Annotation:Biddy Brading
X:1 T:Biddy Brading M:C L:1/8 R:Reel C:”W.J.” B:Alexander – “Alexander’s Fifty New Scotch & Irish Reels & Hornpipes” (c. 1826, No. 48, p. 23) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:D dAAB =c2 BA|GEEB =c2 BA|dAAB =c2 BA|GECE D/D/D D2:|| d2 de fefd|e2 ef gfge|d2 de fefd|efge fd d2| d/d/d de fefd|e/e/e ef gfge|afge fdec|dBAF D/D/D D!D.C.!||
BIDDY BRADING. Irish?, Scottish?; Reel. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Alexander's "Biddy Brading" is a version of the Irish reel "Kitty in the Lane (1)." Alexander also prints a tune called "Kitty in the Lane (5)" and researcher Conor Ward suggests the tunes and titles may have been inadvertently switched, but Alexander's tune is a variant of "High Road to Linton." Conor does point out that Alexander's "Biddy Brading" variant would be the first appearance of the "Kitty in the Lane (1)" tune found in print. The first strain of "Biddy Brading" is also cognate with the first strain of "Over the Bridge to Peggy (1);" the second strains of the tunes are also harmonically similar (but melodically less so), although may still be cognate.
The reel is attributed to the mysterious "W.J." who is credited with a half-dozen tunes in publisher James Alexander's Alexander's 50 New Scotch & Irish Reels & Hornpipes (c. 1826). The volume was edited by a "professional musician," who is presumably "W.J." himself.
