BONAPARTE'S RETREAT [1]. Old-Time, Texas Style; March, Reel. USA; Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Kentucky, northeast Alabama, Mississippi, southwestern Va., West Virginia, Pennslyvania. D Major (most versions, though one version in A Major was collected from Mississippi fiddler John Hatcher in 1939). DDAD or DDAE. ABB. A classic old-time quasi-programmatic American fiddle piece that is generally played in a slow march tempo at the beginning and becomes increasingly more quick by the end of the tune, and meant to denote a retreating army. One folklore anecdote regarding this melody has it that the original "Bonaparte's Retreat" was improvised on the bagpipe by a member of a Scots regiment that fought at Waterloo, in remembrance of the occasion. The American collector Ira Ford (1940) (who seemed to manufacture his notions of tune origins from fancy and supposition, or else elaborately embellished snatches of tune-lore) declared the melody to be an "old American traditional novelty, which had its origin after the Napoleonic Wars." He notes that some fiddlers (whom he presumably witnessed) produced effects in performance by drumming the strings with the back of the bow and "other manipulations simulating musket fire and the general din of combat. Pizzicato represents the boom of the cannon, while the movement beginning with Allegro is played with a continuous bow, to imitate bagpipes or fife."
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In fact, the tune has Irish origins, though Burman-Hall could only find printed variants in sources from that island from 1872 onward. "It has been collected in a variety of functions, including an Irish lullaby and a 'Frog Dance' from the Isle of Man" (Linda Burman-Hall. "Southern American Folk Fiddle Styles," Ethnomusicology, Vol. 19, #1, Jan. 1975). Samuel Bayard (1944) concurs with assigning Irish origins for "Bonaparte's Retreat," and notes that it is an ancient Irish march tune with quite a varied traditional history. The 'ancient march' is called "The Eagle's Whistle" or "The Eagle's Tune," which P.W. Joyce (1909) said was formerly the marching tune of the once powerful O'Donovan family. Still, states Bayard, the evidence of Irish collections indicates that it has long been common property of traditional fiddlers and pipers, and has undergone considerable alteration at various hands.
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Bayard's primary scope of collecting was in western Pennsylvania in the mid-20th century, where he found the tune still current in fiddle repertoire, though he remarked on its popularity in various parts of the South. His Pennsylvania version has a somewhat simpler melodic outline than most of the other recorded American sets, and, although he notes that these sets vary considerably--even in the number of parts which a version may contain--he finds they are clearly cognate, and all show resemblance's and common traits indicating derivation from the "The Eagle's Whistle." In Southwestern Pennsylvania the march origins were lost and instead "sets of the tune have been recast into the form--and given title-- of 'The Old Man and Old Woman Quarrelin' (Scoldin', Fightin'),' and thus present an alternation of slow and quick parts. Other Pennsylania sets are Bayard Coll., Nos. 81, 84, 252; and see notes to ('Old Man and Old Woman Scoldin'). These refashioned 'Old Man and Woman' sets differ somewhat among themselves, indicating that they have been traditional in their altered form for some time; but whether they assumed this form before their importation into America, or whether the alteration took place here, with an older tune of the type of 'Old Mand and Old Woman Scoldin'' as model, is uncertain. F.P. Provance stated that the fifer from whom he learned this tune played it as a retreat in Civil War days" (Bayard, 1944).
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According to Blue Ridge Mountain local history the tune was known in the Civil War era. Geoffrey Cantrell, writing in the Asheville Citizen-Times of Feb., 23, 2000 relates the story of the execution of three men by the Confederate Home Guard on April 10th, 1865, the day after Lee's surrender at Appomattox.Courthouse. That news would not have been known to them, given the difficult, but it is documented that Henry Grooms, his brother George and his brother-in-law Mitchell Caldwell, all of north Haywood County, North Carolina, were taken prisoner by the Guard-no one knows why, but the area had been ravaged by scalawags and bushwackers, and the populace had suffered numerous raids of family farms by Union troops hunting provisions. The village of Waynesville had been burned two months earlier, and the citizenry was beleaguered and anxious. Cantrell writes: "The group traveled toward Cataloochee Valley and Henry Grooms, clutching his fiddle and bow, was asked by his captors to play a tune. Realizing he was performing for his own firing squad Grooms struck up Bonaparte's Retreat." When he finished the three men were lined up against an oak tree and shot, the bodies left where they feel. Henry's wife gathered the bodies and buried them in a single grove in Sutton Cemetery No. 1 in the Mount Sterling community, the plain headstone reading only "Murdered."
