Bonnie Black Eagle (The)

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Theme code Index	5555 5155
Also known as	Black Eagle (The), Bonny Black Eagle, High Way to Edinburgh (2) (The), Way to Edinburgh (The), Woman's Work Will Never be Done
Composer/Core Source	Biography:David Rizzio (?)
Region	Scotland
Genre/Style	Scottish
Meter/Rhythm	Air/Lament/Listening Piece
Key/Tonic of	D
Accidental	2 sharps
Mode	Ionian (Major)
Time signature	4/4
History
Structure	AABB
Editor/Compiler	William McGibbon
Book/Manuscript title	Book:Scots Tunes Book 3
Tune and/or Page number	pp. 74-75
Year of publication/Date of MS	1762
Artist
Title of recording
Record label/Catalogue nr.
Year recorded
Media
Score ()

BONNY BLACK EAGLE, THE. AKA and see "Black Eagle (The)," "High Way to Edinburgh (2) (The)." Scottish, Air (4/4 time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The tune bears a 'general resemblance throughout' to "Turkey in the Straw," although Bayard (1981) thinks it is not a precursor. After comparing them I find the resemblance is slight, at best.

As "Black Eagle (The)" it appears in Oswald's Collection of Curious Scots Tunes (1742), after a song by Dr. James Fordyce, the tune attributed to David Rizzio (doomed Queen Mary's equally doomed secretary). John Glen (Early Scottish Melodies, 1900) gives the tune as "Woman's Work Will Never be Done", in an example of two different tunes with the same title, one English and one Scottish, saying the Scottish one is also called "Bonny Black Eagle" or "Black Eagle (The)." The Scottish "Woman's Work" tune appears in the Blaikie Manuscript of 1692. James Oswald printed the tune again in his Caledonian Pocket Companion (1757) under the title "High Way to Edinburgh (2) (The)," attaching a jig to a slow air.

Printed source: McGibbon (Scots Tunes, book III), 1762; pp. 74-75.

X:1
T:Bonnie Black Eagle, The
M:C
L:1/8
R:Air
N:"Slow"
S:McGibbon - Scots Tunes, book III, pp. 74-75  (1762)
Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion
K:D
d | (AF)(A>B) A3d | (AF)(D>F) A2 (A>G) | F2 (B>c) B2 (d>e) | (d/e/f) !trill!(e>d B3d | 
(AF)(A>B) A3d | (AF)(D>F) A2 (Bc) | d2 (ef) a3b | af!trill!e>d {d}B2 :: A | 
(d>e)(f>g) a3b | (af)!trill!(e>d) a2 (ag) | f2 b>c' b3c' | (d'c')!trill!(b>a) b3a | 
(ba)(bc') {b/c'}d'2 !trill!(c'b) | (af)!trill!(e>d) e3d | (ef)(ab) (af)!trill!(e>d) | {A}B6 :||