Jerry Holland (
Session With)

 

Dawn Beaton, the Celtic Colours artistic director, is also a fiddler. She approached me recently for help with some tune titles on a compilation of live recordings from the 2013 festival. This above tune was played by Donna DeWolf, a young fiddler from Richmond County. Dawn questioned the validity of the title Bonnie Strathmore and so, after study of original sources I agreed with her and we decided that the earliest title, one used on a recording of Alex Francis MacKay, is more correct. This change will be made in future editions of Jerry's book.
Addenda to Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes:

First recorded on 78 disc by Joe MacLean as Bonnie Strathmore. The first edition of JH1 used Winston Fitzgerald's LP title (Salute to Boston). The CB jig settings all differ significantly from Gow (1822) both melodically and stylistically.

i. Malcolm MacDonald, vol 2, 1789 (key C), reprinted 1797. ii. Niel Gow's 6th Repository (1822). iii. Jerry Holland (Session With). iv. Alex Francis MacKay (A Lifelong Home). v. Ashley MacIsaac (Fiddle Music 101)

Notes - Malcolm MacDonald played with Niel Gow and one assumes he notated the tune as he had recalled hearing Niel play it. We don't know if Gow played it in both keys - or if his son Nathaniel rearranged it for Niel's posthumous 6th collection. Since it's equally possible that Nathaniel simply assumed the tune was his father's composition I have designated him as the composer with a question mark. Both Gow and MacDonald wanted the tune to be played slowly. Some creative Cape Bretoner (possibly Joe MacLean), rearranged it as a jig.

PS - my copy of Malcolm MacDonald has a handwritten addenda (in what appears to be the script of J. Murdoch Henderson) whichs says "by Niel Gow" .

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last update 11/17/13