Annotation:Mrs. Crawford's Favorite
X:1 T:Mrs. Crawford M:C L:1/16 R:Strathspey B:Stewart-Robertson – The Athole Collection (1884) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:D G2 | FA3 A3B BAGF A2Bc | d3ef3e dB3 B3d | FA3AB3 BAGF d3B |BAGF AG F>E D4D2 :| fg | a3ba3f d3Ad3f | e3f gfed B4 B2fg | a3ba3f d3Ad3f | e2fg agfe d4 d2fg | a3ba3f d3Ad3f | e3f gfed B4 B2cd | A3BA3F A3d BAGF | EDEF AGFE D4 D4 ||
MRS. CRAWFORD'S FAVORITE. AKA - "Mrs. Crawford," "Miss Crawford." AKA and see “Forneth House.” Scottish, Slow Strathspey or Air. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB (Carlin, Stewart-Robertson): AABB’ (Cranford). The tune was first published twice by Robert Petrie, originally in his First Collection (1790) under the title “Forneth House,” and again, this time claimed as his own composition in the Third Collection (1800). This was perhaps due to its appearance the same year in Nathaniel Gow’s Fourth Collection (1800) where the melody appeared in a slightly different setting as “Mrs. Crawford’s Favourite Strathspey,” with no attribution. The Gows must have known it was composed by Petrie, for the London branch of the Gow publishing family (Nathaniel’s brothers Andrew and John) used the “Forneth House” title earlier in their Collection of Slow Airs (c. 1795). Poet Robert Tannahill (1774-1810) composed a song to the (“Forneth House”) melody, beginning “Now Winter, wi’ his cloudy brow, is far ayont yon mountains.” The strathspey, as set by Nathaniel Gow, was played by influential Cape Breton/Boston fiddler Bill Lamey (1914-1991).
