Annotation:Caithness Rant (The)
X:1 T:Caithness Rant, The M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel B:Stewart-Robertson - The Athole Collection (1884) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:Cmin e/d/|c2 BG FECD|E2EG BGEe|c2 BG FECc| eceG F/F/F F:||:d|efgf e/e/e ed|cBce f/f/f fg| |1 efgf e/e/e ed|cBGB c/c/c c:|2 egfg efde|cBGB cede||
CAITHNESS RANT, THE. AKA and see "Highland Man Down the Hill," "Reel of Caithness." Scottish, Reel. C Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB'. Caithness' origins are in the original Pictish division of Cat. The area came under Norse raids toward the end of the first millennium and under Thorfinn the Norse earls of Orkney became earls of Caithness. It was not until 1222 that the Scots under Alexander II completely regained the territory. Northumbrian musician William Vickers entered the tune into his c. 1770 music manuscript collection as "Highland Man Down the Hill." Anne Gilchrist ["Old Fiddlers' Tune Books of the Georgian Period", JEFDSS, vol. 4, No. 1, Dec. 1940, p. 18] noted that, in her experience, the Rant was a name rather loosely applied of various lively dance-tunes, but properly seemed to her to have belonged to a quick 2/4 time melody.