MASTER ANDREW GRANT (Balmoral). Scottish, Reel (cut time). A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Composed by A.F. Skinner. Alexander Forbes "Sandy" Skinner (1833–1883) was the brother of the famous fiddler-composer J. Scott Skinner (1843-1927), who taught his younger sibling to 'second' on the fiddle and to play backup on the cello. The elder Skinner was a champion dancer and fiddler in his own right. It was Sandy who arranged for James to audition with Dr. Marks Little Men, a touring group composed of very talented boys with whom Skinner signed on for a six-year apprenticeship [1]. See also J. Scott Skinner's composition "Sandy Skinner."
The title possibly refers to Andrew Grant (1855-1943), a son of John Grant, Queen Victoria's head forester at Balmoral.
Alexander Forbes Skinner, by G. F. Day, 1872
Additional notes
Printed sources : - MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; p. 24. Skinner (Miller o' Hirn Collection), 1881; No. 71, p. 37.
Recorded sources : - Colin J. Boyd - "Pioneer Scottish Fiddler."
See also listing at : Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [2]
