A Collection of New Reels & Highland Strathspeys
by Campbell, Joshua
Full title: A Collection of New Reels & Highland Strathspeys : with a Bass for the Violoncello or Harpsichord / by Joshua Campbell. A number of which are his own composition.
Publisher: Glasgow, for the author [Joshua Campbell]
Printer: James Johnson (sculpt)
Seller: at the music shops in Edinburgh and Glasgow
Edition: [2nd]
Date: [1789]
Description:
This Glasgow publication contains mostly strathspeys, with lots of Campbells mentioned in tune titles. There are some variation sets, and strathspey-jig pairs, and a fiddle pibroch; also some tunes by William Marshall.
Glen dates it as 1779 on the evidence of notices in a concert announcement; Gore dates it c.1786, presumably from GB-En Glen 327, apparently assuming it to be Campbell's first collection.
However, the GB-P binding has 'Joshua Campbell's 2nd Collection', and J Murdoch Henderson dates it 1789, also suggesting this. The reasons for some libraries' datings of [1786] are unclear.
A third, shorter, edition of 36 pages with basses 'Corrected by P. Urbani' was published by Edinburgh music-sellers Urbani & Liston from their address at 10 Princes Street, where they traded from 1796-1806.
Notes:
Comparing 'The New Town of Edinburgh' (p.46) as a Strathspey with the version in Bremner's Second collection of Reels shows how the strathspey version has become much more ornate.
The collection generally offers simple 4-beat basslines, not always doing the most obvious thing: 'Lord Kelly's Reel' has a (wrongly engraved?) passage with two basslines simultaneously.
Urbani's later 'corrected' basses are a little more pianistic, and sometimes wider in tessitura.
Pages: 48 p
Orientation: Portrait
Dimensions: 36 x 26
Gore: C13-1
Link: NLS, Urbani & Liston edition
Biographical info: Campbell (c.1730-1801) was a Glasgow musician, composer, guitar teacher and bellringer. (Glen 1, ix)
- 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-A Hend inst Cam J c (1st edition, with J Murdoch Henderson pencil annotations. Later editions change the titles of 'The Royal Edinburgh Volunteers' and 'Lady Elpheston's Strathspey'.)
GB-DUcl 7063 (Urbani & Liston edition, c.1796-1806)
GB-En Glen 327 (Urbani & Liston edition, lacking pp.31-36, supplied in ink MS by JMH)
GB-En Inglis 170(2)
GB-En MH.12 (Urbani & Liston edition)
GB-Lbl g.271.l.(1) (1st edition)
GB-Lbl h.210.a.(2) (Urbani & Liston edition)
- A Collection of New Reels & Highland Strathspeys [A K Bell Library, Perth (GB-P), Be54]