A Collection of Highland Vocal Airs
by McDonald, Patrick

Full title: A collection of Highland vocal airs, never hitherto published: To which are added a few of the most lively country dances or reels, of the North Highlands, & Western Isles: and some specimens of bagpipe music. By Patrick Mc Donald

Publisher: Edinburgh : Printed for the publisher

Printer: Printed for the publisher

Date: [1784]

Description:

Collected by McDonald's brother, Joseph, the manuscript was retrieved by Sir John Murray MacGregor in Bengal. The book has an extensive subscriber list, and is dedicated to the Highland Society in London.
The preface and basslines are almost definitely by Walter Young (see McAulay, Chapter 1), whilst the Essay/dissertation 'Of the Influence of Poetry and Music upon the Highlanders' is by Ramsay of Ochtertyre.

Notes:

Some tunes are given without basses, and there is discussion of this in Preface, p.5-6. There are some elegant single line basses, some broken octaves, and other more pianistic figuration. The fiddle pibroch at the end is written in scordatura.

RISM: M15

Gore: MC5

Biographical info: Patrick McDonald (1729-1824), was born in Durness of a musical clergyman's family, educated at University of Aberdeen, and was minister of Kilmore for 69 years. (Glen 1, xi-xii; McAulay) His brother Joseph McDonald (1739-1763) died in India.

Location(s):

GB-A
GB-Cu
GB-DUcl 7075
GB-En Inglis 157, etc
GB-Ep (RISM)
GB-Eu
GB-Gm M8192 / 784.4941
GB-Gu Ca12-x.53 (Henry Farmer's copy)
GB-Lbl
GB-Ob
GB-P Af35
GB-P Af5
GB-SA 160 Finzi
GB-SHE

Digitised items

This source has not been digitised.