Annotation:Ruffian's Rant (The)

Back to Ruffian's Rant (The)

X:1 T:Ruffian's Rant, The M:C L:1/8 S:McGlashan – Strathspey Reels Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:D B | A<FF>E F>EF<B|A>FF>D E>DEB | A<F F>D d>ef>e | d>BA>F E>D E :| |: B | A<F d>A B>Ad>B | A<F d>A B>AB>d | G<F F>D d>ef>d | B>dA>F E<D E :| |: b | a<f f>e f>e f<b | a<f f>d e>d e<b | a<f f>e d>gf>e | d>B d/B/A/F/ E>D E :| || B | A<Fd<F A<Fd<F | A<Fd<F BABd | A<F E>D d>ef>e | f/e/d/B/ d/B/A/F/ E>DEB |A/F/E/F/ d/F/E/F/ A/F/E/F/ d/F/E/F/ | A/F/E/F/ d/F/E/F/ B>A A<d | AFE>D Defd |EBdF E>DEB || |: A<F F>E F>E F<d | A<F F>DE>D EB | A<F F>A d>ef>e| F<F F>A E<DE :| |: B | A<F d>A d>Ad>B | A<F d>A B>ABd | A<F F>D d>efd | B>dA>F E>DE :|]

RUFFIAN'S RANT. AKA and see "Ben Nevis," "Coig na Scalan," “Down on Yon Bank,” "I'm Over Young to Marry Yet (1)," "Kilt is My Delight (The),” "Lady Francis Wemys' Reel," "Old Virginia," "Roy's Wife (of Aldivalloch)." Scottish, English; Strathspey or Rant. England, Northumberland. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Hall & Stafford): AABBCCD (Gow): AABBCCDD (Aird, Bremner, Huntington, Kennedy): AABBCCDEEFF (McGlashan). The composition has been credited to Scottish fiddler-composer and music publisher Robert Bremner (c. 1713-89), who printed the first collections of specifically Scottish dance music between 1757-1761. John Glen (1891) traced the tune back to 1742, where it appears as "Cog na Scalan" in the Macfarlan Manuscript (generally dated 1740), and says it first was printed as "Ruffian's Rant" by Bremner in his 1757 collection.

Additional notes

Source for notated version: -

Printed sources : - Aird (Selection of Scotch, English Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. II), 1785; No. 114, p. 42. Bremner (A Collection of Scots Reels), c. 1757; p. 43. Campbell (12th Book of New and Favorite Country Dances), p. 1. Gow (Complete Repository, Part 1), 1799; p. 33. Hall & Stafford (Charlton Memorial Tune Book), 1956; p. 10. Huntington (William Litten's Tune Book), 1977; p. 9. Johnson (The Scots Musical Museum vol. 2), 1787-1803; No. 156. Kennedy (Traditional Dance Music of Britain and Ireland: Reels and Rants), 1997; No. 176, p. 41. McGlashan (Collection of Strathspey Reels), c. 1780/81; p. 22. Preston (A Collection of Scots Reels and Country Dances), p. 43.

Recorded sources: -