A Collection of Scotch Galwegian & Border Tunes
by Riddell, Capt. Robert

Full title: A Collection of Scotch Galwegian & Border Tunes for the Violin and Piano Forte, With a Bass for the Violoncello or Harpsichord Selected by Robert Riddell of Glenriddell Esqr.

Publisher: Edinburgh

Printer: Edinburgh: Printed & Sold by Johnson & Co. Music Sellers Lawn Market...." Edin.

Date: [1794]

Description:

37 pages of music are preceded by four pages of introductory notes: the first about previous publications, distinguishing Airs, Songs, Reels and Tunes, and then three pages on the tunes themselves.
The GB-En titlepage has 'No.1', with the number inserted in ink.

Notes:

Mostly variation sets, with a few reels and jigs. Some scordatura pieces, some deliberately without basses. The Ley Rigg (spelt Lee Rigg in the book) 'This set I never saw in print, as it is on the Scordatura, no Bass was necessary' (p. iv). Almost every piece has an Italian tempo marking.

RISM: R1375

Gore: R6-2

Link: Images of the GB-En copy hosted on the Cambridge University Computer Laboratory's website by Ross Anderson. He notes, 'This is believed to have been Nathaniel Gow's copy (from the handwriting on the Squire Dacre page).'

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 Hend inst Rid s
GB-DUcl 10449
GB-En Glen 351

Digitised items

This source has not been digitised.