dargason

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dargason. Eng. folk-tune, used from the 16th cent. onwards for a country dance or as a ballad tune. Also used for the folk-song It was a maid of my country. Tune is 8-bar ‘circular’ melody lending itself easily to combination with others. Holst, in his Suite No.2 for military band (1911), combines the Dargason with Greensleeves in the finale, later transposing the movt. for strings in his St Paul's Suite (1912–13). Name possibly derives from Anglo-Saxon word for dwarf or fairy. Also known as Sedany, meaning a woman dressed in silks.

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dargason

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