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The Kentucky Encyclpedia gives another story which mentions "Bonaparte's Retreat" in connection with an execution. It seems that a Colonel Solomon P. Sharp, a former attorney general of Kentucky, was murdered in the middle of a September night in 1825 by an unidentified assailant who stabbed him in his chest. Sharp had political enemies, all of whom had alibis, but who had circulated rumors that he had seduced one Ann Cook of Bowling Green, fathering her illegitimate child in 1820. Suspicion soon shifted to Ann's husband, Jereboam Beauchamp, who married her after the birth of the supposed love-child but who was infuriated at the circulating handbills containing the rumor. Beauchamp was dully arrested, tried in Frankfort in May, 1826, found guilty and was sentenced to death by hanging. Ann could not bear to be parted from him and somehow gained permission from the jailer to stay with him in his jail cell. The couple tried unsuccessfully to commit suicide by taking an overdose of laudanum, but were still permitted to share the cell. Another suicide attempt with a smuggled knife was made on the day of the execution, with somewhat better results. Ann, mortally wounded, was taken to the jailers house for treatment, but Beauchamp was hustled to the gallows lest he die from his wounds before the sentence was carried out. He proved too weak from his wounds to stand and had to be supported, but he was presumably able to hear the strains of "Bonaparte's Retreat" played before he made the leap, as he had previously requested. Ann and Jereboam were buried in a joint grave in Bloomfield, Kenctucky, graced by a tombstone engraved with an eight-stanza poem written by Ann.
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The tune was cited (by Mattie Stanfield in her book Sourwood Tonic and Sassafras Tea) as having been played by Etowah County, Alabama, fiddler George Cole at the turn of the century (Cauthen, 1990). Musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph recorded the tune from Ozark Mountain fiddlers for the Library of Congress in the early 1940's. Ed Haley (1883-1951) of Ashland, eastern Ky., played the tune so skillfully that "one old-timer, after hearing Haley play ("Bonaparte's Retreat") declared that 'if two armies could come together and hear him play that tune, they'd kill themselves in piles" (Wolfe, 1982). Haley toured regionally in Kentucky and West Virginia It was "Bonaparte's Retreat" that was the first tune Braxton County fiddler Melvin Wine (1909-1999) learned at the age of nine. His father, Bob, played the fiddle and young Melvin practiced when the elder Wine was out cutting timber or working as a farmhand for neighbors. He finally worked up the nerve to play for his father, and it proved a successful entrée, for afterwards which Bob taught him tunes he had learned from his own father, Nels, and Grandfather "Smithy" (Mountains of Music, John Lilly ed., 1999, pg. 8).
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Another Kentucky fiddler, William H. Stepp (of Leakeville, Magoffin County, whose name, Kerry Blech points out, is sometimes erroneously given as W.M. Stepp, from a misreading of the old abbreviation Wm., for William), appears to be the source (through his 1937 Library of Congress field recording) for many revival fiddlers' versions. Stepp's version of the tune was transcribed by Ruth Crawford Seegar and was included in John and Alan Lomax's volume Our Singing Country (1941). The Crawford/Seegar version has been credited as the source Aaron Copland adapted for a main theme in his orchestral suite "Hoedown." {Lynn "Chirps" Smith says he has even heard people refer to the tune as "Copland's Fancy" in recent times!}. North Georgia fiddler A.A. Gray (1881-1939) won third place honors playing the tune at the 1920 (10th) Annual Georgia Old Time Fiddler's Association state contest in Atlanta, and four years later recorded it as a solo fiddle tune for OKeh Records. Sources for notated versions: J.S. Price (Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma) [Thede]: F.P. Provance, Point Marion, Pennsylvania, September 19, 1943, who learned it from Sam Waggle, fifer, of Dunbar [Bayard, 1944]: Marion Yoders (Greene County, Pa., 1962) [Bayard, 1981].
