Annotation:Miss Spence's Reel

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MISS SPENCE’S REEL. AKA - "Lady Spence's Reel," "Spencie's Reel." Shetland, Reel. D Major/Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. The original music for "Miss Spence's Reel" is from the J. Hoseason Manuscript^[1] (1862), Yell, Shetland, where there is a note "Composed by John Anderson, Voe, (in 1759) and played by him in the late Mr. Neven of Windhouse's family at Reafirth at a Christmas party, the majority of Ladies, Miss Spences, and the Reel got their name" (Cooke, 1986). With so many Miss Spence's, how could he miss? The tune was miss-titled "Lady Spence's Reel" on the 2004 recording by Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas. The reel is included in the standard Shetland set called the Yell Reels, consisting of "Ferrie Reel," "Lay Dee at Dee (1)" and "Miss Spence's Reel."

Additional notes

Printed sources : - Anderson & Swing (Haand Me Doon da Fiddle), 1979; No. 32. Anderson & Georgeson (Da Mirrie Dancers), 1970; p. 25. Bain (50 Fiddle Solos), 1989; p. 41.

Recorded sources : - County CO-CD-2729, Art Stamper – “Goodbye Girls, I’m Going to Boston” (2000). Culburnie Records CUL 121D, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas - "Fire and Grace" (2004. Appears as "Lady Spence's Reel"). Topic 12TS379, Aly Bain & Tom Anderson "Shetland Folk Fiddling, vol. 2" (1978).

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↑ James Hoseason (1805-1867), born at East Yell, Shetland, one of eight siblings. His father and one of his brothers was named Hosea Hoseason. The ms. contains a couple of pages of music notation, copies of which can be found as Appendix 7 in Peter Cooke's "Fiddle Tradition of the Shetland Isles."

[1] James Hoseason (1805-1867), born at East Yell, Shetland, one of eight siblings. His father and one of his brothers was named Hosea Hoseason. The ms. contains a couple of pages of music notation, copies of which can be found as Appendix 7 in Peter Cooke's "Fiddle Tradition of the Shetland Isles."

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