My first schottiche, my first tune named after a pub and (therefore?) my first real success. It was also one of the first tunes I invented on my Wheatstone Aeola concertina.
This tune was named after the place where I first played it, The Nut Tree in Murcot, Oxon. Back then, it was a nice local pub with a dwindling band of regulars, trying to keep going by offering good food. It did that rather well, and now it’s a swanky restaurant with a Michelin star and who knows what.
Oxford City Morris used to dance there quite often, on summer Wednesday evenings, and it was during their 1993 visit that I first played this.
Originally, it was a 2-part, 32-bar tune, and that’s they way I play it most often. However, a friend wanted to play it as part of her entry in a competition, and asked if I could add another section to make it longer. I did this by adding another 16 bars in the middle. I’ve published them both here, so you can make your own choices. These days Three Pressed Men play this after The Cherry Tree.
Here’s a PDF of the score: Nut Tree Score PDF
And here’s the ABC text for both versions:
X:2
T:The Nut Tree – 2 part version
Z:Mark Fry
Z:Copyright © 1993 Mark Fry
Z:All Rights Reserved
L:1/8
Q:1/4=288
M:2/2
I:linebreak $
K:G
EFGA B2 cB | A2 BA G2 E2 | EFGA B2 cB | A2 d2 d4 | EFGA B2 cB | A2 BA G2 E2 | cBAG FGAB | G2 E2 E4 :: e2 ee e2 de | f2 e2 d2 B2 | Bd d2 d2 ed | B2 e2 e3 B | e2 ee e2 de | f2 e2 d2 B2 | cBAG FGAB | G2 E2 E4 😐
X:3
T:The Nut Tree – 3 part version
Z:Mark Fry
Z:Copyright © 1998 Mark Fry
Z:All Rights Reserved
L:1/8
Q:1/4=288
M:2/2
I:linebreak $
K:G
EFGA B2 cB | A2 BA G2 E2 | EFGA B2 cB | A2 d2 d4 | EFGA B2 cB | A2 BA G2 E2 | cBAG FGAB | G2 E2 E4 :: D2 c2 c2 dc | BAGA B4 | AGFE DEFG | F3 G/F/ E4 | D2 c2 c2 dc | BAGA B4 | cBAG FGAB | G2 E2 E4 :: e2 ee e2 de | f2 e2 d2 B2 | Bd d2 d2 ed | B2 e2 e3 B | e2 ee e2 de | f2 e2 d2 B2 | cBAG FGAB | G2 E2 E4 😐