Annotation:Contrivance (The)
X:1 T:Contrivance, The M:6/8 L:1/8 R:Jig Q:"Slow" B:John Bowie – “Collection of strathspey reels & country dances &c.” B:(Edinburgh, c. 1789, p. 12) F: https://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/archive/104982549 Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:A V:1 (A/B/)|{AB}c>Bc {c}ecA|TF>EF F2E|EAc (f/e/).d/.c/.B/.A/|{A}GBB B2 A/B/| {AB}c>Bc ecA|F>EF F2E|e/d/c/d/e/f/ ecTB/A/|{E}FAA A2:| |:c/d/|efg a3|(a/g/a/b/)a/g/ (f/e/).d/.c/.B/.A/|(d/c/d/)f/B/d/ (c/B/c/)e/A/c/|{A}GBB B2 (c/d/)| efg a3|(a/g/a/b/)a/g/ (f/e/).d/.c/.B/.A/|(d/c/d/)e/f/d/ ecTB/A/|{E}FAA A2:| V:2 clef = bass z|A,,2A, CA,C|D2D A,2A,,|C2A, D2D,|E,E,E, E,2z| A,,2A, C,A,C,|D,2D, A,2A,,|C/B,/A,/B,/C/D/ CA,C|DCA, A,,2:| |:z|A,,D,E, F,E,D,|C,3 D,2E,|F,2D, E,2C,|B,,E,E, E,2z| A,DE FED|C3 (D/C/)(B,/A,/).G,/.A,/|B,>CD CA,C|DCA, A,,2:|
CONTRIVANCE, THE. Scottish, Air (6/8 time). A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The melody is attributed by Nathaniel Gow to John MacDonald of Dundee (a dancing master who also composed "Memory of Joys that are past" and "Maids of Arrochar"). However, there is no composer attribution with the tune in Perthshire fiddler-composer John Bowie's Collection of Strathspey Reels and Country Dances &c. (c. 1789), published three decade before Nathaniel Gow published it.