Annotation:Charms of Whiskey (The)

Find traditional instrumental music

Back to Charms of Whiskey (The)


CHARMS OF WHISKEY, THE. AKA - "Charms of Whisky (The), "Tha buaidh air an Uisgebhea'." Scottish (originally), Canadian; Reel. Canada, Cape Breton. A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. A pipe reel from Glasgow Highland piper, piping teacher and pipe-maker William Gunn (1795-1867), born in Kildonan. Alec Gillis and his Boston-based group The Inverness Serenaders (composed of musicians from Cape Breton), made perhaps the earliest sound recording of the melody in the 1930's.

Source for notated version: fiddler Mike MacDougal (Ingonish, Cape Breton, 1928–1982) via Jerry Holland (Inverness, Cape Breton) [Cranford].

Printed sources: Cranford (Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes), 1995; No. 5, p. 2. William Gunn (The Caledonian Repository of Music Adapted for the Bagpipe), Glasgow, 1848; p. 1. Ross (Collection [of] Pipe Music), 1885; no. 306, p. 210.

Recorded sources: Inverness Serenaders, 78 RPM, c. 1930's. Cranford Publications CP-R2, "Jerry Holland Solo" (1988).


Back to Charms of Whiskey (The)