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Discussions => Tunes => Topic started by: Thrupenny Bit on October 07, 2017, 04:22:14 PM

Title: Happy Hours
Post by: Thrupenny Bit on October 07, 2017, 04:22:14 PM
Hi All,
Flicking through my 'to learn' file and I came across 'Happy Hours' photocopied from my Hardcore English tune book buried in the back.
It's just a delightful tune and the Old Hat Concert Party play it with such vim, it makes me smile just listening.
When I first came across it, having to use chin end accidentals was too much for me in my playing at the time but now I've got used to using the accidentals  it makes sense to learn it.

I've just played it from the cd whilst looking at the music. it's a 4 part piece, and the recording sticks roughly to the music first time through. The parts A,B,C and D look like they should all repeat I.e. A x 2, B x 2, C x 2 and Dx 2 and repeat the lot.
On the cd it sounds to me like ABCx2Dx2, then goes into a shuffle of the four parts and I get lost.
I'm not sure if it is solely for the cd benefit, or if it is played as per the cd locally.
Anyone have any ideas as to the 'musical formula' of the parts as you might expect in a session if you'd play it in a session?
This question is possibly directed towards those in the East of the country!
cheers
Q
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Anahata on October 07, 2017, 04:39:20 PM
There's a general consensus in some London sessions, but the Hard Core version is very different, and all other versions I've heard are different from each other too.  So... yeah, I'd like an answer to that question too.
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Thrupenny Bit on October 07, 2017, 04:49:26 PM
Ah.... You were one of the people I thought might know!
Right, we both might learn something then  (:)
Q
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Andy on October 07, 2017, 05:01:06 PM
Assume then that this is a different tune from the "Happy Hours" played here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxcG2nrL-aU

or is it the same tune?
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Julian S on October 07, 2017, 05:42:17 PM
Am I right in thinking it's in D in Hard Core English ? I've always played it in G - and 2A 2B 2C 2D. I mislearned it from the Bob Smith's Ideal Band LP way back when - no idea what the original composition by Emil Vacher specifies (the dots are in a box somewhere following my house move, probably never to resurface !)
Thanks for the reminder about the tune - I used to play it to exercise all the fingers ! When playing it in public it was definitely one not to try after a couple of pints...

J
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Steve_freereeder on October 07, 2017, 05:47:35 PM
We play it for a Lizzie Dripping dance using a version very similar to that given in Hard Core English, which is hardly surprising, as I learned it directly from Barry Callaghan (the tragically deceased compiler/editor of HCE) when he used to play in the Lizzie Dripping band.

Our version is played AB (AA BB CC DD)x3 to fit the dance. See attached. NB it's a music hall tune, composed by Emil Vacher, not really traditional as stated in the pdf.

Assume then that this is a different tune from the "Happy Hours" played here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxcG2nrL-aU
or is it the same tune?
It's the same tune but played rather idiosyncratically and omitting the A music altogether. He is playing it BB CC BB CC DD CC BB.

Am I right in thinking it's in D in Hard Core English ?
Yes, in D.
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Steve_freereeder on October 07, 2017, 06:02:29 PM
Here's the ABC version as we play it:

