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New Music for the Piano Forte or Harpsichord
by Riddell, Capt. Robert



Full title: New Music for the Piano Forte or Harpsichord; Composed by a Gentleman Consisting of a Collection of Reels, Minuets, Hornpipes, Marches and two Songs in the Old Scotch Taste, with Variations, to five favorite Tunes.

Publisher: Edinburgh

Printer: James Johnson Engraver, Bells Wynd

Date: [1785?]

Description:

Reels, some variations, and two songs apparently tacked on at the end: some interesting tunes with character.

Notes:

The seven reels on the first three pages have almost identical repetitive basses.
'Mrs Riddell's Hornpipe' (p4) is two simple lines, but does appear to be piano music in the form of a fiddle tune with bass, as does 'Miss Wood's Minuet'.
The first set of variations is on 'O'Kellys Rant', with detailed ornaments written in very short notes. 'Tullochgorum' is given with almost no dotted rhythms.

Gore: R6-1

Biographical info: Captain Robert Riddell of Glenriddel (c.1745-94) was an antiquarian, composer, gentleman amateur, and friend of Robert Burns. Glen echoed Edinburgh librarian David Laing in asserting that Riddell wasn't very musical and that the 'reels and other dances which the Editor has seen ... have little or no merit.' (Glen 1, xii) Alburger describes his Collection of Scotch Galwegian and Border Tunes as 'useful', but echoes Glen regarding Riddell's own compositions. (Alburger, 139-41)

Location(s):

GB-A
Aberdeen University Library
GB-Bu
Birmingham University Library
GB-Cu
Cambridge University Library
GB-DRu
University Library, Durham
GB-DUcl
Dundee Central Library (Wighton Collection)
GB-En
National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
GB-Ep
Edinburgh City Library
GB-Eu
Edinburgh University Library
GB-Gm
Mitchell Library, Glasgow
GB-Grc
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow
GB-Gu
University of Glasgow Library
GB-Lam
Royal Academy of Music, London
GB-Lbl
British Library, London
GB-Lcm
Royal College of Music, London
GB-Lcs
Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Cecil Sharp House, London
GB-Mp
Manchester Public Library
GB-Mr
Manchester University Library
GB-NTu
Newcastle University Library
GB-Ob
Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
GB-P
A K Bell Library, Perth
GB-SA
Saint Andrews University Library
GB-SHE
Sheffield University Library
IRL-Dn
National Library of Ireland, Dublin
IRL-Dtc
Trinity College Dublin

GB-En Inglis 296(1)
GB-En Mus.E.l.111

    Digitised items

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