Named in honour of the eponymous hero of Peter Carey’s magnificent novel Illywhacker, one of my absolute favourite reads. In Australian slang, an illywhacker is a small-time conman, and in Carey’s novel Badgery is a wonderful liar and spinner of tall tales. So it seems entirely appropriate that this composition isn’t really a reel…

X:13
T:Herbert Badgery’s Reel
M:4/4
L:1/4
C: © Andy Turner 1986
R:Polka
N:Herbert Badgery is the eponymous hero of “Illywhacker” by Peter Carey
K:G
d/e/f/| g g f e| dB G/B/ d/B/| c A A/B/ c/d/| B G G/A/ B/d/| g g f e| dB
G/B/ d/B/| c A/G/ F/G/ A/F/|1 GB G/:|2 G B GB ||AD A/B/ c/d/| BG B/c/ d/B/| c A B G |A/G/ F/E/ D/E/ F/G/| ADBG| cA d>c| BG F/G/ A/F/ | GBG>B| A
D A/B/ c/d/| B G B/c/ d/B/| cA BG| A/G/ F/E/ D/E/ F/G/| A/D/D/D/ B/G/G/G/| c A d e/f/ |g d c/B/ A/F/| GB G/|]

Herbert Badgery’s Reel

Played on four-stop one-row Hohner melodeon in C