Annotation:Lady Mary Ramsay (1)

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LADY MARY RAMSAY('S) [1]. AKA and see "Mary Ramsay," "Sailor Ower da Raft Trees" (Shetland), "Auld Toon o' Edinburgh." Scottish, Shetland, Canadian; Strathspey or Reel. Canada, Cape Breton. D Major (most versions): G Major (Huntington): E Flat Major (Athole, Gow). Standard or ADae (in the Shetlands) tuning (fiddle). AB (Cole, Honeyman, Surenne): AAB (Gow, Howe, Hunter, Kerr, Martin): AABB (Huntington): AABB' (Skinner, Stewart-Robertson): AABB'CCD (Skye). Lady Mary Ramsay was the daughter of George Ramsay, 8th Earl of Dalhousie, and married James Hay. Her brother was William Ramsay Maule (see "Annotation:Mr. Maule’s Frolick"). Composed by Nathaniel Gow (1763-1831), and attributed to Gow in the Fourth Collection (1800) and in Part 4 of his Complete Repository; it is one of his best-known compositions. "This tune...(appears) in James Porteous's Collection and having his initials attached it is possible he may have been the composer of it" (Skye). Renamed in the Shetlands (as "Mary Ramsay") and played as a reel, for when the tune first circulated via [J. Scott Skinner's] gramophone records which played at a higher speed than the original performance, it was assumed a reel, as the Shetlanders had no knowledge of strathspeys in the country districts (Alburger {1983} quoting the late Shetland collector and fiddler Tom Anderson). The tune was printed in Lowe's First Collection (1844). In Ireland the tune was a popular Highland fling and reel, going under such titles as "Four Provinces Flings (3)," "Queen's Shilling," and "Jamie Duffy's Highland" (see "Lady Mary Ramsey (2)"). A version in Elias Howe's Boston publication Ryan's Mammoth Collection (1883) is to be found under the title "Forget Me Not (3)."

Sources for notated versions: : Jean-Ann Callender (Aberdeen) [Martin]; Hector MacAndrew [Martin]; the 1800-02 music manuscript collection of ship's fiddler William Litten [Huntington].

Printed sources: Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; p. 127. Cooke (The Fiddle Tradition of the Shetland Isles), 1986; Ex. 19a, p. 69. Gow (Fourth Collection of Strathspey Reels), 2nd ed., originally 1800; p. 15. Henderson (Flowers of Scottish Melody), 1935. Honeyman (Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor), 1898; p. 31. Howe (1000 Jigs and Reels), c. 1867; p. 134. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 106. Huntington (William Litten's), 1977; p. 22. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 1; Set 14, No. 1, p. 10. Laybourn (Köhler’s Violin Repository, Book One), 1881; p. 55. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; p. 34. Martin (Traditional Scottish Fiddling), 2002; pp. 127 &134. Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 166. Skinner (Harp and Claymore), 1904; p. 88. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 88. Surenne (Dance Music of Scotland), 1852; pp. 26-27.

Recorded sources: Beltona 2103 (78 RPM), Edinburgh Highland Reel and Strathspey Society (1936). Canadian Broadcasting Corp. NMAS 1972, Natalie MacMaster - "Fit as a Fiddle" (1993). Topic 12TS379, Aly Bain & Tom Anderson - "Shetland Folk Fiddling, vol. 2" (1978). Ron Gonella - "A Tribute to Niel Gow."

See also listings at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index [1]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]

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