Annotation:MacDonald's Rant
X:1 T:Sir Alexander Macdonald’s Reel T:Can ye drink an’ no be drunk M:C| L:1/8 B:David Young – “A Collection of Scotch Airs with the latest Variations Book II” B:AKA - The McFarlane Manuscript (c. 1741, No. 169, p. 224) F: https://rmacd.com/music/macfarlane-manuscript/collection/pdfs/sir_alexander_macdonalds_reel.pdf N:The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland K:Dmix TFA2 f/g/ afed|gfed BdBA|TFA2 f/g/ afed|(e/f/g) (f/g/a) Te2d2:| |:TFA3 F>G AF|G/G/G G2 GABG|FA2 B ABAF|GAFd TE2D2:| |:TF A2 f/g/ afed|gfed BdBA|F A2 f/g/ afed|(e/f/g) (f/g/a) Te2d2:| |:A a3 f>g af|g/g/g g2 g>a bg|fa2 b a>b af|gafg Te2d2:|]
MACDONALD'S RANT. AKA - "Mcdonald's Rant." AKA and see "Can ye drink an' no be drunk," "Sir Alexander Macdonald's Reel," "Strath Spray's Rant." English, Scottish; Reel and Country Dance Tune (cut or 4/4 time). D Major: D Mixoldyian (Young). Standard tuning (fiddle). This melody appears to have been first printed by John Walsh, in his Second Book of the Compleat Country Dancing Master (3rd Edition, 1735) as "Mac Donald's Rant" (also published in a subsequent edition of the volume in 1749). Walsh printed much the same tune in his Caledonian Country Dances, Book II (1743-44) under the title "Strath Spray's Rant," one of the earliest, if not the earliest, references to the strathspey. "MacDonald's Rant" was included in the Bodleian Manuscript (in the Bodelian Library, Oxford), inscribed "A Collection of the Newest Country Dances Performed in Scotland written at Edinburgh by D.A. Young, W.M. 1740." Edinburgh fiddler and writing master David Young also included it in his MacFarlane Manuscript (c. 1741, p. 224).
The melody was included by London musician Thomas Hammersley in his c. 1790 music manuscript collection, and by Lancashire musician James, in his 1835-41 music manuscript.
