Annotation:Up and Waur Them A' Willie (1)
Back to Up and Waur Them A' Willie (1)
UP AND WAUR THEM A’, WILLIE [1]. AKA “Up and Worst them all Willy.” AKA and see “There’s Nae Luck About the House (2),” “Washing Day (1),” “Mind What You Do.” Scottish, Reel and Strathspey: English, Shetland; Reel. England, Northumberland. A Major (Athole, Bremner, Gow): G Major (Anderson, Kerr). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Gow, Cole): AAB (Anderson): AABB (Athole, Bremner, Kerr, Vickers): AABB’ (Kerr). Popular in both 6/8 and 4/4 time from the early 18th to the early 19th century (especially in Scotland), the tune was based on a chord progression originally created in the 18th century in Italy, called passamezzo moderno. This Whig tune was the choice of William Augustus, the Duke of Cumberland and victor at Culloden (1745), when he partnered at a dance the Jacobite Lady Anne Mackintosh, who had been brought to London during the rebellion. It was meant as a pointed message. She went him one better by immediately inviting him to dance to her choice of tune, the Jacobite melody “Old Stuart’s Back Again (The) ” (Winstock, 1970). Surviving directions to the country dance to this tune were written down in 1752 by John McGill, a dancing master in Girvan, for his students. The tune appears in the Drummond Castle Manuscript (in the possession of the Earl of Ancaster at Drummond Castle), inscribed “A Collection of Country Dances written for the use of his Grace the Duke of Perth by Dav. Young, 1734;” it also can be found in Robert Bremner’s 1757 collection, and in the McLean Collection published by James Johnson in Edinburgh in 1772. The title appears (as “Up Willie, War Them A’”) in Henry Robson’s list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes (“The Northern Minstrel’s Budget”), which he published c. 1800.
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Anderson (Anderson's Budget of Strathspeys, Reels & Country Dances), c. 1820; p. 14. Bremner (Scots Reels), c. 1757; p. 60. Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 416. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; p. 125. Gow (Complete Collection), Part 3, 1806; p. 26. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 3; Nos. 53 & 54, p. 8 (strathspey and reel versions). Mooney, vol. 2; p. 22. Northumbrian Piper’s Tune Book, 1970; p. 40. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 164. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 20. Seattle (William Vickers), 1987, Part 3; No. 445.
Recorded sources: