Annotation:Major McLean
Back to Major McLean
MAJOR McLEAN. Scottish, "Very slow" Strathspey. E Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. "Communicated by Lady Elphinstone", appends Nathathiel Gow above the tune, whose name was Clementina Fleming [1749-1822], and who may in fact have composed the melody (it was not considered entirely appropriate for a titled woman to compose melodies for public consumption). According to J. Murdoch Henderson, alternate titles were "Lothian Lasses" and "Lady Loughborough's Reel," although the tunes actually differ enough to be called separate melodies.
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 597. Gow (Fifth Collection of Strathspey Reels), 1809; pp. 16-17.
Recorded sources: