668. The Old Armchair

668 The Old Armchair
'The Old Armchair.' Sung by Dr. I. G. Greer at Boone, Watauga county.  The MS score was set down June 3, 1915. by Miss Alice Henely. SCSM  ascribes this song to British origin. EASM 148 credits the words to Miss  Eliza Cook, the music to Henry Russell. The song was published by Oakes and  Swan, Boston, 1840. Cf. also WSMML 205; OFS in 224, and JAFL Lxix  456. For an interesting variety of pronunciation and sometimes misunderstood  words compare OFS III 224 version A: "I'll declare" with version B "Ida  Clair," and in SCSM 373 "I declaire." F-567

My grand-moth - er she, at the age of eight - y - three,
One day in May was tak - en ill and died; 
And af - ter she was dead, the will, of course, was read
By the side.

law - yers as we all stood side by 

To my broth - er, it was found, she had left a hun-dred pounds,
The same un - to my sis - ter, I do de - clare;
But when it came to me, the law-yer said,
'I see, she has left to you her old arm - chair.'

Then how they tit-tered and how they chaffed,
And how my broth-er and my sis - ter laughed,
When they heard the law - yer de - clare.
'Gran - ny has left you her old arm - chair.'

For melodic relationship cf. *WSMML 205, especially in chorus.

Scale : Heptachordal, plagal. Tonal Center : d. Structure : abaca1bacded1c1  (2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2) = aa1a1a1bb1 (4,4,4,4,4,4) ; d is derived from the same  basic idea as a. Over-all form : mm1n (8,8,8) := barform.