Annotation:Mrs. Oswald of Auchincruives—New (2)

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MRS. OSWALD (OF AUCHINCRUIVES)--NEW [2]. Scottish, Strathspey. F Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Composed by Perthshire fiddler-composer biography:Robert Mackintosh (1745-1807). There are two possible persons who he may have referred to in his title. The first was Mary Ramsay, the wife of Richard Oswald, a merchant from London and a commissioner in Paris for peace negotiations that concluded the American War of Independence. He bought the estate of Auchincruive, St. Quivox, Ayrshire, in 1764. After his death in 1784, his widow Mary remained at Auchincruive until her death in London in 1788. The estate then passed to their son, Richard Alexander Oswald. In 1793 the latter Richard married Louisa "Lucy" Johnston (c. 1760-1797), a celebrated and accomplished beauty (for whom see note for “Miss Johnston of Hilton's Fancy”) whose portrait was painted by Sir Henry Raeburn, and for whom Robert Burns wrote a song, "O, Wat ye Wha’s in Yon Town." See note for "Annotation:Mrs. Oswald of Auchincruive (1)" for expanded notes.

The tag “new” in the title was added presumably because it was a second strathspey he composed for Mrs. Oswald, after “Mrs. Oswald of Auchincruive’s Strathspey (3)” below, although it could have been for Lucy Johnston, the 'new' Mrs. Oswald of Auchincruive.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Glen (The Glen Collection of Scottish Dance Music), vol. 2, 1895; p. 23.

Recorded sources: Inver225, Pete Clark – “Macintosh at Murthly.”

See also listings at:
Alan Snyder’s Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index [1]

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