Mazurka, D, Traditional Irish
Also known as: Sonny Brogan’s; Garret Barry’s Mazurka; The Irish Mazurka
TrailJams Tune of the Week for November 28, 2021
Mazurkas originated in Poland, and spread over Europe in the 1800s, both as tunes and as a dance form. They found their way to Ireland in the mid-1800s, and have become a traditional tune form there, particularly in county Donegal. This tune comes from those roots and traditions.
Recordings
- Video – The Good Tune: Sonny’s Mazurka. Kevin Lees (fiddle) and Sebastian Bloch (guitar).
- Video – Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann: Sonny’s Mazurka from the album Foinn Seisiún 1: Traditional Irish Session Tunes, le Ceoltóiri Cultúrlainne
Dots (Music Notation)
As always for traditional tunes, the musical notation and chords do not indicate the “right” way to play the tune, but are a useful reference.
Play from the Dots
Sets
Examples of sets that include this tune.
- Sonny’s Mazurka / John Doherty’s Mazurka
Jump to the Sonny’s Mazurka set
References and Resources
For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.
- Web page – Irish Guitar Podcast, Lesson 70. Sonny’s Mazurka, by Tony O’Rourke. Audio with discussion and example of the tune played slowly and then up to tempo.
- Web page – Wikipedia: Mazurka. Article about the origin of the Mazurka and its migration from Poland to Ireland and other parts of the world.
- Web page – The Session: Sonny’s Mazurka. Notes and comments about the tune, with several musical settings.
- Video – hatao: 013 Sonny Brogan’s (Mazurka, D Ionian) Learn an Irish Tune Every Day. Tune played at slow and full tempo on flute and guitar, with musical score.
- Video – Jacob deGroot-Maggetti: Sonny’s Mazurka, played on mandolin
- Video – Willie Clancy – Garret Barry’s Mazurka, played on uilleann pipes. From the album The Pipering of Willie Clancy, Volume One
- Video – Jean Banwarth: Sonny’s Mazurka – Irish Guitar – DADGAD Fingerstyle Mazurka. Audio track is available on the album Just Sound by Jean Banwarth. Guitar tab, musical score, and notes are available in his book Irish Fingerpicking Guitar vol. 2.