Annotation:Beauties of the Ballroom

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BEAUTIES OF THE BALLROOM. AKA and see "Lads of Leith (1) (The)." Canadian, Jig. Canada, Cape Breton. A Minor (Cranford/Holland): A Mixolydian/Dorian (Dunlay & Greenberg). Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'BB'CC'. Originally a Scottish tune called "The Lads of Leith" set in G Minor in James Oswald's c. 1747 The Caledonian Pocket Companion, remarks editor Paul Stewart Cranford (1995), who says the A Minor setting was introduced to Cape Breton repertoire by Little Jack MacDonald. Dunlay and Greenberg (1996) find that in modern times the jig appeared in J. Scott Skinner's Beauties of the Ballroom as the third figure of "Ettrick Vale Quadrille" with no name; on Cape Breton it took its name from Skinner's volume. The more demanding parts of Skinner's setting were omitted by Cape Breton fiddlers, but his fourth part became the third part of the island settings, played an octave lower than Skinner's.

Source for notated version: Buddy MacMaster (Cape Breton) [Dunlay & Greenberg].

Printed sources: Cranford (Jerry Holland's), 1995; No. 209, p. 60. Dunlay & Greenberg (Traditional Celtic Violin Music from Cape Breton), 1996; p. 108.

Recorded sources: BM-91, Buddy MacMaster - "Glencoe Hall." Boot Records BOS 7231, Jerry Holland - "Master Cape Breton Fiddler" (1982). Marquis ERA-181, David Greenberg - "Bach Meets Cape Breton"(1996. Appears as "The Lads of Leith").