Annotation:Drummer (1) (The)
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DRUMMER, THE. AKA - "The Drummers." AKA and see "Good Morning to Your Night Cap (2)," "Jack the brisk young drummer," "Jack the drummer," "Piper o' Dundee (The)," "Taylor." Scottish, English, Canadian; Reel. Canada, Cape Breton. G Minor (Thompson): A Dorian/Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Surenne): AAB (most sources): AABB (Gow/Carlin). "Very old" notes Gow in his Repository (1802) and MacDonald in The Skye Collection (1887). Glen's (1891) found that the earliest printing of this popular melody occurs in Neil Stewart's Collection of the Newest and Best Reels or Country Dances, published in Edinburgh in 1761 (reissued in 1775). However, it appears much earlier in English publications, including Walsh's Caledonian Country Dances, vol. 3 (c. 1740, p. 21), John Johnson's Choice Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 2 (1744), Walsh's Compleat Country Dancing Master, Fourth Book (c. 1747, p. 182), Samuel, Ann and Peter Thompson's Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 1 (London, 1757) and David Rutherford's Compleat Collection of 200 of the Most Celebrated Country Dances (London, 1756). Manuscript versions appear in Thomas Hammersley's copybook (London, c. 1790), and fluter John Simpson's c. 1750 music manuscript pages (bound with a printed flute tutor). It can also be found in the 1747 commonplace book of Walter Rainstorp (Cheapside, London), William Vickers' Northumbrian music manuscript collection (1770), and in the American fiddler Daniel T. Aborn's commonplace book (1790-1809).
A similar tune, although in a different key, is "Wearying on the Gill Stoup," a pipe tune contained in the Edinburgh Collection, Book 11 (c. 1910). Barry Shears, in his Gathering of the Clans Collection, vol. 1 (1986), prints an untitled pipe reel (p. 54) that appears to be a version. In addition, says Shears, he has heard a Gaelic song called "Seallaibh curaigh, Eohainn" sung in Nova Scotia by Mrs. Annie Arnett for the School for Scottish Studies, that "bears a striking resemblance to this tune." The late indexer Bruce Olson suggested this tune was the original of John O'Keefe's "Good Morrow to Your Night Cap," a song written for his farce The Good Soldier.
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Aird (Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 1), 1782; p. 45. Anderson (Anderson's Budget of Strathspeys, Reels & Country Dances), c. 1820; p. 21. Barnes (English Country Dance Tunes, vol. 2), 2005; p. 34 (Thompson's versions). Carlin (Master Collection), 1984; p. 90, No. 150. Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 481. Gow (Complete Repository), Part 2, 1802; p. 23. Honeyman (Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor), 1898; p. 17. Kennedy (Fiddlers Tune Book), vol. 2, 1954; p. 14. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 1; Set 9, No. 6, p, 8. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; p. 111. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; p. 164. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 43. Surenne (Dance Music of Scotland), 1852; p. 17. Thompson (Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 1), 1757; No. 170.
Recorded sources: "Fiddlers Three Plus Two."
See also listing at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index [1]
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [2]
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