Annotation:Marquis of Huntly's Highland Fling (1) (The)

Back to Marquis of Huntly's Highland Fling (1) (The)

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MARQUIS OF HUNTLEY'S HIGHLAND FLING [1], THE. See "Flax in Bloom (The)." Scottish, Strathspey or Fling. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Surenne, White): AABB (Alburger, Balmoral, Emmerson, Gow, Johnson/Cooper, Kennedy, Martin, Skye): AABB' (Athole): AABBCCDD (Martin). Composed by George Jenkins (c. 1760-1806), who was a friend or at least a correspondent of the Gows (perhaps, like them, from Perthshire, although his country of origin is obscure). He is recorded to have been a teacher of "Scotch Dancing" in London about the year 1794. The tune, the title of which was the first use of the term 'Highland fling', appears in his First Collection of New Scotch Music &c. of 1793, dedicated to the Prince of Wales. It also appears in Issac Cooper of Banff's (b. 1755-d. 1804, 1806, 1810 or 1811, although sometimes the year of his death is given as late as 1820) Collection of Strathspeys, Reels and Irish Jigs for the Piano-Forte & Violin to which are added Scots, Irish & Welch Airs Composed and Selected by I. Cooper at Banff (London, Edinburgh, c. 1806). Christine Martin (2002) says the Highland Fling is the oldest Highland dance, and is said to have been based on the rutting of stags (and as such, is related to fertility dances). The Gows published it in Repository, Part Second, usually dated 1802, although the Purdie edition contains the note that it was composed by "the late Mr. Geo. Jenkins," leading one to believe the publication date for that edition was older then 1804. Jenkins composed a few good reels and strathspeys, but John Glen (1895) was of the opinion that "a number of his tunes do not possess the true Scottish character."

The second part of the tune appears as the first part of the Irish "Denis Murphy's Slide (1)", as it does in the reel "Flax in Bloom (The)."

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Alburger (Scottish Fiddlers and Their Music), 1983; Ex. 39, p. 62. Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 522. Emmerson (Rantin' Pipe and Tremblin' String), 1971; No. 64, p. 153. Gow (Complete Repository, Part 2), 1802; p. 36. Honeyman (Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor), 1898; p. 11 (appears as "The Marquis of Huntly"). Johnson (A Twenty Year Anniversary Collection), 2003; p. 7 (from I. Cooper's collection). Kennedy (Traditional Dance Music of Britain and Ireland: Reels and Rants), 1997; No. 121, p. 29. Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 1), c. 1880; Set 6, No. 5, p. 6 (appears as "Marquis of Huntly"). J. Kenyon Lees (Balmoral Reel Book), c. 1910; p. 6. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; p. 74. Martin (Ceol na Fidhle, vol. 3), 1988; p. 10. Martin (Traditional Scottish Fiddling), 2002; p. 51. Moffat (Dance Music of the North), 1908; No. 38, p. 17. Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 170. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 97. Surenne (Dance Music of Scotland), 1852; p. 10. White's Unique Collection, 1896; No. 161, p. 20.

Recorded sources: Beltona (78 RPM), Will & Ian Powrie (1933). Beltona 2103 (78 RPM), Edinburgh Highland Reel and Strathspey Society (1936). Greentrax CDTRAX243, Tony Cuffe - "Sae Will We Yet" (2003).

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]
Hear a 78 RPM version by harmonica player Donald Davidson on the Internet Archive [3]
Hear a 78 RPM version recorded in 1933 by Will and Ian Powrie at the Internet Archive [4] [5] (1st tune in medley, followed by "Monymusk" and "Miss Drummond of Perth (1)").

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