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PRINTED SOURCES: Bayard (Hill Country Tunes), 1944; No. 87. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 238, pg. 199. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 52. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 129. Lomax (Our Singing Country), pg 54-55 (appears as "Bonyparte"). Thede (The Fiddle Book), 1967; pg. 36-37. Caney Mountain Records CLP 228, Lonnie Robertson (Mo.), c. 1971-72. County 202, "Eck Robertson: Famous Cowboy Fiddler." County 546, "Arthur Smith and His Dixieliners, Vol. I." County 703, Benny Thomasson- "Texas Hoedown." County 756, Tommy Jarrell- "Sail Away Ladies" (1976). County 790, Leftwich & Higginbotham - "No One to Bring Home Tonight" (1984). Folkways FA 2325, Mike Seeger- "Old Time Country Music." Folkways FA 2366, The Watson Family (N.C.) - "The Watson Family Album." Folk Legacy Records FSA-17, Hobart Smith - "America's Greatest Folk Instrumentalist." Heritage XXXIII, Jay Ungar & Neil Rossi - "Visits" (1981. Learned from a 1937 Library of Congress recording of Lakeville, Ky., fiddler W.M.Stepp). Okeh 40110 (78 RPM), A.A. Gray (1924). Philo 1023, Jay Ungar and Lyn Hardy- "Songs Ballads and Fiddle Tunes" (1975. Learned from Kentucky fiddler W.M. Stepp via Library of Congress recording). Rounder 0010, "The Fuzzy Mountain String Band" (1972. Learned from Alan Jabbour). Rounder 0057, Sherman Wimmer (Franklin County, Va.) - "Old Originals, Vol. 1" (1978. Learned from Will Willit, nephew and protege of influential Franklin County fiddler Fount Kinrea). String 802, Emmett Lundy (Galax, Va.) - Library of Congress Recording. Transatlantic 341, Dave Swarbrick- "Swarbrick 2." Voyager VRCD 344, Howard Marshall & John Williams - "Fiddling Missouri" (1999. Learned from Audrain County, Missouri, fiddler Warren Elliot in 1967). Yazoo Records, W.M. (William) Stepp - "Music of Kentucky, Vol. 1" (reissue of the 1937 Stepp recording by Alan Lomax. Stepp can be heard on the recording saying in the midst of fiddling: "This is the bony part....That was the bony part").
BRANDLINGS. AKA and see "Colonel Rodney," "The Dogs Amongst the Bushes," "The Fox." Scottish, Reel. A Major. Standard. AB (Athole, Cranford, Hunter): AA'BB' (Kerr). Composed by Abraham Mackintosh (b. 1769, son of 'Red Rob' MacKintosh) but appearing in John Watlen's 1798 2nd collection, inscribed: "The Celebrated Circus Tunes performed at Edinburgh this Season..." It apparently first went by the title (and is still sometimes called) "The Fox," with the "Brandling" title first appearing in the 1884 Athole Collection. In Ireland the tune is known under the titles "Colonel Rodney" and "The Dogs Amongst the Bushes." Source for notated version: Winston Fitzgerald (1914-1987, Cape Breton) [Cranford]. Cranford (Winston Fitzgerald), 1997; No. 84, pg. 36. Glen (The Glen Collection of Scottish Dance Music), Vol. 2, 1895; pg. 3 (appears as "The Fox"). Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 226. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 3; No. 108, pg. 13. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 31.
T:Brandlings
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Reel
B:The Athole Collection
K:A
e|cA A/A/A eAcA|eagf fedc|dB B/B/B fBdB|fefg bagf|
eA A/A/A aAcA|efga fedc|defg abaf|ecaf e2A||
f|eAcA cecA|aAgA fAfA|fBdB dfdB|bBaB gBfB|eAcA aAcA|
efga fedc|defg abaf|ecaf e2A||
COLONEL BAIRD [2]. Scottish, Strathspey. E Minor. Standard. AB. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 247.
T:Colonel Baird
L:1/8
M:C
R:Strathspey
B:The Athole Collection
K:E Minor
e>EE>F G>A B<G|F>d A<B G>A F<D|e>EE>F G>A B<f|g>e f<^d B<e e2|
e>EE>F G>AB>G|F<d A>d G>A F<D|E<GF<A G>B A<c|
B>G B/A/G/F/ G<E E>B||e>f g<e B<bg<e|f>e d<g f/g/a/f/ d>f|
e>f g<e B<bA<a|g>ef>^d B<ee<B|e>f g<e B<bg<e|f>e d<g f/g/a/f/ df|
g<ef<^d e>B A<F|G>A B/A/G/F/ G>EE>B||
COLONEL FRASER OF KNOCKY. Scottish, Strathspey. G Major. Standard. AAB. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 171.
