ARCHIE MENZIE'S REEL. AKA and see "Bells of St. Louis." Scottish, Canadian, New England; Reel. Canada; Ontario, Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island. F Major (Brody, Cranford, Hunter, Perlman, Phillips, Welling): D Major (Begin, Bohrer/Kibler). Standard. AB (Hunter): AABB (most versions). Composed by Scottish musician John Lowe (1797-1866), father of the Joseph Lowe who published a collection in 1840, who also wrote the classic tune "Rachael Rae." Menzies was originally a Norman name, introduced into Scotland in the half-century after the conquest of England by William the Conqueror. It is a very popular tune among Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, fiddlers. Perlman (1996) notes that Prince Edward Island fiddlers often play the 'b' flat notes almost natural at several points in the tune. Sources for notated versions: the late Graham Townsend (d. 1999, Ontario, Canada) [Brody]; Dawson Girdwood (Perth, Ontario) [Begin]; Winston Scotty Fitzgerald (Cape Breton) [Phillips]; unnamed Canadian fiddler [Bohrer/Kibler]; Francis MacDonald (b. 1940, Morell Rear, North-East Kings County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman]. Begin (Fiddle Music in the Ottawa Valley: Dawson Girdwood), 1985; No. 14, pg. 27 (appears as "Archie Menzies Hornpipe"). Bohrer (Vic Kibler), 1992; No. 11, pg. 11. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 24. Cranford (Jerry Holland's), 1995; No. 147, pg. 42. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 259. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; pg. 116. Phillips (Fiddlecase Tunebook), 1989; pg. 9. Welling (Welling's Hartford Tune Book), 1976; pg. 17. Avoca 139, Sean Maguire--"Music of Ireland." Breton Books and Records BOC 1HO, Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald - "Classic Cuts" (reissue of Celtic Records CX17). Canadian Broadcasting Corp. NMAS 1972, Natalie MacMaster - "Fit as a Fiddle" (1993). Celestial Entertainment CECS001, Brenda Stubbert (Cape Breton) - "In Jig Time!" (1995). Celtic 17, "Winston Scotty Fitzgerald." Rounder 7002, Graham Townsend- "Le Violin/ The Fiddle." Rounder 7004, Joseph Cormier- "The Dances Down Home" (1977).
T:Archie Menzies Reel
L:1/8
M:C|
S:From a transcription by Carmelle Begin of the playing of fiddler Dawson Girdwood.
K:D
A,2|:D2 (A,D) FDA,D|FABc dAFD|({E/F/}E2) (B,E) GEB,E|GABc dBAF|
D2 (A,D) FDA,D|FABc dAFD|G2 (EG) (FE)(DE/F/)|1 EDCE D2 (A,B,/C/):|2
EDCE D2 (3ABc||
|:d2 (A>d) f>DA>d|f>de>c d>AFA|e2 (Be) geBe|gefd e(dc>A)|
d2 (A>d) fdAd|fdec dA FD|G>FE>G F>E (3DEF|1 (3EED C>E D2 (3ABc:|2
E>DC>E D2 (A,B,C||
MILLER OF CAMSERNEY, THE. Scottish, Strathspey. A Major. Standard. AAB. Composed by Archie Menzies. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 140. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 40.
RACHEL RAE. AKA and see "The Bashful Bachelor Hornpipe," "Courting Them All," "Don't Bother Me," "Jimmy Holmes' Favorite," "The Moving Bogs (of Allen)," "Miss Rae's Reel," "Obelisk Hornpipe," "Shaw's Reel," "Where Did You Find Her?" "The Wily Old Bachelor." Scottish, Reel. D Major. Standard. AB (Honeyman): AAB (Athole, Kennedy, Kerr, Raven, Skye): ABB' (Hardie). Attributed often to John Lowe and appearing in his Collection, Book 1, though with the footnote: "This favourite reel has been published in many collections, but none have subscribed the Author's name; it was composed by Mr. Lowe's father, many years ago, when he was teaching Dancing in Marykirk, Kincardineshire." MacDonald, in his Skye Collection opines "This excellent reel is in Mr. (John) Lowe's best style and very popular." Lowe was a dancing master in Marykirk whose famous reel first appeared in Archibald Duff's Collection of 1794 as "Raecheal Rea's Rant." His son was the Joseph Lowe who published a collection of melodies in the 1840's. Emmerson (1971) poses a class of Scottish reels defined by the rhythm quarter note-two eight notes-quarter note-two eight notes per measure. Tunes in this catagory include "Rachel Rae," "The Wind that Shakes the Barley," "Largo's Fairy Dance," and "De'il amang the Tailors." It has been suggested that the melody of "Rachel Rae" is the basis for the American old-time tune "Forked Deer." Bill Hardie (1986) thinks it is a "particulary suitable" tune to follow the triplet close of "Stirling Castle." See also "Archie Menzies" and "Sir David Davidson of Cantry" for other famous John Lowe compositions. Cameron's Selection of Violin Music (Glasgow), 1859; pg. 15. Hardie (Caledonian Companion), 1986; pg. 23. Honeyman (Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor), 1898; pg. 7. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 215. Kennedy (Fiddler's Tune Book), Vol 2, 1954; pg. 13. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 1; Set 2, No. 2, pg. 4. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 32. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 178. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 89. Beltona 2103 (78 RPM), Edinburgh Highland Strathspey and Reel Society (1936). Fife Strathspey and Reel Society - "The Fiddle Sounds of Fife" (1980).
T:Rachel Rae
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Reel
B:The Athole Collection
K:D
A,|D2FA d2Ac|d2fd fedc|d2Ad BAGF|E2AE FDD:|
A|defg a2fd|g2bg e2cA|defg a2fd|Agfe fddA|defg fafd|g2bg eecA|
D2Ad BAGF|E2 AD FDD||