Just missed the birthday of John Cuthbert, who lived just outside Crieff (where I live these days). He was born 21st June 1778. After hearing another local fiddler, Colin McAinsh, the young John became determined to be a fiddler, but without money for an instrument, he fashioned a fiddle out of a horse's skull and four strings. he managed to play tunes on this, and having attracted the attention of those with the ability to help, he studied with "Messrs Bowie" at Huntingtower. There is a report of him playing at a hall in Crieff at which Niel Gow also played; indeed he elicited high praise on that occasion, and Gow often employed him whenever he returned to the Crieff area. Later he also played with the younger Gows in Edinburgh. Cuthbert seemed to have been employed regularly around the country at a time when music and dancing was a huge craze. As it says in 'Crieff: Its Traditions and Characters' (Edinburgh 1881): "The "sound of revelry by night" was the fashion, and births, birthdays, christenings, marriages, and visits were all celebrated by the necessary rounds of feasting and dancing. The lairds mingled with the tenantry, and did not disdain a hulichan with them..." John Cuthbert came into contact with Sir William Murray of Ochtertyre whose daughter, I believe - Miss Murray - was a fairly successful composer of tunes, having has several published in the Gow collections. Murray employed Cuthbert for as long as he could play, which turned out to be a considerable length of time (he died in his late 70s). -- Nigel Gatherer, Crieff, Scotland [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/ Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
