Bridge of Garry (The)

 BRIDGE OF GARRY, THE. Scottish, Reel. A Major. Standard tuning. AAB (Gow, McGlashan): AABB' (Kerr, Stewart-Robertson). "The Bridge of Garry" was composed by John Crerar (1750-1840), who lived near Inver, Perthshire, as was a contemporary of Nathaniel Gow. The bridge of Garry is "at Struan," notes McGlashan. Elizabeth Stewart gives this sketch of the composer in her Dunkeld an Ancient City (1926) John Crerar, whose descendants are still in Dunkeld, was a keeper on the Atholl estate, and his features are familiar to many who do not know his name. He is depicted in the picture by Landseer, "Death of a Stag in Glentilt," as looking through a telescope. He was born near Dunkeld in 1750 and died at the age of 90 at Polney. Composing as well as playing, three of his tunes, "Forest Lodge," "The Bridge of Garry," and "The Banks of the Garry," were published in M’Glashan’s second "Collection," 1788, and the Hon. Lady Dorothea Ruggles Brise, who wrote a memoir on Crerar, says he is probably accountable for others in that collection. He is also credited with "The Merry Lads of Inver" and "The Big Boat of Inver," which were published by Almaine in a Collection of Dances early in the century. He was one of Niel Gow’s pupils. Printed source: Gow (Complete Repository), Part 4, 1817; p. 34. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 2; No. 18, p. 5. McGlashan (A Collection of Reels), c. 1786; p. 32 (appears as "Bridge of Gary"). Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 20.

X:1 T:Bridge of Garry, The M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel B:Stewart-Robertson - The Athole Collection (1884) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:A a|A/A/A eA cAeA|Bffe fBBa|A/A/A eA cAeA|EFAB cAA:| g|a2 ea cAec|Bffe fBBg|aeea cAec|EFAB cAA(3e/f/g/| a2 ea cAec|Bffe fBBg|afbg afed|ceBe cAA||

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