Annotation:Lament for the Death of Hugh Allan
X:1 T:Lament for the Death of Hugh Allan C:William Christie (1778-1849) N:Christie was a dancing master, fiddler N:and composer from Cuminestown, Aberdeenshire. M:C L:1/8 R:Air Q:”Lento” B:Christie - Collection of Strathspeys, Reels, Hornpipes, B:Waltzes &c. (Edinburgh, 1820, p. 34) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:Amin ~A>B|(c>A) T(B>A/2B/4) {B}A2 (E>D)|C2 (DG/F/) {F}E2 (A>B)|c2Td2 {cd}e3d|c2 TB2 {AB}A2:| ~(c>d)|e2 fd e3d|(dc)(BA) {A}^G2 ~(A>B)|~(c>d) (e/g/f/e/) {e}!fermata!d2 {cd}e>d|c2 {A}TB2 {AB}A2 ~c>d| e2 fd e3d|{e}(dc) {c}(BA) TA2 {^GA}G A/>B/|c>AB>^G AFE z/D/|C-c3 TB2 {AB}A2||
LAMENT FOR THE DEATH OF HUGH ALLAN. Scottish, Slow Air (whole time). A Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. "Lament for the Death of Hugh Allan" was composed by Cuminestown, Aberdeenshire, fiddler-composer, dancing master and postmaster biography:William Christie (1778-1849). The air honors Hugh Allan of Turiff, Aberdeenshire, a weaver by trade and one of the Rhyming Weavers of Scotland--poets of working-class origins whose works were collected and published in volumes such as William Walker's The Bards of Bon-Accord (1859. AKA - The Ballads of Bon-Accord). Allan, who flourished from 1807-1820, was particularly known for his poem "Elegy on the Auld Kirk of Turriff." In addition to his weaving and poetry, Allan was precentor to the Episcopal congregation at Turriff, i.e. one who facilitates worship, particularly leading congregational singing. Turiff is a village near Cuminestown, and this would have brought him into close contact with the Christie family, several of whose members were Episcopalian clergymen and connected to Turiff.
