This transcription of And the Cat Came back is based on an August, 1927 performance that Doc Roberts recorded for the Gennett company in Richmond, Indiana. The tune is comprised of a four-bar ‘A’ strain and eight-bar ‘B’ and ‘C’ strains. On the recording, the form is irregular:
- AA BB CC
- AA BB CC BB
- AA B CC BB
- AA B C
My source recording sounds a half-step lower than written, in F# major. Given that most fiddle players will not play in F# unless threatened with bodily harm, I’m sticking with ‘G.’
And the Cat Came Back