A Collection of Original Strathspeys and Reels (1830)
by McKercher, Duncan

Full title: A Collection of original Strathspeys and Reels, arranged for the piano forte, violin and violoncello […] to the Right Honourable Lady Elcho.

Publisher: For the Author

Printer: Edinburgh: Printed for the Author, And to be had at all the Music Shops."

Date: 1830

Description:

The dedication on p1 is dated 15/6/1830.

Notes:

The tunes have lots of turns and trills (especially when compared to McKercher's earlier book), and accompaniment is almost all in dyads, some tunes having basslines in octaves. It is as though all sense of a single line has been systematically removed, as even when there is only one line of music in the bass, it delineates two voices.
The accompaniments appear to have been written with some consideration as to how they will sound; tunes remain in single lines throughout.

Gore: MC19

Biographical info: McKercher (also spelled 'McKerracher' by Murdoch, 74-75) was born in Dunkeld c.1796 and 'of the Niel Gow school'; he lived much of his life in Gow's old Inver cottage (Alburger, 119), but died in 1873 in Edinburgh. He was known as 'the Dunkeld Paganini', a fiddler and teacher to aristocratic families in north of Scotland, who played with 'real characteristic North-country tang' (Murdoch, 75). He often played at evening concerts in Glasgow City Hall and at James Lumsden's Scotch concerts in Edinburgh, and was famed for playing 'The Mason's Apron' while wearing it. Baptie noted that McKercher was born in Inver, and adds that his 'Sir Neil Menzies' strathspey is close to style of Robert Mackintosh and William Marshall.

Location(s):

GB-DUcl 7076
GB-En Glen 365(1-3)
GB-Lbl h.1095.(3.)
GB-P Bf36 ('Second Collection')

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