Annotation:Roaring Rivie
X:1 % T:Mr. Macbean of Roaring Rivie's Strathspey M:C L:1/8 R:Strathspey B:Gow & Shepherd - Collection of entirely original strathspey, reels, marches, quicksteps etc. (1796, pp. 2-3) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:D B|A<dA>F D<d A>F|D<d TA>F B>EE>B|A<dA>F D<A f>d| g>bTa>g fdd:|f/g/|a<fd>f A<df>d|A<d TA>F BEEf/g/| a<fd>f A<df>d|g>bTa>g fddf/g/|a<fd>f A<df>d| A<dTA>F G<EE>F|D>d A>d D<d f>d|g>bTa>g fdd||
ROARING RIVIE. AKA and see "Mr. Macbean of Roaring Rivie's Strathspey." Scottish, Strathspey. 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. (1797, pp. 2-3), "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.
The Jamaica plantation of Roaring River produced sugar and rum, and had come into the possession of William MacBean, Esq. MacBean died in October, 1780, and the estate passed to other hands. A 'William McBean' was shown as previous owner of Roaring River between 1811 and 1829. He is possibly the same man as the William MacBean Esq., but more likely the son or nephew of William MacBean Esq. [1]. It would seem there is a younger William MacBean, as it is recorded that his youngest daughter Mary married an a man named Charles Willis in Oxford in 1825, although by that time the younger MacBean was also described as "the late."