Annotation:Miss Graham of Inchbrakie

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MISS GRAHAM OF INCHBRAKIE. AKA and see "Miss Duff's Fancy," "Mrs. George Buchanan's Strathspey." Scottish, Slow Air (4/4 time). C Major (most versions): G Major (Morison). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (most versions): AAB (Cranford/Holland). Composed by Biography:Nathaniel Gow (1763-1831), appearing first in print in the Gow's Second Collection of Niel Gow’s Reels (1788). The air later appeared in Joshua Campbell's 1789 collection as "Mrs. George Buchanan's Strathspey." The Gows wrote other melodies for the family--see Niel Gow’s “Major Graham of Inchbrakie.” The Perthshire Graham and Buchanan families were close and there was a fair amount of intermarriage; it might have been possible that a "Miss Gramham" became "Mrs. Buchanan", hence perhaps Campbell's change of title. There is no evidence for this assertion, however, and if Gow's "Miss Graham" was one of the daughters of Capt. Patrick Grame, 8th of Inchrakie (1735-1796), as is likely, none of his daughters married a Buchanan. The Book of the Grames gives: "Of the three daughters the eldest AEmelia, married twice, first to Mr. Campbell of Monzie, secondly to Mr William Graeme of Orchill; Margaret, who did not marry; and the youngest, Louisa, married Colonel Stewart of Fincastle."

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Aird (Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 4), 1796; No. 139, p. 53. Cranford (Jerry Holland: The Second Collection), 2000; No. 314, p. 113. Gow (2nd Collection of Neil Gow’s Reels), 1788, 3rd ed.; p. 9. Hardie (Caledonian Companion), 1986; p. 34. Henderson (Flowers of Scottish Melody), 1935. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 1. Morison (Highland Airs and Quicksteps, vol. 2), c. 1882; No. 24, p. 13. Robertson (The Beauties of Niel Gow), p. 20.

Recorded sources: Scots Disc SDL-001, Ron Gonnella – “Scottish Violin Music” (1966). FECD 154, Alistair McCulloch – “Highly Strung.”

See also listings at:
Alan Snyder’s Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index [1]




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