Annotation:Maas

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MAAS. Shetland, Slow Air (4/4 time). A Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'BB. "'Maas' is my description of the flight of the Fulmar petrel, called the Maaly in Shetland. Maas is a sort of name for all gull types of bird in Shetland. The last bar is where the bird lands on its rock near the nest. 'Wheels down, Wings folded,' says to me 'You can't do that.'" (Anderson). Composed by Shetland fiddler, collector, composer and teacher Tom Anderson in 1974.

The melody reminds one of the 'sublime' quality of some other minor mode airs that feature gently descending melodic passages. "Roslyn Castle" is an air with a similar character, while being melodically different.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Alburger (Scottish Fiddlers and Their Music), 1983; Ex. 115, p. 207. Anderson (Ringing Strings), 1983; p. 86.

Recorded sources:

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