Annotation:Donald MacGugan's Rant

Back to Donald MacGugan's Rant

DONALD MACGUGAN'S RANT (Port Dhomhnaill Mhic Guthagain). See "Donald MacGuggan's Tune." Scottish (originally), Canadian; Reel. Canada, Cape Breton. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Cape Breton fiddlers play the parts of the tune in reverse order from the Scottish collections, with the exception of MacDonald's Gesto Collection (1896), and the parts tend to be more complex. Gaelic verses are printed in Gesto. Anne Gilchrist ["Old Fiddlers' Tune Books of the Georgian Period", JEFDSS, vol. 4, No. 1, Dec. 1940, p. 18] noted that, in her experience, the Rant was a name rather loosely applied of various lively dance-tunes, but properly seemed to her to have belonged to a quick 2/4 time melody.

Source for notated version: Kinnon Beaton (Cape Breton) [Dunlay & Greenberg]; Carl MacKenzie (Cape Breton) [Dunlay and Reich].

Printed sources: Dunlay & Greenberg (Traditional Celtic Violin Music from Cape Breton), 1996; p. 78. Dunlay and Reich (Traditional Celtic Fiddle Music from Cape Breton), 1986; p. 53. Jones [ed]. (Complete Tutor Violin), c. 1815; p. 2. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 2; No. 156, p. 18. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; p. 51. MacDonald (The Gesto Collection). Shears (The Cape Breton Collection of Bagpipe Music), 1995. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 107.

Recorded sources: Celtic CX 048, Theresa MacLellan. DAB-3, 26-1, Kinnon Beaton- "Cape Breton Fiddle I" (1982. Appears as "Donal MacGuggan's Tune"). Rounder 7003, John Campbell- "Cape Breton Violin Music" (1976. Listed as "Reel on D"). Unity Gain U-1002, Dave MacIsaac - "Celtic Guitar" (1986).

See also listing at Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings index [1].