Thirty Highland Airs, Strathspeys, &c.
by Fraser, Simon

Full title: Thirty Highland Airs, Strathspeys, &cc. With a Bass for the Violoncello or Harpsichord. Consisting Chiefly of Tunes entirely New With a Few Old Tunes never before Published. Selected and Composed by Mr. S. F****r

Publisher: Edinburgh: Simon Fraser

Printer: G Walker, Sculp:

Date: [1795]

Description:

From GB-En copy, note on titlepage: 'The Publisher never intended these Tunes for the Press. But having some time ago given his first Manuscript of them in order to get Basses made, neither the Basses nor the Manuscript have yet been returned; which gives him reason to suspect, that they were kept with a view of Publishing them under a fictitious name, & with wrong names to the Tunes. He was therefore advised to prevent that, by making a second Manuscript of them for Publication, adding his Name to the Tunes composed by himself, & securing them in Stationers Hall, which he has accordingly done.'
The GB-En copy has pencil numbers beside many tunes [relating to items in Airs and Melodies?].

Notes:

This collection contains well-chosen tunes, sometimes with a contextual descriptor, eg: No.8, 'Mi'm'shuidh an deridh Bata A favourite highland Air'; No.18, 'The Society's Favourite, An Old Strathspey'; No.30, 'Callum Fidhdair, A very old Reel'. 24 of the 30 tunes are marked as composed by Fraser.
The basslines are generally simple and use single notes, repeated octaves, and broken chords, particularly in 6/8 and slow tunes. One tune has a slightly more elegant continuo-like bass ('N'Eacaig, a Highland Air', marked Slow).

Gore: F2-1

Biographical info: Captain Simon Fraser (1773-1852) was compiler, editor and composer of Gaelic airs which Fraser said came from his father and grandfather. (Alburger; ODNB; Baptie)

Location(s):

GB-A Hend inst Fra h
GB-En Glen 360
GB-P Be70

Digitised items

This source has not been digitised.