Annotation:Departure of a Friend (The)
X:1 % T:Departure of a Friend, The;--or, the Author's Lament M:C L:1/8 R:Air Q:"Very Slow" B:Gow & Shepherd - Collection of entirely original strathspey, reels, marches, quicksteps etc. (1796, p. 11) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:D AB/c/|d2D2F2A2|d2F2A2d2|e>de>f g<fTe>d|{d}B4 B2 AB/c/| d2 D2F2A2|d2F2A2d2|Ta>fa>b a<gf>e|{e}B4B2:| ab/c'/|d'2d2f2a2|b2d2f2a2|Te>de>f g<fe>d|{d}B4 B2 ab/c'/| d'2 d2f2a2|b2d2f2a2|Te>de>f g<fe>d|{d}B4B2 ab/c'/| d'2 d2f2a2|b2d2f2a2|e>de>f g<fTe>d|{d}B4 B2 AB/c/| d2D2F2A2|d2F2A2d2|Ta>fa>b a<gTf>e|d4 d2||
DEPARTURE OF A FRIEND, or THE AUTHOR'S LAMENT. Scottish, Air (whole time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. The tune (as "Mr. Macbean of Roaring Rivie's Strathspey") was published by the Edinburgh music publishing firm of Nathaniel Gow and William Shepherd in a volume entitled A Collection of Entirely Original Strathspey Reels, Marches, Quick Steps &c., "by Ladies resident in a remote part of the Highlands of Scotland, as corrected by Nath. Gow." Unfortunately, the composers names are not given. The Leeds antiquarian Frank Kidson (1854–1926) penciled a note in his copy of the volume that the composers were, or included, “the Misses Whyte,” and modern researcher Charles Gore thinks “the Misses Whyte” may possibly be a Miss White and a Miss Brocky, of Morayshire, east Highlands.