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Then Farewell, Tarbert - a tune by John N MacNeill for George Campbell Hay's words.

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Then Farewell, Tarbert / Though I Should Go Ten Hunner Mile

The poem Then Farewell, Tarbert by George Campbell Hay and Hay's tune Though I Should Go Ten Hunner Mile for a version of that poem may be found in Collected Poems and Songs of George Campbell Hay, Edited by Michel Byrne, Edinburgh University Press 2000. Hay supplied no title for the version of the poem given in the Collected Poems, but the title Then Farewell, Tarbert seems natural enough. The language of Hay's poem may reflect the Kintyre dialect that he knew.

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In the audio file for MacNeill's tune, the melody is played by a violin and/or a whistle (flageolet). For some verses there is a basic chordal accompaniment (played on electric piano & lever harp, not that you can easily tell). The optional harmony part may be heard in the audio played on a second violin, and is even used for one verse as an alternative melody.

The sheet music and audio offered here give just melody line, harmony line and a very simple chordal accompaniment; no intro; no coda. Traditional musicians will anyway devise their own arrangements to suit their resources and to bring variety to the singing of several verses. The chords offered can be played on a guitar with standard tuning, but not easily.

No note of tune or harmony offered here is an accidental. So the music may suit players of folk/lever/wire/Celtic harps.

Chords for last line of lyrics: changed 23 June 2016
Lever harp added to audio: 28 June 2016
Tiny change to harmony part: 1 July 2016

Words.

Words of alternative verse one.

Audio: tune by Hay for with bass line by MacNeill (violin & cello).

Audio: tune by MacNeill.

PDF sheet music: tune by Hay with bass line by MacNeill.

PDF sheet music: tune by MacNeill.

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