T:Colonel Fraser of Knocky
L:1/8
M:C
R:Strathspey
B:The Athole Collection
K:G
c|d2 B>d G>Gd>B|d>e B<d e<AA>e|d2 B>d G>Gd>B|c>ed>A B<GG:|
c|B>GB>d c>ed>B|c>eB>d e>AA>c|B>GB>d c>ed>B|c>eB>g B>GG>c|
B>GB>d c>ed>B|c>eB>d e>AA>c|B>G (3Bcd (3def g>B|c>ed>A B<GG||
COLONEL McBAIN'S (An Ardtaoiseac Mic Baeitine). AKA and see "Boston Rattlers," "Brian Boru," "Col McBain," "Dan Sullivan's Reel," "The Devonshire Reel," "The Duke of Clarence Reel," "General McBean," "Hobb's Favorite," "Johnny's Wedding," "Miss Abercrombie's Reel," "Mother's Delight," "Sean Frank," "Sporting Molly." Scottish (originally), Irish; Reel. G Minor (Cole, Gow, Honeyman, Hunter): E Minor (O'Neill). Standard. AB (O'Neill): AAB (Gow, Honeyman, Hunter, McGlashan): AABB (Cole). Glen (1891) finds the earliest publication of the tune in Robert Bremner's 1768 2nd collection (pg. 101). The tune was first recorded by Galway melodeon player Peter Conlon in 1921, under the title "McBan's Reel" (thought the different spelling may be due to an error by the record company). Irish versions are in E Minor, Scottish in G Minor. Paul Cranford (1997) remarks that he has heard a strathspey setting (in G) of "Colonel McBain's" played by Jonny Wilmot who learned it from his uncle Joe Confiant. Source for notated version: Winston Fitzgerald (1914-1987, Cape Breton) [Cranford]. Cole (1001 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 31. Cranford (Winston Fitzgerald), 1997; No. 162, pg. 64. Gow (Complete Repository), Part 1, 1799; pg. 8. Honeyman (Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor), 1898; pg. 29. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 265. McGlashan (A Collection of Reels), c. 1786; pg. 18 (appears as "Colonel Macbean's Reel"). O'Neill (1850), 1903/1979; No. 1403, pg. 261. O'Neill (1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 645, pg. 116. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 185 (appears as "Colonel MacBean"). Gael-Linn Records CEF 165, Máire O'Keeffe - "An Coisir."
T:Colonel MacBean
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Reel
B:The Athole Collection
K:G Minor
c|B/c/d Gd BGdG|A/B/c Fc AFcA|B/c/d Gd BGdG|^F/G/A DF G2G:|
A|~(B2 B)f B/B/B fd|cdcB ABcA|G(gg)a bag^f|g/a/b a^f ~g2 ga|
g/a/b fd ~Bdfd|cdcB ABcA|Bdg^f gdce|dBcA G2G||
T:Colonel McBain
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Reel
B:O'Neill - 1001 Gems (645)
K:E Minor
EF|GBEF GEBE|FADE FDAD|GBEF GEBE|FADF E2 EF|
GBEF GEBE|FADE FDAD|G2 GF GBdB|AFDF E2||EF|
G2 GF GBdB|ABAG FAAF|Eee^d ef|gefd Beef|gfge dedB|
ABAG FGAF|Beed BcdB|AFDF E2||
COLONEL MONTGOMERY. Scottish, Strathspey. D Major. Standard. AAB (Gow): AABB' (Athole). Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 26. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 91.
