ROSEWOOD. Scottish, Irish, Canadian; Jig (6/8 time). Canada, Cape Breton. A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Bain): AABB (McNulty): AABB’CC (Perlman). Composed by the great fiddler-composer James Scott Skinner (1843-1927) in honor of his concert agent, George Rosewood of Aberdeen. J. Scott Skinner
The tune began to transition to Irish traditional music repertory in the latter 20th century, perhaps picked up from Glasgow-based piper Pat McNulty's 1965 volume Dance Music of Ireland or from the playing of Belfast fiddler Sean McGuire. It can also be heard played for contra dancing and has been recorded numerous times by Cape Breton musicians.
Additional notes
Source for notated version: - Reuben Smith (b. 1931, Blooming Point, Queens County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman].
Printed sources : - Bain (50 Fiddle Solos), 1989; p. 42. McNulty (Dance Music of Ireland), 1965; p. 21. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; p. 144.
Recorded sources: - Front Hall FHR-024, Fennig's All-Star String Band - "Fennigmania" (1981. Learned from the McCusker Brothers Ceili Band). Rounder Records, Buddy MacMaster – “Cape Breton Tradition.”
See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [2]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [3]
