Annotation:Miss Farquharson's Reel
X:1 T:Miss Fargiharson’s [sic] Reel M:C| L:1/8 B:Thompson’s Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 3 (London, 1773) Z:Transcribed and edited by Fynn Titford-Mock, 2007 Z:abc’s:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:D B/c/|dDFD d(D D)B/c/|dDFD B(E E)B/c/|dDFD dgfe|(d/c/B/A/) Bc dD D:| |:f/g/|afge f(d d)f/g/|afgf e(E E)f/g/|afge fdec|(d/c/B/A/) Bc dD ~D:||
MISS FARQUHARSON'S REEL. AKA and see "Hornets Nest Reel," "My Love is but a Lassie Yet (1)/My Love She's but a Lassie Yet (1)." Scottish, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The tune was used by Robert Burns for his song "My luve, she's but a lassie yet" (however, the "Ettrick Shepherd," James Hogg, also wrote a song with that title), by which title the tune is now known. It first appeared in Robert Bremner's Scots Reels of 1757 (p. 19). The melody appears in England in the third volume of the Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, published in London by Charles and Samuel Thompson. As with numerous other tune from the Thompson’s collection, it was entered into the 1788 music manuscript collection of fiddlers John and William Pitt Turner (Norwich, Conn.). “Miss Fargiharson’s Reel” was employed by Samuel Arnold for his two-act “pastoral entertainment” Auld Robin Gray (1794), which had music (“with a Scottish overture selected and composed”) by Dr. Arnold. It was first performed at the Theatre-Royal, Hay-Market in 1794, and a vocal score with ballads indicated was published in London by Preston & Sons. Country dance directions for “Miss Farquharson’s” appear in English periodicals dating to the end of the 18th century. The reel was entered into the music manuscript copybook of fiddler M.E. Eames, frontispiece dated Aug. 22nd, 1859 (p. 10); although nothing is known about him there are a few tune titles that suggest a Philadelphia, Pa., connection. See also Annotation: Love Somebody (2) for more.
