Annotation:Drown Drowth

Find traditional instrumental music
Revision as of 17:01, 12 October 2013 by Andrew (talk | contribs)

Back to Drown Drowth


DROWN DROWTH. AKA - "Droun Drowth," "Drouth," "Drown Drought." AKA and see "Give Us a Drink of Water (1)," "Doon da Rooth," "Drought (The)." Scottish, English; Old or Triple Hornpipe or 9/8 Jig. B Flat Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Variously noted in 3/2, 6/8 or 9/8 time. The melody was popular in England and Scotland and appears in numerous 18th century publications and fiddlers' manuscripts, beginning with John Young's Drummond Castle Manuscript, in the possession of the Earl of Ancaster at Drummond Castle. It is inscribed "A Collection of Country Dances written for the use of his Grace the Duke of Perth by Dav. Young, 1734" (and for this reason it is sometimes called the Duke of Perth MS). "Drown Drouth" was included in the music manuscript copybooks of London musician Thomas Hammerseley (1790), Northumbrian musician William Vickers (1770), and Cheapside, London, musician Walter Rainstorp (1747). A hand-written note with the tune--possibly by Scottish musicologist John Glen (in whose collection it was)--in Walsh's Caledonian Country Dances remarks that "An earlier name was The Perth Sto(?) Dance."

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Aird (Selection of Scots, English, Irish and Foreign Airs), vol. 3, 1788; No. 501, p. 192. Anonymous (A Companion to the reticule), 1833; p. 6. Bremner (Scots Reels), 1757; p. 65. Glen (Glen Collection of Scottish Music), vol. 1, 1891; p. 14. Gow (Complete Repository), Part 1, 1799; p. 32. Johnson (Wright's Compleat Collection of Celebrated Country Dances), 1740; p. 61. Oswald (Caledonian Pocket Companion), vol. 1, 1760; p. 33 (appears as "Drouth"). Petrie (Collection of Strathspey Reels and Country Dances), c. 1790; p. 21. Seattle (Great Northern/William Vickers), 1987, Part 2; No. 391. Thompson (Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 2), 1765; No. 191 (appears as "The Drouth"). Walsh (Caledonian Country Dances), c. 1745; p. 13. Wilson (Companion to the Ball Room), 1816; p. 27. Wright (Wright's Compleat Collection of Celebrated Country Dances), 1740; p. 61.

Recorded sources:




Back to Drown Drowth