Annotation:Miller's Daughter (1) (The)

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MILLER'S DAUGHTER [1], THE. AKA and see "Miller's Wedding (1) (The)," "Comin' Thro' the Rye," "My Dear Durst I but Mow You." Scottish, Slow Strathspey; English, Reel. England, Northumberland. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Vickers): AABBCD (Athole, Skye): AABBCCDDEE (Gow). Familiar to most of us in modern times as a version of the air "Comin' Thro' the Rye." It was printed early in the c. 1790 Sharpe MS., p. 83, and Niel Gow's Strathspey Reels, vol. 1, 1784. John Glen (1891) finds the earliest appearance of the tune in print in Alexander McGlashan's c. 1780 collection, however it was earlier printed in the c. 1770 Northumbrian collection of William Vickers [1], Robert Bremner’s Scots Reels (1757) and R. Bride's London-published Twenty Four Country Dances for the Year 1770 (all under the "Miller's Daughter" title). A version called "Duke of Buccleugh's Tune (The)" appears in Joshua Campbell's c. 1788 Collection of Newest and Best Reels and Minuets (Glasgow). Stewart-Robertson's version in the Athole Collection (1884) appears with the note "Old set," while Gow says his is "The Original Set." See also note for "Auld Lang Syne."

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 140. Gow (The First Collection of Niel Gow's Reels), 1784 (revised 1801); p. 19. Johnson (Scottish Fiddle Music in the 18th Century), 1984; No. 50 (appears as "Miller's Wedding"). Jones [ed]. (Complete Tutor Violin), c. 1815; p. 2. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 3; No. 370 (appears as "Comin' Thro' the Rye"). McGlashan (Collection of Strathspey Reels), vol. III, 1786; p. 5. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; p. 51. Seattle (Great Northern/William Vickers), 1987, Part 3; No. 500. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 126.

Recorded sources: