Yes Rob, it certainly wasn't about joining AA!
What always strikes me on hearing or playing a Gow tune is what a lovely man
he seems to have been have been. This is borne out when you read Burns
account of their meeting.
In his Journal describes Gow as
''a short, stout-built Highland figure, with his greyish hair shed on his
honest social brow, an interesting face, marking strong sense, kind open
heartedness mixed with unmistrusting simplicity''.
Wonderful. Oh to have been the metaphorical fly on the wall that day!
Incidentally this is also confirmed by viewing Raeburn's great portrait of
Gow.
Mind you I write this today under the influence of last weekend's visit to
the excellent new Burns Museum in Ayr, and also after viewing again a
wonderful award-winning film ''The Tree of Liberty'' made in 1987 by
Timothy Neat -The Songs of Robert Burns sang by Jean Redpath , researched
and arranged by Serge Hovey. A deeply moving experience. It's now available
on DVD. See it.
Bill
-Original Message-
From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On Behalf
Of Rob Say
Sent: 13 September 2011 19:43
To: nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu
Subject: [NSP] Re: Farewell to Whisky - Niel Gow
My powers of Google are strong this evening:
"Agricultural Returns and the Government during the Napoleonic Wars"
http://www.bahs.org.uk/01n1a5.pdf
describes wet seasons, harvest failures, and the government reimposing
restrictions on the use of grain. There's also in depth analysis of the
large variations in the price of wheat of the period concerned..
R
On 13/09/2011 19:28, Rob Say wrote:
> Hi Francis - I looked in to this one a while back for some track notes
> - here's a summary
>
> My understanding is that comment is attributed to Nathaniel and is in
> the published collection of 1819 (The Beauties of Gow).
> ( Interestingly the fiddler's companion has words from 1804:
> http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/FAR_FARE.htm#FAREWELL_TO_WHISKEY_[1])
>
> I searched for and found reference to the 'British Government
> prohibition' to save the 'wasting of grain' but found only
> unreferenced stories. Jack Campin has a long article on grain and meal
> shortages (and riots). This one:
> http://www.campin.me.uk/Embro/Webrelease/Embro/17riot/17riot.htm gives
> a 6 fold increase in grain prices:
> "The most extreme price rises for grain - to six times the previous
> level - were in the years 1799 and 1800. This led to several attacks
> on stores and carts, particularly in Leith, the Grassmarket, the
> Cowgate, the West Port and the Pleasance, and the Volunteers were
> called out to defend the dealers. This kind of action made them the
> target of children's rhymes:"
> But no references .. the riots should be relatively easy to find - or
> ask Jack for his source, I see his name around and about...
>
> Grain prices are available for that time - e.g. National Archives Doc
> ref: *152M/C1819/OH142 *(I didn't retrieve it!)
> *Contents*:
> "Need to encourage agriculture; suggests use of inferior grains in
> distilleries; greater demand for barley in north of Scotland for
> production of whiskey; price of grains in 1801 ands 1810 - 'Agricola'
> to H.A."
>
> This book on the haggis:
> http://www.avrf23.dsl.pipex.com/The%20Haggis%20TYPESET%2016%20feb-2.pdf
> Both references grain prices and crop failures for the period:
> " 1790s Harvest Failure, 1799 Price of corn was more than double the
> level of the 1790s, Harvest Failure"
> AND has a substantial reference list ... none of which are on my
> bookshelf.
>
> Hope this helps
>
> Rob
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 13/09/2011 17:54, Francis Wood wrote:
>> The note accompanying the fine tune 'Farewell to Whisky' appearing in
>> the Gow 5th collection states:
>>
>> "This tune alludes to prohibiting the making of Whisky in 1799.
>> It is expressive of a Highlander's sorrow on
>> being deprived of his favourite beverage".
>>
>> Also in the 5th collection is the remedy to this distressing
>> situation: 'Whisky Welcome back again', with the note:
>>
>> "Alluding to permitting Whisky to be distilled in the year 1801.
>> It is a merry dancing Tune."
>>
>> I seem to remember reading that the prohibition was caused by a
>> shortage of grain. Can anyone provide anything more specific about
>> the relevant circumstances in 1799 - 1801?
>>
>> Francis
>>
>>
>>
>> To get on or off this list see list information at
>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>>
>
>
>
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