Annotation:Mr. J.R. Coutts's Strathspey (1)
MR. J.R. COUTTS'S STRATHSPEY [1]. Scottish, Strathspey (whole time). E Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. The strathspey was published by the Edinburgh music publishing firm of Nathaniel Gow and William Shepherd in a volume entitled A Collection of Entirely Original Strathspey Reels, Marches, Quick Steps &c., "by Ladies resident in a remote part of the Highlands of Scotland, as corrected by Nath. Gow." Unfortunately, the composers names are not given. The Leeds antiquarian Frank Kidson (1854–1926) penciled a note in his copy of the volume that the composers were, or included, “the Misses Whyte,” and modern researcher Charles Gore thinks “the Misses Whyte” may possibly be a Miss White and a Miss Brocky, of Morayshire, east Highlands.
There was a fiddle-composer, John Coutts, of Deeside, to whom the "Merry Makers Schottische" and "Braes of Mar (1) (The)" are attributed, but whether this is "J.R. Coutts" is unknown.