Annotation:Air (32)

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X:1 T:Air [32] T:Troop, A. M:3/4 L:1/8 R: S:The Buttery Manuscript (c. 1784-1820, No. 42, p. 9) N:John Buttery (1784-1854) joined the 34th Regiment in Lincoln, N:Lincolnshire, England, in 1797 and served as a fifer until discharged in N:1814. His large ms. contains marches, duty calls, dance tunes and airs. N:EASMES identifies this as the Fife MS. and suggests a date of 1780, see N: https://www.cdss.org/elibrary/Easmes/Index.htm Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:G D|G2 GG GBdf|ecAA FA D2|G2 G>G GBdf|edcB A2:| |:BA|FD c2 Bd G2|DFAB c2B2|GBdf egdc|BG DF G2:|

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AIR [32]. English, Air (3/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The melody was employed by John Buttery, a fifer for the 37 Regiment at the turn of the 19th century, for a military duty called 'Troop' also called 'The Assembly', a specific drum-beat that ordered the troops to repair to the place of rendezvous, or to their colors. Since it was the drum beat that was the signal, a variety of melodies could be played by fifers to accompany the action. It is entered with the simple title "A Troop" into his large music manuscript collection that was eventually taken to Canada when he emigrated decades later.