T:Colonel Montgomery
L:1/8
M:C
R:Strathspey
B:The Athole Collection
K:D
d>BA>F E>DEF|d>BA>F E>D B,2|d>BA>F E>DE>g|f>e d<f ef d2:|
A<d f>d g>ef>d|A<d f>d e>d B2|1 A>d f>d g>ef>d|e>fa>f ef d2:|2
A<d f>d g>ef>d|e/d/e/f/ a>f ef d2||
COLONEL ROBERTSON [1]. AKA and see "The Massacre at Glen Coe." Scottish, Canadian; March (6/8 time). D Major (Miller & Perron, Perlman, Sweet): G Major (Sweet). Standard. AABB' (Miller & Perron): AABB'CC (Perlman): AA'BB'CC' (Sweet). Dedicated to a Colonel of the Toronto Highlanders, a battalion of the Canadian Army. Source for notated version: Jimmy Halliday (b. 1924, Eldon, Queen's County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman]. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 1977; Vol. 3, No. 51. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; pg. 138. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1964/1981; pg. 40 (two versions in different keys). Philo 1042, Boys of the Lough - "The Piper's Broken Finger" (1976).
COLONEL ROBERTSON [2]. Scottish, Strathspey. E Minor. Standard. AAB. Standard. AAB. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 156.
T:Colonel Robertson
L:1/8
M:C
R:Strathspey
B:The Athole Collection
K:E Dorian
B2 B>A B>EE>F|A>d B/A/G/F/ D/E/F/G/ A>d|B2 B>A B>de>f|
d>B d/B/A/F/ E2 E2:|
e>fe>d B/A/B/d/ e2|d>ed>B A/F/A/B/ d>f|e>fe>d e/d/e/f/ g>e|
d>B d/B/A/F/ E2 E>d|e>fe>d B/A/B/d/ e2|d>ed>B A/F/A/B/ d>f|
g>ef>d e>Bd>A|d>A B/A/G/F/ B2E2||
COLONEL THORNTON. Scottish, Strathspey; Canadian, Reel. Canada, Cape Breton. A Minor (Athole): A Dorian (Dunlay & Greenberg, Skye). Standard. ABC (Dunlay & Greenberg): AABBCCBB (Athole, Skye). Scottish collections print the tune as a strathspey, with the third part in the lower octave; Cpae Breton versions have the third part in the higher octave, and are sometimes played without the middle turn (Dunlay & Greenberg). Source for notated version: Buddy MacMaster (Cape Breton) [Dunlay & Greenberg]. Dunlay & Greenberg (Traditional Celtic Violin Music of Cape Breton), 1996; pg. 49. Gow (Second Collection of Strathspey Reels), 1788. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1885; pg. 104. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 67. ACC-4979, Natalie MacMaster - "Road to the Isle" (appears as "Old Traditional Reel"). ATL 0193, Howie MacDonald - "The Ceilidh Trail" (1993. Appears as "The Old King's"). Rounder 7001, Joe Cormier - "Scottish Violin Music" (1974. Appears as 2nd tune in "Miss Lyle" medley). Sea-Cape Music ACR4-12940, Buddy MacMaster - "Judique on the Floor" (1989. Appears as "Old Traditional Reel").
T:Colonel Thornton
L:1/8
M:C
R:Strathspey
B:The Athole Collection
K:C
B,|A,/A,/A, E>A, C3E|B,>G,D>G, E>G,D>G,|A,/A,/A, E>A, C>A,E>C|
B,>G,D>B, E2A:|
|:B,|A,<A, A2 E<E A2|G>ED>G B,<G, D>B,|A,<A, A2 E<E A2|GEFD E2A,:|
|:E|C/B,/A, E>A, C/B,/A, E>A,|B,/A,/G, D>G, EG,DG,|C/B,/A, E>G, C/B,/A, E>A,:|
|:B,|A,<A, A2 EE A2|G>ED>G B,<G, D>B,|A,<A, A2 E<E A2|G>EF>D E2A,:|
COLONEL WEMYSS [1]. Scottish, Reel. F Major. Standard. AAB. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 233.
T:Colonel Wemyss
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Reel
B:The Athole Collection
K:F
C|F2 AF ABcf|AFcF EGGA|F2 AF ABcA|dfeg ~fFF:|
g|a/g/f/e/ fc ABcf|AFcF EGGg|fefc ABcA|dfeg fFFg|
afge fdcB|AFcF EGGB|AfcF Bcde|fcdB AFF||
EARL OF DALKEITH('S REEL). AKA and see "Colonel Crafurd's Reel." Scottish, Reel. F Major. Standard. AAB (Athole, Gow, Skye): AABB (Kerr). The reel was originally published by Robert Bremner as "Colonel Crafurd's Reel" in 1759 (pg. 49), and retitled and republished by the Gows under the above title in their Third Collection (1792, pg. 20). Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 247. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 2; No. 186, pg. 21. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 141. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 234. Angus Cameron - "String to the Bow" (1977).
