Annotation:Glasgow Tontine
X:1 % T:Glasgow Tontine M:C L:1/8 R:Reel B:Joshua Campbell – A Collection of New Reels & Highland Strathspeys (Glasgow, 1789. p. 20) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:Bb d|(B>G)(F>E) T(D>B,)(d>B)|(e>c)(f>d) c/c/c (c>d)|(e/d/c/B/) (d/c/B/A/) (B/A/G/F/) E>g| f>dc>d B/B/B B::d|(B>f)(d>f) (F>B) (e/d/c/B/)|{d}(e>g)f>d c/c/c (c>d)| (B>f)(d>f) b>f (e/d/c/B/)|F>eTd>c B/B/B (B>d)|(B>f)d>B F>B d>F| E>GTF>D C/C/C (C>!fermata!D)|B,>DF>B d>fb>g|f>dc>d B/B/B B||
GLASGOW TONTINE. Scottish, (). B Flat Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. It was built in 1781 by William Hamilton behind the existing frontage of the town hall with its pedimented windows and street-level arcade. The keystones of the arches of the arcade were carved with heads and grotesques known as the "Tontine Heads", clearly visible here.
During the 18th and 19th centuries the coffee shop under the piazza was a meeting place for leading figures from the community. The hotel was reputedly the first in the city and was popularly known by Glaswegians as the "Hottle".