X:1
T:Happy Hours
T:For the Lizzie Dripping dance 'Deva'
C:Emile Vacher, 1926, learned from the playing of Barry Callaghan
M:2/4
L:1/8
K:D
P:Intro
HD2 HC2|A,D/F/ AF|BF A2|A/AA/ B=c|.^c2 z2||
P:A
A,D/F/ AF|BF A2|A,D/F/ AF|A^G =G2|CE/G/ BG|cG BG|cG BE|BA F2|
A,D/F/ AF|BF A2|A,D/F/ AF|A^G =G2|GB/G/ EG|F/G/A/F/ DF|A/AA/ Bc|.d2 z||
P:B
A/A/|BA GF|AE E/F/G/A/|c>B AG|BF F/G/^G/A/|d>c e>d|dE E/F/G/A/|cc cG|BA A/F/G/A/|
BA GF|AE E/F/G/A/|c>B AG|BF F/G/^G/A/|d2 cd|e/e/e/e/ ed|c/B/A/B/ A/G/F/E/|D2||
P:C
fg|:a/f/d/f/ ab/g/|a/f/d/f/ af/a/|g/e/c/e/ g/e/a/g/|f/A/B/c/ d/e/f/g/|
a/f/d/f/ ab/g/|a/f/d/f/ ad'|c'/b/a/g/ f/e/d/c/|1ed df/g/:|2ed d||
P:D
|:F/G/|AF f/e/d/c/|BG g/f/e/d/|c/d/c/B/ A/B/A/G/|F/G/A/B/ AF/G/|
AF f/e/d/c/|BG g/f/e/d/|c/d/c/B/ A/G/F/E/|D3:|
W:
W:Playing order:
W:Intro
W:AB
W:ABCCDD x 3
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Jack Campin on October 07, 2017, 06:03:52 PM
I used to play this regularly, presumably my version was via Jimmy Shand.  Composed by Émile Vacher.  I tried to get clever and mistakenly googled "email vacher heures heureuses" - which got me stuff about gluten- and dairy-free restaurants in Paris.  Then remembered that Vacher actually called it "Plaisance Fox".  I've got Vacher's own recording on mp3, not sure where that came from.  I presume the score is in books of accordion favourites, it doesn't seem to be out there for free.

Hardcore French version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IErAF2-oq0o
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Mike Hirst on October 07, 2017, 06:24:22 PM
Interesting thread.

I had always assumed this to be a Felix Burns composition. (It bears many similarities with both Woodland Flowers and The dancing Dustman.) A quick Google confirms that the composer is indeed Emile Vacher. It is interesting to note that whilst Vacher sought to break into the UK market with recordings of the High Level Hornpipe et al., Will Starr ( whose 78rpm recording probably did more to aid the dissemination of the melody within the UK context) gives duel attribution to both Emile Vacher and  Jean Peyronnin, whose Reine de Musette remains one of the most instantly recognized melodies from the golden era of Paris Musette. It would appear that the linking element here is the fact that Peyronnin was employed by both Vacher and Starr as arranger on recording engagements.
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Thrupenny Bit on October 07, 2017, 06:39:44 PM
Thanks Steve, you were the other person I thought would know, and I was right.
I'll take your version as the definitive and get my fingers round it.
( Barry lists Vacher as the composer in HCE as Steve says. )
Glad it's jogged some memories, as it did with me earlier this afternoon when I saw it nestling happily at the back of the folder!
It's a belting happy tune. Must learn.
Thanks for all the info everyone.
Cheers
Q
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Steve_freereeder on October 07, 2017, 08:51:55 PM
Hardcore French version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IErAF2-oq0o
That's interesting too. He only plays the B, C and D parts - similar to the Daniel McPhee version which Andy linked to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxcG2nrL-aU
Makes you wonder where the A music came from...

It's a belting happy tune. Must learn.
It goes brilliantly on a one-row four-stop in D - Just a couple of fudges needed to fake the accidentals!  ;)

Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Thrupenny Bit on October 07, 2017, 08:56:22 PM
Steve, I'm sure it goes nicely on a 1- row, but I haven't got one and I'm in enough trouble as it is  ;D
I think you know what I mean....
Q
Increasingly MAD.
It sort of crept up on me ... m'lud!
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Theo on October 07, 2017, 11:31:46 PM
Happy Hours was a party piece of the piper Billy Pigg, who taught it to Andy May, who used it as the title track of his second album.
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Jack Campin on October 07, 2017, 11:56:55 PM
Somebody posted some ABC for a different tune of the same name, asked if that was what we were talking about, but then deleted it while I was writing this - please don't do that.  Here's the tune they posted, heavily edited from the original bizarre syntax (from that style, presumably John Chambers entered it).

Code: [Select]
X:2
T:Happy Hours
G:polka
M:2/4
L:1/16
P:AABBCDD
K:D
[P:A] z2|:A,2DF A3A |  B2F2   A4   |A,2DF A3F |   A2_A2 G4 |\
      [1  C2EG  B3A |  c2G2   B4   |c2E2  G4  |   B2A2  F4:|
      [2  G2BG  E4  |  F2AF   D4   |A3A   B2c2|   d6      |:\
[P:B] zA| B2A2  G2F2|  A2 E4  (3FGA|c3B   A2G2|   B2 A4 zA |
      [1  d4    ce3 |  dd3    E3B  |c2 B4   c2|   B2 A4   :|\
      [2  d4    c4  |(3eee ez A2AB |AGFE  D4- |   D6      ||
[P:C] z2| afdf  afbf|  bfdf   a4   |bgeg  agfe|   dABc defg|\
          afdf  afbf|  afdf   a2d2 |c'bag fedc|   e2d2 d2 :|
[P:D] FG| A2F2  fedc|  B2G2   gfed |cdcB  AGFE|[1 FGAB A2 :|\
                                               [2 D6      |]

Nope.  There is yet another unrelated Happy Hours Polka on the Library of Congress's "American Memory" site.

https://www.loc.gov/resource/sm1873.03936.0?st=gallery

And this, which I don't think has much of a future:

https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.100004341/

And this (just plain boring):

https://www.loc.gov/resource/sm1873.12993.0?st=gallery
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Steve_freereeder on October 08, 2017, 01:22:35 AM
Somebody posted some ABC for a different tune of the same name, asked if that was what we were talking about, but then deleted it while I was writing this - please don't do that.
People have the freedom to change their mind and amend or delete their own posts if, on reflection, they think it is inappropriate, irrelevant or simply adds little to the debate. If it renders your own post superfluous, you always have the option to delete it.

Quote
Nope.
:(
As it happens, the code you entered, despite the bizarre syntax, is in fact a version of the Happy Hours we are discussing.
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Jack Campin on October 08, 2017, 01:44:09 AM
I'd spent so long digging around the LoC site (not easy on my slow machine) and editing that ABC into something that didn't throw up screenfuls of error messages that I wasn't about to throw my post away on finding that the one that motivated it had vanished.  (I see the resemblance for the C part, the others have changed quite a bit).  Fortunately I'd saved the posted ABC - doesn't really matter who posted it or where they got it from.  The result should be a more portable and generally useful ABC of the same version of the tune.
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Thrupenny Bit on October 08, 2017, 08:22:12 AM
Theo, Billy Pigg is mentioned as a source in HCE.
I'll try and get a listen on Amazon or somewhere.....
Thanks for reminding me.
Q
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Theo on October 08, 2017, 08:43:51 AM
Andy May play is better IMHO
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Thrupenny Bit on October 08, 2017, 10:36:28 AM
Ok....
I've looked at Border Minstrel on Amazon.  I have it as an lp but have no means to play it now!
It does bring back memories though. I'll take a look at Andy May.
Cheers
Q
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Thrupenny Bit on October 08, 2017, 10:51:25 AM
Found him on iTunes and had a listen to Happy Hours - lovely stuff indeed!
Thanks for the heads up.
Q
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Roger Howard on October 08, 2017, 12:08:27 PM
Andy May play is better IMHO

It's free to listen to the Andy May's spectacular version on Spotify - unfortunately Billy Pigg's version isn't also there for an easy comparison. 

Roger
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Jack Campin on October 08, 2017, 01:35:07 PM
Isn't this Billy Pigg?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS7Iy8Ywlrc
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Roger Howard on October 08, 2017, 04:01:45 PM
Isn't this Billy Pigg?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS7Iy8Ywlrc

Yes!
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: KLR on October 09, 2017, 11:09:33 AM
This is actually Guido Deiro's Variety Polka (Polka Variado). (https://archive.org/details/78_variety-polka-polka-variado_guido-deiro_gbia0006364a)  Who knows why Vacher claimed it as his own tune.

Some more transcriptions:  https://thesession.org/tunes/13917
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Jack Campin on October 09, 2017, 01:45:36 PM
Vacher's version has a lot more zing.
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Daniel McPhee on November 25, 2017, 11:09:51 AM
There's a general consensus in some London sessions, but the Hard Core version is very different, and all other versions I've heard are different from each other too.  So... yeah, I'd like an answer to that question too.

It’s not really a difficult piece to learn, three measures in total. Learn it slowly building up to moderate tempo. Don’t play it too fancy
Regards
Daniel
Title: Re: Happy Hours
Post by: Steve_freereeder on November 25, 2017, 04:02:08 PM
It’s not really a difficult piece to learn, three measures in total. Learn it slowly building up to moderate tempo. Don’t play it too fancy
Although some people only play three parts, there are actually four parts. See the earlier posts on this thread.
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