T:Earl of Dalkeith
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Reel
B:The Athole Collection
K:F
A|FCA,C F/F/F AF|G/G/G BA GDDG|FCA,C F/F/F Ac|dfcf AFF:|
c|fgag fefc|d/d/d ba gdde|fgag fcdB|AcGB AFFc|fgag fefc|d/d/d ba gdde|
fcae fcdB|AcGB AF~F||
HOUSE OF PARK, THE. Scottish, March. F Major. Standard. AAB. Composed by William Marshall (1748-1833). A Scottish fiddler and composer, Marshall is most famous for his many fine strathspeys. Marshall worked for much of his life for the Duke of Gordon as the Steward of his Household, and it is fortunate that the Duke was an enthusiastic supporter and patron of Marshall's music. The House of Park dates from 1536 and was built on the burn of Boyne, Cornhill, Scotland. It was the home of Lieutenant Colonel Gordon in the early 19th century, when Marshall composed the tune. Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; 1822 Collection, pg. 51. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 240.
T:House of Park, The
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Reel
B:The Athole Collection
K:F
B|AB/c/ cA Bc/d/ dB|cAFA G2 GB|AB/c/ cA Bc/d/ df|cAfA F2F:|
f|affa geeg|fdcA G2 Gg|affa geeg|cAfA F2 Ff|affa geeg|fdcA G2 Gg|
afaf gege|fdcA F2F||
LADY MONTGOMERY('S REEL) [1]. Scottish, Reel. D Major (Cole): B Flat Major (Athole, Honeyman, Hunter, Kerr, Skye): C Major (Cranford/Fitzgerald). Standard. AAB (Athole, Cranford, Honeyman, Hunter, Kerr, Skye): AABB (Cole). A tune by Colonel Hugh Montgomerie (1749-1819), and the vehicle for the dance "The Montgomerie Rant" (having replaced "Lord Eglintoune"). Montgomerie was an interesting character--an amateur but talented Scots fiddler who loved his native music, he was "singularly tongue-tied" and had trouble expressing himself in words. Serving in the English army in the American campaigns, he became the 12th Earl of Eglintoun, and was elected Member of Parliament for Ayrshire. "He took over the Eglinton policies with a grand conception of his role as laird, instituted many improvements, maintained a splendid stable and fine equipages, and appointed a family piper" (Emmerson, 1971). Robert Burns dubed him 'Sodger Hugh'. The English dance band Muddy York plays a G chord for the first six measures of the 'A' part for variety. Paul Cranford (1997) remarks that Cape Breton fiddler Johnny Wilmot had an Irish variant in the key of D with a third tune in the related minor. Gow (1817) directs "Slow, with expression." Source for notated version: Winston Fitzgerald (1914-1987, Cape Breton) [Cranford]. Cole (1001 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 11. Cranford (Winston Fitzgerald), 1997; No. 116, pg. 47. Gow (Complete Repository), Part 4, 1817; pg. 15. Honeyman (Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor), 1898; pg. 28. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 268. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 1; Set 27, No. 4, pg. 17. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 125. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 278. BOOT 7244, Muddy York - "Scatter the Ashes" (Canadian variant). Green Linnet SIF 1077, Capercaillie - "Crosswinds" (1987).
T:Lady Montgomery
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Reel
B:The Athole Collection
K:B_
d|B2 BF DEFD|B2 BG ABcd|B/B/B BF DEFD|CccB ABcd:|
B/B/B fB dB f2|B/B/B fB defb|B/B/B fB dBfd|edcB ABcd|
B/B/B fB dB f2|Bgfe defg|fdec dBcA|BGFD Cccd||
LAMBERTON RACES. AKA - "Colonel Renton's Favourite." Scottish, Reel. F Major (Skye): G Major (Hardings). Standard. AB (Harding, Skye): AABB (Athole): AABB' (Kerr). Composed by Nathaniel Gow (1763-1831). Hardings All Round Collection, 1905; No. 29, pg. 9. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 4; No. 186, pg. 21. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 139. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 232.
