Colonel Hamilton of Pencaitland's Strathspey
COLONEL HAMILTON OF PENCAITLAND'S STRATHSPEY. Scottish, Strathspey ("slow"). C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Composed by Nathaniel Gow (1763-1831), son of the famous fiddler Niel, and adjudged by many the better and more accomplished musician due to a superior education (he played the trumpet and cello in addition to the violin). Nathaniel was a most successful orchestra leader and music publisher but was not as shrewd as his father in business matters, for he bankrupted ultimately. Nevertheless, he was patronized by the Scottish nobility and the Gentlemen of the Caledonian Hunt, and even received pensions from various sources, including king George IV.
Colonel John Hamilton of Pencaitland (1751-1804), to whom Nathaniel dedicated the tune, was laird of Pencaitland House, East Lothian, and a colonel of the East Lothian Fencibles, a regiment who exercised their horses above Wintonhill Farm. Winton House was owned by Hamilton and was restored by him as a second residence, although not finished before his death. He was described by William Tait (1848) in Tait's Edinburgh Magazine as "a country gentleman, much beloved by all who knew him, and whose hospitalities were so great as to render this house remarkable in the county." John married Janet Dundas, a daughter of the ruling political family of the time, of the nearby estate of Arniston. Both are remembered with plaques in Pencaitland Kirk, a manifestation of the degree of affection held for them within the locality. He is also known for being the owner of an ox of enormous proportions, sold to a Shropshire butcher at the end of the 18th century. The animal was reputed to have been some 16 feet long, and stood more that 5 feet, 8 inches tall.
Printe sources: Gow (Second Collection of Niel Gow's Reels), 1788; p. 13 (3rd edition). Neil (The Scots Fiddle), 1991; No. 101, p. 137.
Recorded soruce: Scottish Records 33 SR 135, Ron Gonnella - "Scottish Violin Music from the Gow Collections" (1973).
X:1
T:Colonel Hamilton of Pencaitland's Strathspey
M:C
L:1/8
R:Strathspey
C:Nathaniel Gow (1763-1831)
B:Gow - 2nd Collection of Niel Gow's Reels, p.13, 3rd ed. (orig. 1788)
Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion
K:C
!trill!E/>D/|Cc (d/c/).B/.A/ (A/G/).F/.E/ {E}c2|Cc !trill!cB/A/ Bdd>e|(f>e)dc {c}B2 AG|(A/B/c/B/) (d/c/)B/A/ Gcc:||
e/d/|c>g (e/f/g/a/) gc (a/g/f/e/)|fa/g/ (f/e/).d/.c/ !trill!Bd de/d/|!trill!c>d!trill!e>f gefa|ge (f/e/).d/.c/ Gc ce/d/|
cg (e/f/g/a/) gc (a/g/f/e/)|!trill!fa/g/ (f/e/)d/c/ Bd dg/f/|{f}!trill!e>d{d}!trill!c>A G.E.F.G|(A/B/).c/.B/ (d/c/).B/.A/ G[Ec][Ec]||