The Chicopee Reel

Irish Flute
1

long , long time ago , i read a story , in the Comhaltas (phtuiiii !) Treoir magazine , about a tune called The Chicopee Reel .
anyone have a source for the notation for this tune ?
anyone ever heard of this tune ?
anyone remember the story?

thanks , jim troy

the story as i remember it .

a family of musicians visiting another house , for a session of tunes , where they pick up this tune called The Chicopee Reel.
when they get home and set up for playing the tunes they had gotten that night , nobody can remember the tune, the best one of the night.
racked their brains , but no way will it come back , so eventually they all head to the scratcher.
'sé an am soip .
in the middle of the night , one of the lads remembers the tune , hops out of bed, calls the others, sets up, gives them the run of it, and they tear into it.
all retire ,again , to bed, with great relief, now that that is sorted, happy to have the tune again, .

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117 views , and no replies ?

ah lads ! c’mon . lie to me , tell me porkies , anything ..

or is it a tune that you would be embarrased to have it known that you play it ? a bit like the Irish Washerwoman ?

or maybe people might think that you read Treoir ? the magazine of Comhaltas ( phtoooiiiii ! )

if i don’t get some info, i’ll have to throw a wobbler .

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I love the slang on the other side of the pond. :slight_smile:

Teh Google turns up one hit for “The Chicopee Reel”, as the title of an obscure magazine article from 1953 by one Joseph O’Connor. No more info beyond that.

http://www.cpprovince.org/archives/thesign/1953.php

I found an ABC of “The Chickadee’s Polka”, sourced from Bob McQuillen in 1975. And there’s the good old “Chicken Reel”, which would be “interesting” on pipes or flute. :slight_smile:

Just guessing wild by the name, I’d guess “The Chicopee Reel” to be a New England contradance tune.

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thanks for that MT , looks like it was a short story that was doing the rounds.
i’ll have to go with me cap in me hand , tip the forelock ( long ago receded) and ask the people in Comhaltas ( pht…) for their files on old copies of Treoir .

if i’m not back in an hour , send a man in after me .
not a big man , just a man with lots of money …