Annotation:Sir James Baird's Favorite
X:1 T:Sir James Baird's Favorite M:C L:1/8 R:Strathspey Q:"Slow" B:Gow – First Collection of Niel Gow’s Reels (2nd edition, 1801) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:F#min c/B/|AEE>C TE2 Ec/B/|AFF>E TF2 F>A|TE>FAA TB>ce>f|e<c B>A TF2 Fc/B/| AE (E/F/A/)C/ TE2 Ec/B/|AF (F/A/F/)E/ TF2 FA|~E>FAA ~B>ce>f|(f/e/).d/.c/ (d/c/)B/A/ TF2F|| c/d/|~e>fec e2 e>a|Tf>g (f/g/)a/g/ (f2 ~f>)a|e<c TB>A A>B{A}c>B|A<F ~F>E [C2E2] [CE]c/d/| ~e>f (f/e/)d/c/ Te2 ea/g/|T(f/e/f/).g/ (f/g/).a/.g/ Tf2 fa/f/|(f/e/)(d/c/) (d/c/).B/.A/ ~A>BcA|(B/c/).d/.f/ (e/c/).B/.A/ TF2F||
SIR JAMES BAIRD('S FAVORITE). Scottish, (Slow) Strathspey (whole time). A Major/F# Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Sir James and Lady Baird’s names are included in a broadside sheet which lists the attendees at a ball at the Kelso Races. He was Sir James Gardiner Baird, 6th Baronet of Saughton Hall, who died in 1830. Baird was also Lt. Colonel in command of the East Lothian Yeomanry Cavalry regiment, formed in 1797 as part of the home guard during the Napoleonic era. See other tunes in the Gow and other collections for the family: “Miss Baird of Saughton Hall (1),” and the several titles under "Lady Baird.” See also Alexander Campbell's (1764-1824) "Miss Maclaine of Torloisk's Strathspey," a very similar tune in the same key published around the year 1800.