Annotation:Johnny MacGill
X:1 T:Johnny McGill M:6/8 L:1/8 R:Jig B:McGlashan - A Collection of Scots Measures (c. 1780, p. 33) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:F f|cAA TAGA|cAA A2f|cAA TAGA|FDD D2f| cAA AGA|cAA AGF|G3 TAGA|FDD D2:| |:c|f3 Tg3{fg}|afd cAF|f3 Tg3{fg}|afd d2 f/g/| afa geg|fde f2 d|cAA TAGA|FDD D2:|]
JOHNNY/JOHNNIE McGILL/MACGILL. AKA and see "Come Under My Plaidie," "Black Rogue (1)," "Life is All Checkered," "Rogaire Dubh (An)," "Before I Was Married (2)," "Billy O'Rourke's Jig (1)," "My Silly Auld Man," "Paddy McNicholas." Scottish & Irish, Jig: American, March. USA, southwestern Pa. G Major (Aird, Bayard, Carlin, Howe, Johnson {1992 & 2003}, Milne, Skye): F Major (Alburger, Athole, Gow, McGlashan, Sharp, Skye): E Flat Major (Emmerson, Johnson). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Emmerson, Johnson): AAB (Sharp): AABB (most versions). "A splendid jig tune" says Collinson (1966). It is generally accepted to have been the composition of Ayrshire musician John MacGill (c. 1707-1760), from Girvin. Besides being a fiddler, he has also been described (by Robert Riddell of Glenriddell, 1794, as the town piper, and, elsewhere, a violincello player (see also Riddell's version under the title "My Silly Auld Man"; Riddell attributes it to MacGill). What is certain is that he was a dancing master in Girvan in 1752 as there is a MS of country dance and reel instructions for his pupils (Alburger, 1983). John MacGill was also said to have been an associate of Ayr fiddler-composer biography:John Riddell (not to be confused with the aforementioned Robert Riddell). The tune was used by Burns for his song "Tibbie Dunbar" ("O, Wilt thou go wi' me, sweet Tibbie Dunbar"), and by Hector Macneil of near Roslin, Midlothian, for "Come Under My Plaidie." John Glen (1891) finds the first appearance of the tune in print in Joshua Campbell's 1778 collection (p. 31). Bayard (1981) called the tune a "fifer's favorite" as well as a popular song and dance tune in slow and quick versions. The tune is properly categorized as a Scotch jig, as its phrases are punctuated in the manner of a Scottish Measure (see Emmerson, 1971, p. 159). The melody is close to the Irish jig "Battering Ram (1) (The)."
John Macpherson Muholland's "Jig of Johnny Macgill (The)" is a similarly-titled jig, but is a different tune with an Irish provenance (according to Mulholland).
