Annotation:Miss Graham of Inchbrakie

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MISS GRAHAM OF INCHBRAKIE. AKA and see "Miss Duff's Fancy," "Mrs. George Buchanan's Strathspey." Scottish, Slow Air (4/4 time). C Major (most versions): G Major (Morison). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (most versions): AAB (Cranford/Holland). Composed by Biography:Nathaniel Gow (1763-1831), appearing first in print in the Gow's Second Collection of Niel Gow’s Reels (1788). The air later appeared in Joshua Campbell's 1789 collection as "Mrs. George Buchanan's Strathspey." The Gows wrote other melodies for the family--see Niel Gow’s “Major Graham of Inchbrakie.” The Perthshire Graham and Buchanan families intermarried for generations, and it is possible "Miss Gramham" became "Mrs. Buchanan", hence Campbell's change of title.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Aird (Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 4), 1796; No. 139, p. 53. Cranford (Jerry Holland: The Second Collection), 2000; No. 314, p. 113. Gow (2nd Collection of Neil Gow’s Reels), 1788, 3rd ed.; p. 9. Hardie (Caledonian Companion), 1986; p. 34. Henderson (Flowers of Scottish Melody), 1935. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 1. Morison (Highland Airs and Quicksteps, vol. 2), c. 1882; No. 24, p. 13. Robertson (The Beauties of Niel Gow), p. 20.

Recorded sources: Scots Disc SDL-001, Ron Gonnella – “Scottish Violin Music” (1966). FECD 154, Alistair McCulloch – “Highly Strung.”

See also listings at:
Alan Snyder’s Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index [1]