A Collection of Scots Reels Minuets &c.
by Riddell, John

Full title: A Collection of Scots Reels Minuets &c. For the Violin, Harpsichord, or German Flute

Publisher: Glasgow

Printer: James Aird

Seller: Jas. Aird's Music Shop in New Street

Edition: 2nd

Date: 1782

Description:

2nd 'Greatly improved' edition published in Glasgow; more extensive than 1st edition published in Ayr. 'Entered in Stationers Hall'. Neither edition has an original index.
It begins with a sequence of minuets, one for two violins; after these, the contents are mostly reels, some in jig time.

Notes:

The minuet basslines are elegant and interesting; those for reels and strathspeys are generally repeated crotchets. An isolated minuet-type tune 'The Troon House' has a more baroque bassline.
The basslines have been substantially simplified for the 2nd edition, with many features removed, and more repetition in earlier sections of strains. The spelling of names in tune titles often differs between editions.
A few tunes also appear transposed for the German Flute, with no basses. 'The Highway to Coilsfield' includes bowing, and has its 1st edition bassline replaced with a repeated drone.
Note that Gore indexes the 2nd edition, but cites the title from the 1st edition.

Pages: 60 p

Dimensions: 17.5 x 25.5

RISM: R1374

Gore: R5

Link: transcriptions by HMT

Biographical info: John Riddell (1718-95) was a fiddler and composer of reels and a couple of songs, associated with Ayr. He was described as 'musician' in the parish death register, and may have been blind. (Glen 1, viii-ix)

Location(s):

GB-A SB 787 Rid
GB-DUcl 92464
GB-En Glen 97
GB-Lbl Music Collections a.219
GB-P Bd30

Digitised items

• A Collection of Scots Reels Minuets &c. [Glasgow University Library (GB-Gu), Ca9-d.22]