Lives of the Pipers Home
"Fox Chase" and Pat and James Touhey
In 1899 "James T. Tuohey, New York," writing from Montreal, asked Robert Thompson, the piping instructor at the Cork Piper's' Club, for the music to the "Fox Chase," a well-known descriptive piping piece. "I have been over and again asked for a piece called the "Fox Chase," and I have never heard it yet, and after broad research in this country, I have been unable to find it...."
This letter, with comment from the apparent respondent, was published in Fainne an Lae, Dublin, Sep. 2, 1899. Fainne an Lae was published in Irish and English, and Brewer's Dictionary of Irish Phrase and Fable describes it as "the first Irish-language newspaper."
Irish piper James T. Touhey was in Montreal in March-April 1899. An article from the Montreal The True Witness and Catholic Chronicle April 8, 1899 p. 11 describes his visit. This adds weight, if needed, to the idea that he was the letter writer.
The respondent for the Cork Pipers' Club writes that the "Fox Chase was sent on but it is of interest to note that it was sent on a cylinder of the phonograph..." [Perhaps in return, recordings were sent from Montreal to Cork. At a joint meeting of the Gaelic League and the Cork Pipers' Club, January 4, 1900, those assembled listened to "selections on the phonograph, including song by George Shorten and Irish pipe solos by Messrs Tuohy and O'Brien, of Montreal...." L. P. O'Brien of Montreal was a piper and a great supporter of James Touhey. This was a very early example of an exchange of recordings for learning or enjoyment.]
Here the matter might rest, adding a bit more information to what is known about James Touhey. But much attention has been paid to the "Fox Chase" after 1899. The great Irish music collector Francis O'Neill, operating out of Chicago, published a version of it credited to "Tuohy" in 1903, in his landmark book Music of Ireland. It is the last tune in the book.
In other publications O'Neill described the sources of this version at least three times. He mentions Pat Touhey as a source, and not James Touhey.
Pat and James were supposedly cousins. Both were professional Irish pipers. Pat had the more successful career. Francis O'Neill thought highly of him and wrote of him often. James made a big splash at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 but after that his career seemed undistinguished and in gradual decline. O'Neill never mentioned him except in a list he compiled of "living performers on the union pipes" in America, 1917.
Here are the three O'Neill versions:
The first version: In 1906, in a letter to A. P. Graves about Music of Ireland, O'Neill writes 'Finally "The Fox Chase," universally mentioned but known to few, is given, for the first time, I believe, in print. This came from Stephenson, a great Kerry piper, who came to America once with Ludwig through Tuohy, and later Sergt. Early to me.'
This was Richard Stephenson (c. 1855-1897), who toured in the United States with singer William Ludwig (1847-1923) September-November 1889. Perhaps some of the people who asked James Touhey to play the "Fox Chase" first heard it from Stephenson. Chicago Police Sergeant James Early (1846-1914) was a piper and one of O'Neill's friends.
The second version: In his book Irish Folk Music, published 1910, page 38, O'Neill writes ' "The Garden of Daisies," a famous set dance ... played in fine style by Early and McFadden! It had been sent to them by Pat Touhey, who learned it from a fiddler recently arrived in Boston, and who in turn had picked it up from Stephenson, the great Kerry piper. ... Another favorite, well known by name as "The Fox Chase," was obtained from the same source, and although I have since heard played and also found among the Hudson manuscripts other versions of it, none equals Stephenson's setting, which fills fifteen staffs.'
The third version: In Irish Minstrels and Musicians, published 1913, page 127, O'Neill gives four examples of the "Fox Chase." He says 'The fourth and final example of "The Fox Chase" is that which appears in O'Neill's Music of Ireland published in 1903. Although we had been led to believe that the setting was that played by the great Munster piper, Stephenson, it turns out that "Patsy" Touhey obtained it from John L. Wayland of the Cork Pipers' Club, and that it primarily came from Mrs. Kenny of Dublin.'
In an article about the "Fox Chase," Sean Donnelly transcribes a portion of a letter from John Wayland, founder and secretary of the Cork Piper's' Club dated March 3, 1910. Donnelly writes, and then quotes from the letter "... which appeared in The Leader 26 March 1910. Headed 'Cumann na bPiobairi nGaedhealach Corcaigh', the letter was a response to an earlier one seeking information about 'The Fox Chase'. Wayland, however, gave a different account of where he acquired the setting he sent to Touhey:
And this is all the contemporary information I have found about the source of O'Neill's Music of Ireland version of the "Fox Chase."
From this information Donnelly suggests that James was deliberately denied credit for the "transmission" of the "Fox Chase" to O'Neill. Well maybe. Perhaps more likely was that Wayland and/or O'Neill conflated the two, Pat and James, mistaking the more well-known for the less successful. That has often happened.
Or, it could be that Pat and James made separate requests. Alternatively, it seems likely that Wayland, not Thompson, responded to James' Montreal letter. It could be that the response ended up with Pat in New York, not James - sent to the wrong Touhey, although the fact that James Touhey sent a recording to the Cork Pipers' Club argues against this. All speculation.
In this respect I agree with Donnelly: as for what "really" happened and why, "the trail is cold and there is little chance of picking it up."
Source Material
"Cork Gaelic League" [recordings by Touhey and O'Brien played at meeting] Cork [Ireland] Examiner Jan. 6, 1900
Irishnewsarchive.com
Brought to my attention by Emmett Gill of NPU.
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Donnelly, Sean "Francis O'Neill and 'The Fox Chase': A tale of two Touheys" Ceol na hEireann, published by Na Piobairi Uilleann, 1993 pp. 55-62.
Reprinted in the compilation by Terry Moylan, "The Fox Chase" Na Piobairi Uilleann 2017 pp. 33-40:
http://pipers.ie/source/media/?galleryId=1139&mediaId=27427
This compilation contains much information and many written-out versions of the music.
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"A Few Gossipy Notes,"
being extracts from a letter of Francis O'Neill to A. P. Graves.
Chicago, November 20, 1906.
'Alfred Percival Graves, Esq.
'My Dear Friend,-. . .
[Extracts from a letter to Graves describing O'Neill's tune-collecting methods. I transcribed a few observations from the extracts.]
...
[Of the 'fellowship' of his musical informants:]
'... Patrick Tuohy, piper and comedian, follows the stage, born in Galway, came to America as a child, a truly great player: captures his audience by storm, even when composed of mixed nationalities....
... Finally "The Fox Chase," universally mentioned but known to few, is given, for the first time, I believe, in print. This came from Stephenson, a great Kerry piper, who came to America once with Ludwig through Tuohy, and later Sergt. Early to me. ...'
From the article 'Francis O'Neill's "Music of Ireland." ' by A. P. Graves, Journal of the Irish Folk Song Society vol. V 1907(?) pp. 31-36.
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The Cork Pipers' Club.
'The amount of interest aroused in the revival of the Irish pipes by the Cork Pipers' Club is phenomenal, and the cordial letters of approval received by the Secretary, Mr. J. Donovan, from people of all ranks and classes, shows that a love of our native music exixts among our people, of a depth and intensity much greater than has been hitherto believed to exist among them. His Eminence Cardinal Logue, who so heartily blessed and approved of our publication of Irish songs, with their music, has written and sent a subscription to the Secretary of the Pipers' Club. The Marchioness of Queensbury also wrote enclosing a generous donation to help the work. This patriotic lady, whose name is dear to the Irish race for her undying devotion to the Irish National cause, and whose kindness and courage in assisting the Manchester Martyrs in their hour of trial can never be forgotten, has a profound faith in the possibilities for good of an earnest cultivation of the Irish language and music-the two great intellectual treasures of our race. Captain Donelan, M.P., has also subscribed to the Club. The following is a specimen of the kind of communications received from people in far distant parts of the world, who find in the Cork Pipers' Club a friend and counsellor:-
'Copy letter received from Mr. James T. Tuohey, New York (written from Montreal) May 12th, 1899
'To Professor Thompson,
'Champion Irish piper.
