Annotation:Mr. J.R. Coutts's Strathspey (1)
X:1 % T:Mr. J.R. Coutts's Strathspey [1] M:C L:1/8 R:Strathspey B:Gow & Shepherd - Collection of entirely original strathspey, reels, marches, quicksteps etc. (1797, pp. 6-7) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:Emin E>FTE>B, E2 EF/G/|A>d F>d TF>ED>F|E>FTE>B, {B,}E2 EA| B>A dF {F}E2E2:|e>{e}fTe>d e2 ef/g/|a>bTa>f d>ef>d| e>fTe>d e2 ea|Tbad’f {f}e2e2|e>fTe>d e2 ef/g/| a>bTa>f d>ef>d|e>fTe>d e2 ef|d/^c/B/A/ dF {F}E2E2||
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.