Barrel organ by Longman, Clementi & Co. London, c. 1801TWEEDDALE CLUB, THE. AKA - "Tweedale Club." Scottish (originally), Cape Breton; Strathspey (whole time). C Major (Athole, Glen, Gow, Lowe, Skye): D Major (Kerr). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Kerr): AA'BB' (Athole, Glen, Gow, Lowe, Skye). Composed by Nathaniel Gow (1763-1831) who published it in the 3rd Book of Niel Gow & Sons in 1792. The reel has become very popular among Cape Breton fiddlers and has been often recorded. The first recording of the tune, however, was on a barrel organ c. 1798-1801 made by Longman, Clementi & Co. of London (who were also music publishers) with wood barrels with brass pins[1].
The river Tweed marks the division between England and Scotland and ‘Tweedale’ is the older name for the district now known as Peeblesshire in the Borders.
Additional notes
Printed sources : - Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 227. Glen (The Glen Collection of Scottish Dance Music, vol. 2), 1895; p. 18. Gow (3rd Collection of Niel Gow’s Reels), 1792; pp. 14-15. Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 1); Set 28, No. 5, p. 17. Joseph Lowe (Lowe's Collection of Reels, Strathspeys and Jigs, book 1), 1844–1845; p. 16. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; p. 113. Preston & Son (24 Country Dances for the year 1796). Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 69.
Recorded sources : - Breton Books and Music, Theresa, Donald and Marie MacLellan – “The MacLellan Trio.” Capitol/EMI Records, “The Rankin Family” (1989). Celtic CX 14, "The Scottish Canadian Fiddle of Dan Joe MacInnis" (c. 1965). DAB4, Donald Angus Beaton – “A Musical Legacy” (1985). Foot Stompin' Records CDFSR1734, Shona Mooney - "Heartsease" (2006). Round Records CDROUN7024, Joe MacLean – “Old Time Scottish Fiddle Music from Cape Breton Island” (1998). Rounder Records 7020, Alex Francis MacKay – “A Lifelong Home” (1997). WMT002, Wendy MacIsaac – “That’s What You Get” (1998?). The Beatons of Mabou - "Abounding in Tradition" (2020).
See also listing at : Alan Snyder’s Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index [1]
