Annotation:Forest of Gaick (The)

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 FOREST OF GA-ICK/GAICK, THE. Scottish, Strathspey. D Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Composed by William Marshall (1748-1833). The Forest of Ga-ick was a deer forest near Glen Feshie, owned by the Duke of Gordon for his hunting pleasure. The Duke, for whom Marshall worked as Steward of the Household, was an excellent shot, as was Marshall himself (Moyra Cowie, The Life and Times of William Marshall, 1999). The deer were protected and well-fed on the lush vegetation of the tract and reportedly grew to enormous size. The strathspey has been recorded by numerous Cape Breton fiddlers.  Source for notated version:  Printed sources: Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; 1822 Collection, p. 52. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 240.  Recorded sources:  See also listing at: Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index

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