Braes of Letterfourie (The)

 BRAES OF LETTERFOURIE, THE. Scottish, Strathspey. A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'B. Composed by Alexander Walker, born 1810, Rhynie, Strathbogie, Aberdeenshire. Emmerson (1971) calls it the best-known of his earlier compositions, while according to Paul Stewart Cranford (1991) it still has currency among Cape Breton fiddlers. Once employed (as a gardener) and patronized by Sir Charles Forbes of Castle Newe, Walker emmigrated to the United States at age 51 to join his brother in Vermont, and later in Williamstown, Mass., where he "was still going strong in 1898 as a farmer and land surveyor". He published 200 of his melodies before he left Scotland, and a further 180 in America (of which the latter appear to be lost). Letterfourie House, Moray, was built in 1773 by famed architect Robert Adam, overlooking the Burn of Buckie. Braes is the Scots term for the banks of the river, although here the title means 'the banks of the river Buckie in the estate of Letterfourie'. Printed source: Walker (A Collection of Strathspeys, Reels, Marches, &c.), 1866; No. 11, p. 4.

X: 1 T: The Braes of Letterfourie C:Alexander Walker R:Strathspey Q:128 K:A M:4/4 L:1/16 ce3 e3c dcBA F4|E3A EC3 B,4 B,3d|ce3 e3c dcBA F4|BE3 G3E A4-A2B2| AAA2 dcBA eA3 c3A|B3E c3E d3E B3E|AAA2 dcBA eA3 c3A|BE3 G3E A4 A3E| AAA2 dcBA eA3 c3A|B3E c3E d3E B3E|A,A,A,2 E3C F3D E3C|B,B3 E3G AA,3 A,2:|
 * A2|ce3 e3c dcBA F4|E3A EC3 B,4 B,3d|ce3 e3c dcBA F4|E3A G3B A4-A2A2|

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