Londonderry Air arranged for String Orchestra.

A big band version of the song is used as the theme for The Danny Thomas Show (a.k.a. Make Room For Daddy).

"Danny Boy" was used to represent Northern Ireland at the start of the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, sung by a choir of children on the Giant?s Causeway.

On November 25, 2014, the Vancouver Canucks used the song in honor of the recently deceased Pat Quinn, who played and worked in many executive capacities for the team.

There are various theories as to the true meaning of "Danny Boy". Some listeners have interpreted the song to be a message from a parent to a son going off to war or leaving as part of the Irish diaspora.

The 1918 version of the sheet music included alternative lyrics ("Eily Dear"), with the instructions that "when sung by a man, the words in italic should be used; the song then becomes "Eily Dear", so that "Danny Boy" is only to be sung by a lady". In spite of this, it is unclear whether this was Weatherly?s intent.

Why the name Londonderry Air? Londonderry and Derry refer to the same place, a city in the north of Ireland, and also to the surrounding county. Supposedly the city of Derry was founded by St. Colmcille, although archaeological evidence shows that people were living there thousands of years earlier. There is an excellent museum in the city, which is worth a visit if you want to find out more. The name of the city was actually "Doire", corrupted to "Derry" by people who can?t pronounce Irish. It thought to derive from an Irish root meaning "oak tree".

Moving quickly along in history, about a millenium later the government of England was having a difficult time colonizing Ireland because of the fierce and warlike clans living there, especially in the north of the country, Ulster. The monarchs of England, almost all of whom were notorious cheapskates, were continually looking about for ingenious ways to conquer places without actually having to put up the money themselves, or run the risk of unpopularity if they lost. In the case of Ireland, some of these schemes of the "Brish gummit" (as it is termed nowadays in Ulster) are still producing unfortunate long-term consequences.

In 1608, King James I gave the city of Derry to the City of London corporation. I guess the deal could be summed up by saying that if the City of London could figure out a way to chase all the inhabitants out of Derry, they would be allowed to keep the loot, minus a percentage for the King of course. If they lost, well too bad. In celebration of this historic agreement, the name of Derry was officially changed to Londonderry. (For further information, check out the Northern Ireland Tourist Board?s History of Derry.)

The linguistic outcome of all this today is that, if you think that King James?s deal with the City of London was a good idea, you call both the city and county "Londonderry". If you do, you are probably a supporter of the Unionist movement that seeks to keep Ulster a part of the United Kingdom. If you think it was a bad idea, you call both "Derry", and you are probably a supporter of the Irish Nationalist cause. Or you might just be someone who thinks it?s confusing for kings to be going around changing the names of places all the time for no good reason.

You can find plenty of discussion about the political side of the question elsewhere, but here let?s look at the musical side. We have an air, collected in county Derry/Londonderry, and it doesn?t have a title. What do we call it?

If you were a proper Victorian, there?s no way you were going to call it the Londonderry Air, much less the Derry Air, because of the improper sentiments that these titles might suggest. My parents tell me that in their youth in Australia, it was usually called the Air from County Derry. (This would, I suppose, support Winston Churchill?s theory that Australia was inhabited by "convicts and Irishmen".)

My mother also sends the following information, referring to an arrangement of the tune by the Australian composer Percy Grainger:

Just another note about Danny Boy, that I grew up in Australia believing to be the Air from County Derry. We were looking through some LP?s last night (back to vinyl yet!) and found a Mercury Wing Classical Favorites stereo LP SRW18060, COUNTRY GARDENS and other favorites by Percy Grainger {played by} Eastman-Rochester Pops, Frederick Fennell, conducting. The cover notes included the following: "Irish Tune from County Derry was harmonised in memory of Irish childhood friends in Australia." Considered by many to be Grainger?s masterpiece of harmonization, the tune was collected many years ago by Miss Jane Ross of New Town, Limavady, Ireland. Grainger has set it for many instrumental combinations. So there?s another variant on the name for it. It doesn?t say who wrote the notes, but the bits in quotes for each of the works on the record are Grainger?s original comments.

The references to Londonderry Air that I?ve seen don?t go back any earlier than the late 1930s. For example, the Glenn Miller Orchestra recorded Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) in February 1940. Bing Crosby?s version was recorded in July 1941 (reference). (So many different things I could check up on!) Londonderry was an important American naval base during WWII, but the US hadn?t come into the war in 1940.

Need an anthem fast? They are ALL in my store! All my anthem arrangements are also available for Orchestra, Recorders, Saxophones, Wind, Brass and Flexible band. If you need an anthem urgently for an instrumentation not in my store, let me know via e-mail, and I will arrange it for you FOC if possible! keithterrett@gmail.com

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24 all original Clarinet duets for intermediate to advanced players by Keri Degg. Containing a multitude of styles from Swing, Celtic, contemporary, classical, Rock and more, these are a must have for the intermediate to advanced player wanting to improve their playing.

As the duets are all original, no 'cheating' can take place by already knowing the melodies so good tactical mathematical skills must be employed. Some of the duets zone in on intonation, others on rhythmic precision, or expression. There are a number of light hearted duets in the collection which provide welcome relief amidst exam study work (after all, music should be fun too!).

The duets stick mainly to the keys and note ranges for the given grades but there are occasional exceptions (in our opinion this is good preparation for what is to come ahead) and generally the lower Clarinet part (Clarinet 2) is a little easier in standard and has more notes in the lower range than the other (although often the melody line will switch from player to player to share the tune and encourage sympathetic listening skills).

