Annotation:Lieutenant Colonel David Stewart's Strathspey
X:1 T:Lieutenant Colonel David Stewart's Strathspey M:C L:1/16 C:"By an amateur" B:Gow - Fifth Collection of Strathspey Reels (1809) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:A cA|EA3C3A EA3Cc3|BB3 TB3A GB3B3c|EA3C3A E3AC3c|BB3 {AB}c3A EA3A2:|| cd|ec3f2d2 ec3 Tf4|e3c (dc)BA GB3 B2cd|e3cf3d ec3 {c}a4|e3c (dc)BA EA3 A2cd| ec3f2d2 ec3 Tf4|e3a (dc)BA GB3 TB2cd|ec3 d3B c3AB3G|AF3TE3D A,2A2A2|| |:B2|{AB}c3BAE3 {E}TF3ECF3|E3A (FE)DC B,3B ~B2cd|ec3AE3 TF3ECe3|Tf3ea2c2 EA3A2:|| cd|e3cca3 fd3f3a|ec3 (dc).B.A GB3 B2cd|ec3ca3 fd3f3a|e3c (dc).B.A E2A2 A2cd| ec3ca3 fa3d3f|e3c (dc)BA GB3 B2cd|(3e2c2e2 (3d2B2d2 (3c2A2c2 (3B2G2B2|AF3TE3C A,2A2A2||
LIEUTENANT COLONEL DAVID STEWART'S STRATHSPEY. AKA - "David Stewart." Scottish, Strathspey. A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABCCD. "By an Amateur" (Gow). The title perhaps refers to Colonel David Stewart (1768-1829) of Garth, a Black Watch (42nd Highlanders) career officer who later wrote Sketches of the Character, Manner and Present State of the Highlanders in Scotland (1822), which did much to romanticize Highland clans and customs. Unfortunately, a good portion of what he wrote had scant factual underpinning. Nevertheless, material from his book crept wholesale into various regimental histories and other works. Lord Thomas Babington Macauley (1800-1859) thought the popular romantic view of the Highlander promulgated by writer Sir Walter Scott, poet James MacPherson and soldier Stewart, were ludicrous nonsense, given the history of freebooting and plunder of the Lowlands. The idiocy reached its zenith with the visit to Holyroodhouse by King George IV, who was dressed in Highland garb, which Macauley maintained "before the Union, was considered by nine Scotchmen out of ten as the dress of a thief." David Stewart participated in the farce, acting as chubby George's valet, placing the kilt and plaid just so, obscuring the king's pink tights. Stewart composed as well; at least one tune of his made it to the Gow collections, "Original Gallic Air (An)." See also "Colonel David Stewart of Garth's Reel."
