Annotation:Bonny Lass of Fisherrow (The)

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BONNY LASS OF FISHERROW/FISHIRRON, THE. AKA and see "Cait Bhoidheach," "Bonnie Kate (1)/Bonny Kate," "Boys of Limerick (The)." Scottish (originally), English, Canadian; Reel. England, Northumberland. Canada; Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton. C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Kerr): AAB (Athole, Gow, Lowe): AABB' (Phillips): AA'BB' (Cranford). Composed by Edinburgh composer and music teacher Daniel Dow (1732–1783), most famous as the composer of "Monymusk." Glen finds the tune first published in Daniel Dow's c. 1773 or 1775 (p. 2 or 22, dates vary) and Neil Stewart's 1761 (p. 65) collections. In the opinion of Mr. Troup of Ballater (as cited by David Baptie in Musical Scotland, Past and Present, 1894, p. 46) "Bonny Lass of Fisherrow" is among the dozen or so of Dow's best compositions. It was printed by in London by the Thompsons in their Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 5 (p. 21) of 1788, which version was reprinted by Brendan Breathnach in his Ceol Rince na hÉirreann, vol. 1, No. 174 (1963).

Wikipedia:Fisherrow "is a harbour and former fishing village at Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, to the east of Portobello and Joppa, and west of the River Esk."

The tune's title appears in Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes, which he published c. 1800, and the melody was included in the large 1840 music manuscript collection of multi-instrumentalist John Rook of Waverley, near Wigton, Cumbria. It was also entered in the mid-19th century music manuscript of William Winter (1774-1861), a shoemaker and violin player who lived in West Bagborough in Somerset, southwest England.

The reel's most popular derivative or descendent is the Irish reel Bonnie Kate (1)

in circulation from at least the mid-19th century, but popularized by south County Sligo fiddler Michael Coleman in his famous and much imitated 1934 recording. Irish versions are set in the key of D Major. On Prince Edward Island the tune is often played in a medley between "Rothiemurchus Rant" and "Bird's Nest. Montreal fiddler Isidore Soucy (1899-1963) recorded an irregular version in 1930 as Quadrille des Laurentides 6ème partie

Additional notes
Source for notated version : - Carl & Jackie Webster (Cardigan, Central Kings County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman].

Printed sources : - Aird (Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 5), Glasgow, 1797; No. 31, p. 12. Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 400. Cranford (Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes), 1995; No. 73, p. 22. Dow (Twenty Minuets and Sixteen Reels or Country Dances), c. 1775; p. 22. Gow (Complete Repository, Part 3), 1806; p. 21. Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 3), c. 1880's; No. 120, p. 14. Joseph Lowe (Lowe's Collection of Reels, Strathspeys and Jigs, book 4), 1844–1845; p. 19. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; p. 118. Phillips (Fiddle Case Tunebook: British Isles), 1989; p. 12 (appears as "Bonnie Lass of Fisherow"). Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 70. Thompson (Twenty-Four Country Dances for the Year 1787), 1787; p. 21. Thompson (Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 5), 1788; p. 21. Geoff Woolfe (William Winter’s Quantocks Tune Book), 2007; No. 343, p. 121 (ms. originally dated 1850).

Recorded sources : - Breton Books and Music BOC 1HO, Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald – "Classic Cuts" (reissue of Celtic Records CX 40). Celtic Music Co. 009, Angus Chisholm (1935). Shanachie Records 14001, "The Early Recordings of Angus Chisolm" (appears as "Bonnie Lass of Fisherow").

See also listing at :
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]
Hear Angus Chisholm's 1935 recording at the Internet Archive [3]

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