Today I couldn’t decide which song to choose, so here are the two Weiss Music Minute finalists! (recorded 3/16/19)
First up, we have everyone’s favorite Irish song: Danny Boy.
This song was first written down in an old Irish song book from 1855 when it was called “Londonderry Air.” Although I had seen this title before, I didn’t happen to know that an air (Italian: aria) is a song-like vocal or instrumental composition. Or also that “The Londonderry Air” is an air that originated in County Londonderry, one of the original counties of the Kingdom of Ireland from 1613 onward. [Courtesy of Wikipedia 🙂 ]
This is my short arrangement of a traditional song with a non-traditional ending.
“I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover” was composed by Henry MacGregor Woods, who also wrote the music for “When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along)”!
Although Woods became legendary from this song, in modern times the song is probably most associated with Merrie Melodies cartoons (maybe that’s where I first heard it). It’s also a common tune played by the string bands in Philadelphia’s Mummers Parade (a shout out to my home town, Philadelphia! Picture the Mummers strutting to this song at the speed that I’m playing it! Pretty funny!)
These songs are dedicated to my friends AB, Brett, Gene, Aileen, Jason and Nathan.
Dr. Weiss
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