a valuable replacement for the Trinity Hall and our open span Union Brig!
Many of the valuable artefacts and memorabilia in the hall today have been collected over a timeline dating back 800 years to the days of King William the Lion. Some of the original stained-glass windows have been moved and included in the Holburn Street Hall. Worth a mention as well are King William’s table and Deacon’s chairs.
Script by Albert Thomson.
I filmed and edited.
Our film was Joint Winner in the Doric Film Festival 2022 (individuals)
Supported by The Doric Board.
Here’s a few clips of Iron Broo playing during the break, courtesy of Adam Usmani
Life in the Finland Woods is a popular Scandinavian piece of music. Written by Carl Jularbo (1893-1966), it is prevalent in Canada and the USA as well as Scotland and Ireland. It was made famous in the UK and Ireland with Jimmy Shand, Foster and Allen, Seán Ryan and many others recording it. It is also known by different titles such as ‘Life in the Finnish Woods’ or “Livet i Finnskogarna”, (life in the Finn forests), and despite the name, the tune is from Malmo, Sweden. The song was written about some Finnish people who settled in the woods nearby. Here’s what i learned on the web….
The composer Carl Jularbo was a Swedish accordion virtuoso who first recorded the tune in 1915, and it was published in a 1938 Swedish tune book Jularbos Basta. It’s also believed Pattie Page used the first two parts of the melody for her 1950’s hit song “Mockingbird Hill”. She has a stunning voice.
I learned the tune from the playing of Mick Foster of Foster and Allen. He gave me a copy of his music book in Aberdeen some twenty years ago. I still have my signed copy and I would recommend you snap up a copy for yourself. As an accordionist or any other musician I think you need this book in your collection of scores. It will make you feel more complete and add value to your repertoire. The print is large so the score is very easy to read and there’s a good variety of melodies.
Foster and Allen’s recording of the song in 1987 appears on their album “Reflections”, it’s track 15.
Carl Jularbo’s 1954 recording of his original tune “Livet i Finnskogarna” on track 28 of the album De bästa soloinspelningarna 1913-1954
Well I hope this short post gives some value to your day and that you enjoyed my playing the version of Life in the Finland Woods from Mick’s book and hearing the older original version from Carl Jularbo on Amazon. It’s been an interesting exercise for me to research the tune for you and I’ve discovered another accordionist to listen to and steal ideas from. I’ll be listening to more of Carl and discovering more new tunes on the never ending journey of discovery that is music.
Leave a comment and let me know what you’d like to hear me play, or just comment for the sake of it so I know someones’ reading. We are all just joining the dots on the pages of time.
It might look like I’m listening to you, but in my head I’m playing the accordion.
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2020 has been hard going for us all. We are all having to look at new ways to survive. I’ve tried to look at ways to develop my music without live performances, and it’s been a learning process, and I’m still trying.
I’ve managed to grow my YouTube Channel after posting many videos. I enjoy making all the videos and recording music.
If you like my music scroll down to the end of the page to see some little things you can do if you’d like to help me create more.
Recently added – Sheet music & lyrics for Macduff Maggie
From my YouTube stats, I know that 85% of my views are from unsubscribed people, and most of my audience are males over 65+. It’s 100% free to Subscribe to my YouTube channel. If you click the bell icon on the bottom right in the YouTube browser screen, it means YouTube will send you a notification when I upload but only if you have allowed notifications from YouTube on your device. Eventually, I can apply to get a share of ad revenue from YouTube via the ads it puts on my videos sometimes. But first, I need 4000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months before qualifying. Today I have 3879! So nearly there…
2. Buy Me A Coffee any time you like and as much as you like
3. Like my Facebook Pages. It’s an excellent way to encourage me to do more on Facebook. I don’t find so much engagement on that platform for my music. Shares, likes and comments are a great help.
Social media platforms like engagement, and I’ll try and engage with you where I can.
▶ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Charlie-Abel-503207363514874
▶ Iron Broo FB page https://www.facebook.com/CeilidhAberdeen/
4. Become a Patreon member.
Did you know I have a new Patreon page? Patreon is a great idea for artists and creative people to get crowdfunding and moral support from a reliable private members club. Knowing there’s some income coming in helps me buy new equipment to do better projects and reduce the worry of money a little. I also offer you some treats in return for your support. Starting from £3 a month, plus VAT. You can again ask me anything and give me input or suggest ideas for treats or new material. I also offer to write a piece of music for members at a higher tiered level. ▶ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CharlieAbel
5. Visit my websites, buy a CD or download. There’s a small library of PDF sheet music that’s free to download. Commenting on relevant pages in the site or in the blog help my search results online.
▶ Charlie Abel site: https://www.CharlieAbel.com
▶ Iron Broo Ceilidh Site: https://www.ironbroo.scot
6. Share my music anywhere you can, especially with YouTube or even Facebook, Twitter or other Social media platforms.
7. Call in to your favourite radio stations and ask them to play a request for some of my original compositions, songs or covers.