'Sir- As a performer on the dear old Native instrument, which, according to Press reports in this country, you have completely mastered, I am happy to congratulate you and your confreres for the noble efforts you in the Old Land are making towards its preservation. It unfortunately has become nearly extinct, but with such material as I read of in "Darling Cork" taking up the matter, it augurs well for the instrument so much cherished by the race in every home of their adoption, and in no place could the movement have been more appropriate than in Ireland. Her sons across the sea will watch with delight your progress, and aid the movement in every possible manner. Though I have never yet seen Ireland, I cherish her, her noble sons and daughters, her history, her music, and, above all, her her musical instruments, with which I have been acquainted since my childhood. Born the son of an Irish piper, its musical strains have been ever delightful to me, and have a hold on my taste, as it were, far ahead of any other instrument. I have been over and again asked for a piece called the "Fox Chase," and I have never heard it yet, and after broad research in this country, I have been unable to find it, so I thought you the most likely person to send me this, for which I shall be for ever grateful. Some persons have gone so far as to tell me a piper is not an Irish piper at all, if he cannot "hunt the fox." Hoping you will succeed in the noble undertaking with which you are connected, and to hear from you soon - I am, Sir, Yours respectfully,
'J. T. Tuohey.
'Needless to say the Fox Chase was sent on, but it is of interest to note that it was sent on a cylinder of the phonograph That gives us a notion of what up-to-date people can be, without forsaking the time-honoured treasures of our race.'
Fainne an Lae vol. 1[?] no. ? Sep. 2, 1899 p. 71 column 1
From New York Public Library
Fainne An Lae, a newspaper published in Dublin.
I'm inclined to believe this is indeed James Touhey. Was he this literate? Did someone write the letter for him? Where is the original?
In Irish Minstrels and Musicians, Francis O'Neill gives four examples of "The Fox Chase," pages 127-30. He says 'The fourth and final example of "The Fox Chase" is that which appears in O'Neill's Music of Ireland published in 1903. Although we had been led to believe that the setting was that played by the great Munster piper, Stephenson, it turns out that "Patsy" Touhey obtained it from John L. Wayland of the Cork Pipers' Club, and that it primarily came from Mrs. Kenny of Dublin.'
An amusing aside: O'Neill writes of Robert Thompson, addressee of James Touhey's letter, as 'Equally at home playing strathspeys, waltzes and quadrilles, his repertoire was no means confined to Irish music. Yet he had his peculiarities in a musical way; an aversion to the "Fox Chase," and the humming of the drones, being the most pronounced.'
Irish Minstrels and Musicians Chicago 1913 p. 276
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'In Sean Donnelly's article about "The Fox Chase", he mentions an interesting letter published in The Leader 26 March 1910, written by one of the founders of the Cork Pipers' Club, John Wayland, where he says that the popular version of "The Fox Chase" is still with us because of R. L. O'Mealy - Richard's great grandfather Thomas had written it on a manuscript and it had remained up to the time of R. L. who himself, according to Wayland, "despised this old favorite". Richard gave the scroll to Wayland, the Cork Pipers' Club sent it to America to Patsy Touhey's cousin Jimmy Touhey; Touhey gave it to his famous cousin who in turn passed it to Francis O'Neill who published it in 1903 [The Music of Ireland (Chicago 1903)]. O'Neill didn't seem to know that it had come from R. L. and it is only because of Wayland's letter that we know of its provenance. Sean Donnelly:
' "While in Cork, R. L. gave John Wayland a copy of "The Fox Chase" as
written out by his great grandfather, which Wayland copied in turn to send to
Jimmy Touhey, a cousin of Patsy Touhey's, and according to Tom Busby (via
Jackie Small), a poor piper who capitalised on the family name. As I
mentioned in the article, this version of 'The Fox Chase' came to O'Neill
through Patsy Touhey, but with no mention of Jimmy Touhey, and attributed to
Dick Stephenson and later to Mrs Kenny the fiddler in Dublin." '
Browne, Ronan "The Life and Times of Richard Lewis O'Mealy Piper and Pipe-maker, 1873-1947" Sean Reid Society Journal vol. 3 2009. article 3.02 p. 12
http://seanreidsociety.org/SRSJ3/3.02/O'Mealy%20Biography.pdf
Donnelly's account here adds to my confusion. I like the idea that Wayland, not Thompson, may have responded to James T's letter & sent the recording. O'Neill says (IMM p. 127) that he got a version of the Fox Chase from Pat Touhey, who got it from Wayland. Wayland got it from Mrs. Kenny (and here, based on what I have seen of O'Neill's writing, I read it that Donnelly errs, linking Stephenson to the version). O'Neill was at the last pretty clear about the source of Pat T's version, and it did not involve James T, Stephenson or Thompson.
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Nick Whitmer
August 2017 revisions Jan. 2019, Sep. 2020