Apologies for the (rather poor) audio file; it's a digital interpretation of 'The Chase' - a comedy duet from the collection. They sound amazing on real instruments! There are 23 more duets too remember.

Examples of the included duets include; 'Desert Scape' (with ethereal timbral trills for a shimmering effect), 'The Chase'.... a comedy romp (imagine a cartoon chase; Tom and Jerry etc!), 'Seventh Heaven' a swing jaunt, 'I baroqued it' (a baroque-inspired fast paced duet), plus Celtic flavoured duets and more....

This is the sequel collection to the popular '40 Graded Clarinet Duets' (Grades 1-5) by Keri Degg. Also available in Saxophone, and Flute editions.

24 all original Flute duets for intermediate to advanced players by Keri Degg. Containing a multitude of styles from Swing, Celtic, contemporary, classical, Rock and more, these are a must have for the intermediate to advanced player wanting to improve their playing.

As the duets are all original, no 'cheating' can take place by already knowing the melodies so good tactical mathematical skills must be employed. Some of the duets zone in on intonation, others on rhythmic precision, or expression. There are a number of light hearted duets in the collection which provide welcome relief amidst exam study work (after all, music should be fun too!).

The duets are designed for 2 C flutes (B foot/feet are not required). Or, for a giggle.... try them on two piccolo's (ear defenders are not included however...).

The duets stick mainly to the keys and note ranges for the given grades but there are occasional exceptions (in our opinion this is good preparation for what is to come ahead) and generally the lower Flute part (Flute 2) is a little easier in standard (although often the melody line will switch from player to player to share the tune and encourage sympathetic listening skills).

Apologies for the (rather poor) audio file; it's a digital interpretation of 'The Chase' - a comedy duet from the collection. They sound amazing on real instruments! There are 23 more duets too remember.

Examples of the included duets include; 'Desert Scape' (with ethereal timbral trills for a shimmering effect), 'The Chase'.... a comedy romp (imagine a cartoon chase; Tom and Jerry etc!), 'Seventh Heaven' a swing jaunt, 'I baroqued it' (a baroque-inspired fast paced duet), plus Celtic flavoured duets and more....

This is the sequel collection to the popular '40 Graded Flute Duets' (Grades 1-5) by Keri Degg. Also available in Saxophone, and clarinet editions.

Here are fourteen ragtime style flute duets - very contrapuntal - equally challenging and fun in both parts - sure to help teenage flute students keep on with their lessons! Below, find some reviews by flute teachers:Here are some reviews for these duets from flute teachers: ByDr. Mom on November 19, 2013 As a flute teacher, I watch for new and interesting music for my students. These Rags are terrific! They are harmonically and musically interesting, introduce a style to the students with which they may be unfamiliar yet has a "jazzy" feel, and are simple enough in range, rhythm and length (they're relatively brief) to be approachable to the intermediate student - a level at which one often needs interesting music to keep them going! - and above. I had one student who is versed in jazz (plays jazz trumpet) who tried to swing these, so I had the opportunity to work with him on how Rags differ from "swung" jazz, which was kind of fun. I feel these duets fill a need in the modern flute studio, and recommend them highly. Something to Rag about - for students & performers a-like! By Em on November 16, 2013 This 12-piece book is a delightful introduction to ragtime for flutists, who usually don't get the chance to play much jazz or "rag" music. What I perhaps enjoy most about the book is, the 2nd flute part has many chances for nice melodic interplay or fun walking bass lines to accompany the 1st flute. (Unlike many duet books that have a rather stagnant bass line for the 2nd flute/accompaniment.) If you are playing with students who are new to the territory, it is a great book to have them develop an ear for jazz chords. You'll need to review how to swing eighths, since that isn't covered here --it's for Intermediate players after all :). The lines should not be incredibly challenging though, and it is presented in such a way that whether up or down tempo, it's still fun to play. I did like playing most of the pieces up-tempo, though! My top favorite pieces are #5- "Forget-Me-Not", #6 - "Cotton Candy Rag", #11 - "High Country Stomp" (it's nice got a nice lilting feel) and #12- "Green Mountain Saunter." There is a great variety, and each piece has a memorable melody. Grab a flutist friend and play these! If you like to have up-beat and playful tunes (especially during these cold winter months) these will warm you up real fast. Hi Patricia,The Ragtime Miniatures for Two Flutes ? Set 1 Intermediate by Patricia Holmberg lends itself to development in rhythmic and reading skills. It offers studies of syncopated rhythms in 4/4 and 12/8. The 12/8 duets support improvement in the student?s triple feel. Also, the changes in meter challenge and support the enhanced reading skills of the student. Furthermore, the chromatic tones offer stylistic colors to the student?s assortment of fingering patterns. Students using the book had a positive response to the melodic content: it was fun to play?a breath of fresh air.Thank you for bringing your book to my attention. We await set two. Phyllis G. Ragtime Miniatures- Intermediate By Jean A. E. on November 7, 2013 This is Intermediate level music, it can satisfy several levels of players, and altho rags come over stylistically the same , these are varied enough . Except for mostly using flat key signatures, and having some confusion in finding your way around repeats and da capos, these are pleasant little works, some of which would make nice concert encores. The only feature I as a performer corrected when my friend and I played them thru was to 8 va some of the too low 2nd parts. Doing this seemed to improve the voicing.So In general, nice work,Pat!!Professional Flutist/ performer Jean A. "Back to School 2015".