T:Lamberton Races
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Reel
B:The Athole Collection
K:F
A|FAcf afge|fdcA BGGA|FAcf afge|fdcB AFF:|
|:B|AcFc AcFc|B>c d/c/B/A/ BGGA|FAcf afge|fdcB AFF:|
MASSACRE OF GLENCOE, THE (Mort Ghlinne-comhainn). AKA - "The Massacre at Glen Coe." AKA and see "Colonel Robertson." Scottish, Slow Air (6/8 or 3/4 time). G Major (Fraser): D Major (Perlman). Standard. AB (Perlman): AABB (Fraser). "The poet, in the 'Massacre of Glencoe', as handed by the editor's progenitor, addresses himself to the owl, as the only witness of a deed perpetrated under silence of night, and pretends he is telling from her narration every circumstance of barbarity relating to that melancholy event" (Fraser). The "deed" or "melancholy event" Fraser refers to is the famous Massacre of Glencoe, which occured in that stark and beautiful valley in the southwestern Highlands just to the south of Fort William on February 13th, 1692. The new English king at the time, William III, had demanded that the clans take an oath of loyalty to him that they would not support the dethroned James II. The MacDonald clan procrastinated in this and in retribution William ordered troops, accompanied by elements of the Campbell clan (traditional enemies of the MacDonalds), to force the issue. The MacDonalds were found encamped or dwelling at Glencoe and were massacred, over forty dying outright and many more dying of exposure after having been driven into the surrounding mountains, or burned in houses by the pursuing troops. The abomination of the event in the minds of the Highlanders, beside the killings, was that the Campbells beforehand had partaken of "the bread and salt" of the MacDonalds for several days, i.e. had been granted and accepted formal hospitality and were considered guests. Glencoe has been ever after known as "The Glen of Weeping" and has served as a focal point of Scottish antipathy toward England. The tune is played as a pipe march (called "Colonel Robertson") and, on Prince Edward Island, as a waltz (see "The House of MacDonald"). It has been reported that there was still some vestige of distrust between Campbells and MacDonalds on Cape Breton Island as late as the early 20th century. Source for notated version: Johnny Joe & Foncey Chaisson (b. 1918 & 1929, Souris, North-East Kings County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman]. Fraser (The Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles), 1874; No. 57, pg. 20. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; pg. 171.
T:Massacre of Glencoe, The
T:Mort Ghlinne-comhainn
L:1/8
M:6/8
S:Fraser Collection
K:G
D<G zG2F|A2F G<Dz|D<B zB2A|B2c B2A|G2A B2A|B2c d2G|Agz GDz|
G2F A2G:|
|:G<e zd2c|c2B BAz|B<g zd2c|c2B B2c|d<bz g2d|dcz cBz|d2G GDz|G2F A2G:|
MONZIE'S FAVORITE. AKA and see "Colonel Campbell."
MISS KATHERINE STEWART FORBES (STRATHSPEY--OF ACHMEDDEN). Scottish, Strathspey. F Major. Standard. AAB. Composed by William Marshall (1748-1833). Moyra Cowie (The Life and Times of William Marshall, 1999), thinks Miss Katherine was a relation of Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo Castle, a grandson of the 4th Laird who forfeited his entire holdings after Culloden, and who was sustained for a time on the kindness of his tenantry and friends, while he lived in caves disguised as a beggar. Sir William was a banker who was able to purchase the forfeited estate of Achmeddan. Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; 1822 Collection, pg. 57. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 242.
T:Miss Katherine Stewart Forbes
L:1/8
M:C
R:Strathspey
B:The Athole Collection
K:F
a|F<F F>A G>AB>d|F<F F>A cd/e/ ~f>c|d<fA<f G>A B<d|~c>f e/f/g/e/ ~f2f:|
a|c<fA<f G<(g g)>a|c<fA<f c<fA<f|B<gA<f G>AB>d|~c>f e/f/g/e/ ~f2 f>a|
c<fA<f G<(g ~g)>a|c<fA<f c<FA<F|B>dc>A G>AB>d|c>f e/f/g/e/ f2 f||
MISS MACDOWAL GRANT'S STRATHSPEY--OF ARNDILLY. Scottish, Strathspey. C Minor. Standard. AAB. Composed by William Marshall (1748-1833). Miss McDowell Grant was the daughter of David McDowell Grant of Arndilly, a land improver, according to Moyra Cowie (The Life and Times of William Marshall, 1999). They lived at Arndilly House at the foot of Ben Aigan in a wooded area. Her grandfather was Colonel Alexander Grant Chief of Grant, at Arndilly. Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; 1822 Collection, pg. 27. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 272.
