Cutty Sark

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Also known as	Cuttie Sark
Composer/Core Source	Biography:John Cumming
Region	Scotland
Genre/Style	Scottish
Meter/Rhythm	Reel (single/double)
Key/Tonic of	G
Accidental	1 sharp
Mode	Ionian (Major)
Time signature	4/4
History
Structure	AB
Editor/Compiler
Book/Manuscript title
Tune and/or Page number
Year of publication/Date of MS
Artist
Title of recording
Record label/Catalogue nr.
Year recorded
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Score ()

CUTTY SARK. Scottish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Attributed to John Cumming by MacDonald (Cumming was perhaps the John Cumming who was piper to the 'Good Sir James' Grant of Grant, in the 1770's and early 1780's). John. The Cutty Sark is the name of one of the most famous 'tea clippers' (a type of sleek, fast 19th century sailing ship, officially designated a 'composite built extreme clipper ship') built, and it is the only ship of its type to survive to the present day. Launched at Dumbarton on the River Clyde, Scotland, in 1869, over a century and a quarter later she is now in dry dock at Greenwich, England, near the Gipsy Moth IV. During her hey-day the Cutty Sark sailed on the China Tea Trade for only a few seasons without distinguishing herself, and when steam-ships drove out the clippers on the China routes her duties were shifted to the Australian wool trade. For that trade she proved to be a regularly fast sailer. In later life she was was sond to new owners, rerigged as a barquentine and renamed Mario do Ambaro. After World War I she was purchased by Captain Wilfred Dowman, restored, and saw service as a stationary training ship through the end of the 1940's when she became a museum ship.

The name Cutty Sark comes from Robert Burns' poem, Tam O'Shanter. Tam meets a group of witches, most of whom are ugly except for Nannie, who is young and beautiful. The dancing that ensues becomes more and more frenzied with the witches doffing their outergarments; Nannie is described as wearing only a "cutty sark", i.e., a short chemise or shirt, a garment like the modern slip (cutty = short). The term has come to mean, in Scottish dialect, a woman or hussy, and in fact the ship Cutty Sark's figurehead is a representation of Burns' witch. A whiskey of mediocre reputation now bears the name along with a representation of the clipper ship on the label. O'Neill (1922) remarks: "Though plainly of Scotch origin both in name and tone, 'Cuttie Sark' is not to be found in any of the old Scotch or Miscellaneous Collections which have been examined. Translated in English, 'Cutty Sark' means Short Shirt, or Chemise, and as far as memory serves me, the above setting had been obtained from a comparatively modern manuscript obtained from Sergt. James O'Neill." Charles Gore notes similarities between the first turn of this tune and the strathspey "Clach na cudain."

Printed sources: Kerr (Merry Melodies), Set 11, vol. 1; No. 2, p. 8. Lowe, Book 1. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; p. 92. O'Neill (Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody), 1922; No. 285.

X:1 T:Cutty Sark L:1/8 M:C K:G D|G2 {c}BA G2 DB|G2 BG (dG)Bg|G2 {c}BA G2 AB|cABG ADFA| G2 {c}BA G2 DF|GABc dGBg|bagf g2 Bd|(cA)BG ADFA||d<B g2 d<B g2| G2 Bc (dB)dg|GABc dB g2|(ed)cB ADFA|d<B g2 d<Bg2|g2 Bc (dB)dg| Bagf egdb|cadg ADFA||

X:2
T:Cuttie Sark 
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Sergt. James O'Neill manuscripts
Z:Paul Kinder
R:Reel
K:G
D2|G2 {c}BA G2 DB|G2 BG dGBg|G2 {c}BA G2 DB|cABG ADFA|
G2 {c}BA G2 DF|GABc dGBg|bagf g2 Bd|cABG ADFA||
sd<cs "tr"g2 sd<cs "tr"g2|g2 Bc dBdg|GABc sdBs g2|edcB ADFA|
d<B "tr"g2 d<B "tr"g2|g2 sBcs dBdg|bagf egdb|caBg ADFA||