Annotation:Philabeg

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PHILABEG. Scottish, Highland Schottische. A Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The philabeg (or filibeg, feilidh beag) is the ‘little kilt’, consisting of just the bottom portion of the ‘great kilt’. An unsubstantiated story has it that the philabeg was invented by an Englishman in the 18th century as a less-encumbering alternative to the great kilt worn by ironworkers in the Highlands. While it has an ancient history, the kilt was not the ubiquitous manner of dress in the Highlands until the 1740’s, and breeches were also in common usage in many parts of the region.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 3), c. 1880’s; No. 209, p. 24.

Recorded sources:

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