Annotation:Lord Banff's Strathspey

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LORD BANFF('S STRATHSPEY). Scottish, Strathspey. E Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. "Very Slow" says Gow. The melody was composed by Biography:Issac Cooper of Banff (b. 1755, d. 1810/1811 or 1820), a multi-talented musician who taught and published several collections in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Collinson (1966) pronounced it "a good tune," while John Glen (1895) describes it as one of the excellent compositions from this composer. See also the Irish adaptation "Lord Banff's Reel."

Lord Banff was William Ogilvy, 8th Lord Banff (d. 1803), whose seat was Forglen House, Banffshire. The manor was built on the site of an ancient castle, replaced by Ogilvy with an elegant classical house in 1800. Upon William's death the title became dormant as there was no male heir.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Anderson (Anderson's Budget of Strathspeys, Reels & Country Dances), c. 1720; p. 19. Gow (Complete Repository), 1799, Part 1; p. 7. MacDonald (A Third Collection of Strathspey Reels), c. 1792; p. 12.

Recorded sources:

See also listing at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [1]

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