Re: [scots-l] Kerr's Reel and Strathspey Pages
The puzzle remains, however. Surenne's characterisation of the foursome, at least according to the evidence collected by the Fletts, seems to be found only in the anarchic choices of the Kilberry piper. The arrangement in the books seems to point to a well-founded practice on the dance floor, but this practice is not borne out by the oral and written accounts of dancing in the late 19th and early 20th century gathered by the Fletts. I think with the type of evidence in Surenne, we have to keep in mind that the author could have been trying to change the normal practice rather than just recording what was the normal practice. But perhaps that was the normal practice at the dances Surenne attended, who knows? - Kate D. Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Kerr's Reel and Strathspey Pages
There is a clue in the Introduction to J.T. Surenne's The Dance Music of Scotland (Edinburgh 1852): This Collection contains two hundred and forty-five of the best Reels and strathspeys The tunes are distributed into sets of three, as they are generally danced; that is to say, Reel, Strathspey, Reel. Joan and Tom Flett in 'Traditional Dancing in Scotland' (1964) write that 'within living memory' [i.e. as applied to the early sixties] the foursome was usually danced to strathspeys followed by reels. However, they do cite variations to the norm. At the Kilberry Balls in the 19th century, and into the 20th, the selection of strathspey or reel for the dance seemed to depend entirely on the whim of the piper. The Fletts' informant, Archibald Campbell of Kilberry told them: 'There was no programme and no MC, the principle being that the piper was in control of the proceedings, and whatever he chose to play the company had to dance...The greater number [of dances] were the old Highland reel of four, usually strathspey, but sometimes reel only, sometimes reel followed by strathspey, sometimes strathspey, reel and reel of Tulloch - whatever the piper chose to play.' (pp. 40-41) Formal instructions for the foursome were published in the 1880s by Dundee dancing master, David Anderson, among others. Anderson stated that 'The Reel can be danced as long as desired, but four times of the Strathspey and Reel Time [i.e. 64 bars of each] are quite sufficient.' (quoted in Flett and Flett, p. 143). This requirement could be met by playing one 16 bar strathspey four times, or one 32 bar strathspey twice, with the same for the reels. The Fletts also mention that at the big Highland Balls, it was the custom to follow the Eightsome Reel (which was danced several times in an evening) immediately with a foursome reel - 'the dancers remain on the floor at the end of the Eightsome Reel, and each set of eight simply splits into two sets of four.' (p.48). Presumably the musicians would need a plentiful supply of reels and strathspeys to meet the needs of this practice. The puzzle remains, however. Surenne's characterisation of the foursome, at least according to the evidence collected by the Fletts, seems to be found only in the anarchic choices of the Kilberry piper. The arrangement in the books seems to point to a well-founded practice on the dance floor, but this practice is not borne out by the oral and written accounts of dancing in the late 19th and early 20th century gathered by the Fletts. David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Kerr's Reel and Strathspey Pages
There is a clue in the Introduction to J.T. Surenne's The Dance Music of Scotland (Edinburgh 1852): This Collection contains two hundred and forty-five of the best Reels and strathspeys The tunes are distributed into sets of three, as they are generally danced; that is to say, Reel, Strathspey, Reel. Stuart Eydmann Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Kerr's reel-and-strathspey pages
Jack Campin wrote: Somebody remind me what Carl Volti's real name was? Archibald Milligan, b. 1849, came from a family of fiddlers. His uncle was George Hood, a celebrated fiddler of his time (apparently). Young Archie's first tune on the fiddle was High Road to Linton (he said, in his autobiography). You can tell I've got a few days off, can't you? -- Nigel Gatherer, Crieff, Scotland mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Kerr's reel-and-strathspey pages
Somebody remind me what Carl Volti's real name was? Archibald Milligan, b. 1849, came from a family of fiddlers. His uncle was George Hood, a celebrated fiddler of his time (apparently). Young Archie's first tune on the fiddle was High Road to Linton (he said, in his autobiography). Any relation to George Hood the present-day bandleader from East Lothian? - Jack Campin: 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU; 0131 6604760 http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack * food intolerance data recipes, Mac logic fonts, Scots traditional music files and CD-ROMs of Scottish music. off-list mail to j-c rather than scots-l at this site, please Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Kerr's reel-and-strathspey pages
Is anybody except Nigerian scam artists still reading this?... Kerr's collections have pages and pages of reels and strathspeys in similar key signatures printed alternately, this being handy for some kinds of dance that were popular at the time. Whatever those dances were they must have been VERY popular in the 1880s for this arrangement to make up such a high proportion of the books. And they sure aren't popular now. What were they? - Jack Campin: 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU; 0131 6604760 http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack * food intolerance data recipes, Mac logic fonts, Scots traditional music files and CD-ROMs of Scottish music. off-list mail to j-c rather than scots-l at this site, please Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
RE: [scots-l] Kerr's reel-and-strathspey pages
Jack: Concerning the Nigeria 419 scams, so named for the criminal code in Nigeria naming (not enforcing against) such practice. Any and all perpetrators can be forwarded to both the US Treasury Dept. and the Central Bank in Nigeria. There is no way of knowing whether or not listing such purveyors of deception with either organization will help. Below are the email addresses for each organization supposedly working against the Nigeria 419'ers. [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sorry for the lack of help on the Kerr's reel and strathspey pages! Respectfully, Skip CA Fiddler -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jack Campin Sent: Monday, April 05, 2004 7:20 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [scots-l] Kerr's reel-and-strathspey pages Is anybody except Nigerian scam artists still reading this?... Kerr's collections have pages and pages of reels and strathspeys in similar key signatures printed alternately, this being handy for some kinds of dance that were popular at the time. Whatever those dances were they must have been VERY popular in the 1880s for this arrangement to make up such a high proportion of the books. And they sure aren't popular now. What were they? - Jack Campin: 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU; 0131 6604760 http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack * food intolerance data recipes, Mac logic fonts, Scots traditional music files and CD-ROMs of Scottish music. off-list mail to j-c rather than scots-l at this site, please Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Kerr's reel-and-strathspey pages
This is something that has puzzled me for years too. I had been led to believe that Kerr's pages were laid out that way to provide suitable music for the foursome reel, which was popular in the latter part of the nineteenth century, but any descriptions of that dance I have seen always have the dance moving from strathspey to reel, but not back to strathspey again. I can't quite believe either that the dance was so popular that it merited the pages Kerr's devotes to it. The Athole Collection follows the same scheme. As an aside I wonder if the Cape Breton custom of staying in the same key for a set of tunes comes from the use of printed collections? David Francis (44) (0)131 669 8824 Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Kerr's reel-and-strathspey pages
Maybe it's just one way to avoid putting all the strathspeys in a different section from all the reels. Other tune collections mingle strathspeys and reels, likely for the same reason: it's nice to place a strathspey close to a reel that it might go well with. Are the Kerr's books all strictly alternating? I haven't looked at mine for years... Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Kerr's reel-and-strathspey pages
have the dance moving from strathspey to reel, but not back to strathspey again. I didn't think that the layout necessarily meant that they went back to strathspeys after reels in a dance. I just thought it was like in Cape Breton, where you wouldn't dream of playing a strathspey without a reel after it. As an aside I wonder if the Cape Breton custom of staying in the same key for a set of tunes comes from the use of printed collections? That's an interesting thought. Backwards from how I was looking at it, but possible. After all, Cape Breton fiddlers call dotted hornpipes 'clogs' and I think that comes from using Ryan's Mammoth Collection/1000 Fiddle Tunes. But there were also many fiddlers who didn't read music in Cape Breton in the past. - Kate D. Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
RE: [scots-l] Kerr's reel-and-strathspey pages
I'm no historian, so be warned! I believe there were dances known as strathspey reels. I don't believe anyone really knows how they were danced; there are people who try to work it out. Is it possible that reels and strathspeys were not played as differently two or three hundred years ago as they are now? E.g., it seems to be well known that strathspeys for Scottish dancing were played a good deal quicker in the early years of the 20th century than they are now. How were the reels played? Interesting example: compare the tune for the Duke of Perth in the early editions of RSCDS Book 1 with the current version; the current version is tuneful and danceable; I can't imagine what the original sounded like, if played at (about) 60 bars per minute. Another example is The Lassie Wi' the Yellow Coatie; when played as usually written at even close to the above speed, it is (to me) jittery and unpleasant, but if one doubles the number of bars (by adding an extra bar line in the middle of each in the original) and plays at the same number of _new_ bars per minute, one gets a lively, lilting tune. Peter McClure Winnipeg, MB Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Kerr's reel-and-strathspey pages
But there were also many fiddlers who didn't read music in Cape Breton in the past. Yes, it could be of course that the arrangement in the printed collections followed the custom of the players, as per Nigel's post about Nathaniel Gow. For the benefit of those who habitually stuck to the same key for a set, it would be natural for the publishers to offer a choice of tunes in the one key. Another thought to compound the confusion - I don't have a copy of Kerr's to hand, but aren't the tunes arranged into groups and numbered? David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