T:Miss MacDowal Grant of Arndilly
L:1/8
M:C
R:Strathspey
B:The Athole Collection
K:C Minor
g|G<G c>d e2 e>g|f<bd<f B>c d<B|G<G c>d e2 e>g|f>b g/f/e/d/ c2c:|
g/a/|b<cg<c b<c g>a|b>gf>b d>Bf>d|b<cg<c b<c g>a|b>gf>d c2 cg/a/|
b<cg<c b<c g>a|b>g f<b d>bf>d|G<G c>d e2 e>g|f>b g/f/e/d/ c2 c||
MRS. COLONEL FORBES' STRATHSPEY. Scottish, Strathspey. C Major. Standard. AAB. Composed be William Marshall (1748-1833). Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; 1822 Collection, pg. 45. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 78.
T:Mrs. Colonel Forbes
L:1/8
M:C
R:Strathspey
B:The Athole Collection
K:C
e|c2 G>E D>dd>B|c<G A>G c2 c>e|c>G A/G/F/E/ D>dd>e|C<C E>G c2c:|
e|c>ge>g a/g/f/e/ d>e|c<g e>g c<ge<g|f<ae<g d>c d<e|G<c c>d e2 d>e|
c>ge>g a/g/f/e/ d>e|c<ge<g c<af<a|g<c'e<g d>c d<e|G<c c>d e2d||
MRS. COLONEL NEYNOE. Scottish, Reel. F Major. Standard. AABB. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 305.
T:Mrs. Colonel Neynoe
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Reel
B:The Athole Collection
K:F
B|AFAc f2 fc|cfAf gGGB|AcAF fafd|cfeg fFF:|
|:B|ABcf efga|fdgf ecce|fcdf cacA|BgGB AFF:|
THIS IS NO MY AIN HOUSE. AKA and see "Colonel David Stewart of Garth's Reel." Scottish, Shetland; Reel or ("Very Slow" {Gow}) Strathspey. Shetland, Whalsay. D Major (Athole, Emmerson, Kerr): C Major (Dick, Emmerson, Thomson). Standard. AAB. Bonnie Prince Charlie danced to this tune at the house of Lude, near Blair, before the battle of Prestonpans, 1745 {he won that one} (Marshall monogram, 1845 Collection, and Winstock 1970). Country dance directions were recovered to the tune from the Holmain Manuscript from Dumfries-shire (c. 1710-1750). The earliest record of the tune, which appears to be a set of "De'il Stick the Minister," is from David Young's Duke of Perth Manuscript (AKA the Drummond Castle Manuscript) of 1734 (where it is listed as a country dance), and Thomson's Orpheus Caledonius, 1733. Gow published it twice, the second time in Sixth Collection, 1822, under the title "Colonel David Stewart of Garth's Reel," and it appears in James Aird's 1782 collection. It is now played as a strathspey in Scotland. Related tunes include "This is not my ain Lassie" and "Sean Trews/Triubhas." / Cooke (1986) prints the following text to this dance tune, collected in the Shetland Islands:
***
This is no me ain hoose
I ken by the tickin o it
Bread and butter were my door's cheeks
And pancakes were the tickin o it.
***
Aird (Selection), Vol. 2, 1782; No. 176. Alburger (Scottish Fiddlers and Their Music), 1983; Ex. 28, pgs. 49-50. Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 225. Dick, No. 96. Emmerson (Rantin' Pipe and Tremblin' String), 1971; Nos. 12-13, pg. 131. Gow, First Collection, 1784. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 1; Set 13, No. 2, pg. 9. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 63. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 105. Thomson, Orpheus Caledonius, 1733; No. 32.
T:This is No' My Ain House
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Reel
B:The Athole Collection
K:D
A|FAAa f2 ed|B/c/d AF BEEG|FA Da f2 ed|B/c/d AG FDD:|
A|FAAd B/c/d AF|GBAF BEEG|F(AA)d B/c/d AF|GBAG FDDG|
FAAd B/c/d AF|GBAF BEEG|FADa gfed|B/c/d AG FDD||