Coutie's Wedding

 COUTIE'S WEDDING. AKA and see "Cuttie's Wedding." AKA - "Cutty's Wedding." Scottish, Strathspey. A Aeolian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Surenne): AAB (Gow, McGlashan, Stewart-Robertson): AABB' (Kerr). Cuttie is Scots for 'shorty', supposedly the nickname of the bridegroom, a local fisherman in the parish of St. Fergus, Drumlithie, Scotland. His wedding was around the year 1770 and was a penny (or "siller") affair, and this tune was composed for it, according to collector Peter Buchan (1790-1854), writing in his Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland (1828). Words to the melody, printed by Buchan, go: Busk and go, busk and go, Busk and go tae Cuttie's wedding; Fa's the lassie and the lad, That widnae gang if they were bidden. Cuttie he's a lang man,  o he'll tak' hissel' a wife; Gin he tak's on tae the toonlan', Gin she takes on her fikie-fikie. Cuttie he cam' here yestreen, Cuttie he fell o'er the midden; He wat his hose an' tine his sheen, Courtin' at a cankered maiden. Printed sources: Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 33. Gow (First Collection of Niel Gow's Reels), 1784 (revised 1801); p. 11. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 3; No. 143, p. 17. McGlashan (A Collection of Reels), c. 1786; pg. 22 (appears as "Cutty's Wedding"). Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 57. Surenne (Dance Music of Scotland), 1852; pp. 90-91. Recorded source: Springthyme Records, Iain McLachlan - "An Island Heritage" (1998). X:2 T:Cuttie's Wedding M:C| L:1/8 R:Strathspey B:Stewart-Robertson - The Athole Collection  (1884) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:Amin Ad eG d>G Bgg>a gG d>B Bfg>e fG d>G Bd e>A(cG d>G(Bd e>A(cG d>G(Ba g>c e2 | (ca g>c(ea (gG d>G(Ba g<c e2 | (c<g)g>a g>c(e<g) | a>fg>e f>de>c | d>Bc>A d>G(B<d) ||

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