Annotation:Rose Street Strathspey
X:1 % T:Rose Street Strathspey C:Robert Ferguson (c. 1790) M:4/4 L:1/8 R:Strathspey B:Sharpe Manuscript K:C (C>E)(G>A) (G>A)(c>d)|{cd}e(d/c/) fe Td>cde|(C>E)(G>A) (G>A)(c>d)| |1 {cd}e(dc) fe Te2c2:|2 {cd}e(dc) fe Td2c||:a|gcc'c (c'/b/).a/.g/ (f/e/).d/.c/| f>g (a/g/).f/.e/ (f/e/).d/.c/|1 gcc'c (c'/b/).a/.g/ (f/e/).d/.c/| f>g (a/g/).f/.e/ Td2c:|2 (C>E)(G>A) (G>A)(c>d)|ecfe Td2c2||
ROSE STREET STRATHSPEY. Scottish, Strathspey (whole time). C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'BB'. Rose Street is a narrow lane behind Princess Street in the New Town area of Edinburgh, built from 1770 to 1781 as a secondary street running east to west from St Andrew Square to Charlotte Square on the south side of George Street. According to Wikipedia, "Its name "Rose" represents England as Thistle Street represents Scotland."
The air piece was composed by Robert Ferguson c. 1790, and although there is little known about him, researcher David Johnson (1984) thinks it reasonable to suppose he lived in Edinburgh (Ferguson also wrote another strathspey with an Edinburgh title--"Bruntsfield Links"). "Rose Lane Strathspey" is contained in a music manuscript copybook made by John Brysson (sometimes Bryson) between 1790 and 1815, formerly called the Sharpe Manuscript as it was in the possession of antiquarian Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe and thought to have been work of the family. Brysson was the manager of the Edinburgh shop of Robert Bremner (who also had business in London), which sold all things musical, including Bremner's and others' music publications, and it is thought he compiled his seven volume music manuscript after he retired (six of the volumes are now held by the Duke of Buccleuch, and on by the NLS).