Image |
Title |
Item Description |
![The Laird o' Drumblair](thumbs/JSS0081.jpg)
JSS0081
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The Laird o' Drumblair |
The 'Laird of Drumblair' was William McHardy, one of Skinner's benefactors. He made more than £100,000 from engineering work in South Africa, before returning to live at Drumblair House, Forgue, by Huntly, Aberdeenshire. This excellent strathspey, with its 'spiccato' (off-the-string) bowing is still... |
![Angus Campbell](thumbs/JSS0082.jpg)
JSS0082
|
Angus Campbell |
Angus Campbell is the 2/4 reel in A major ('Tempo 136') that Skinner wrote to follow The Laird o' Drumblair (JSS0081), and could be considered a variation of the tune. His simple bass line uses open fifths to suggest Highland bagpipe drones although several notes take this piece beyond the bagpipe range. |
![The Left Handed Fiddler](thumbs/JSS0083.jpg)
JSS0083
|
The Left Handed Fiddler |
The Left Handed Fiddler was written for George Taylor. Both George and his son played left-handed fiddles. Skinner describes the second section as 'The cuckoo in the corn', and wrote below the music a reminder that: Angus Campbell's Reel should follow 'The Laird o' Drumblair'. In blue crayon in the right... |
![Welcome Whisky Back Again](thumbs/JSS0084.jpg)
JSS0084
|
Welcome Whisky Back Again |
Skinner's manuscript of the strathspey 'Welcome Whisky back again' (by) Neil Gow / original Key B (flat). Below the music he adds that: for (a) racy anecdote of the veteran see 'Annals of Perthshire' (JSS0085). Gow (1727-1807) from Inver, Perthshire, was easily as famous then as Skinner was in his own... |
![Note about Neil Gow](thumbs/JSS0085.jpg)
JSS0085
|
Note about Neil Gow |
Skinner's manuscript of 'a racy anecdote of the veteran' fiddler Niel Gow (1727-1807) from Inver, Perthshire, connected with the strathspey Welcome Whisky Back Again (JSS0085): His delight when the prohibition was again abolished. Here is Neil's best story - (See Annals of Perthshire / an interesting... |
![Valse Jumbo](thumbs/JSS0086.jpg)
JSS0086
|
Valse Jumbo |
The lower half of the sheet music cover of Skinner's Valse Jumbo, written after 1881, while he was living in Elgin. Jumbo, an African elephant who children rode on at London Zoo, was bought by the American showman Phineas T. Barnum in 1882 for £10,000. Despite British protests, Jumbo was taken to the... |
![The Hurricane](thumbs/JSS0087.jpg)
JSS0087
|
The Hurricane |
Skinner's manuscript of The Hurricane: Reel. "The wind harping fiercely on the Woodpines", but alas, 'tearing all the strings' 17th November 1893 / arr[anged]. by Gavin Greig. In A major, and 2/4 time, it is to be played f (forte - loudly) and 'brillante' - brilliantly. The second section, in contrast,... |
![The Hurricane (verso)](thumbs/JSS0088.jpg)
JSS0088
|
The Hurricane (verso) |
Skinner writes to Gavin Greig on the verso of The Hurricane (JSS0087) that: Where there are more than one copy the better one will be selected -In foot note should go under music Poetical? "The wind harping fiercely on the Woodpines", The chords would suggest wind gusts in 1st strain and in F (sharp)... |
![The Hurricane](thumbs/JSS0089.jpg)
JSS0089
|
The Hurricane |
Skinner's second version of his reel The Hurricane (JSS0087) has only a sketchy bass line. The last eight bars are marked 'Softly', but see JSS0088 for his final decision. Under the music he reminded himself to: See G(avin). G(reig)'s copy, and get him to add Bass. |
![The South of the Grampians](thumbs/JSS0090.jpg)
JSS0090
|
The South of the Grampians |
Manuscript in Gavin Greig's hand of the: 'Strathspey. The South of the Grampians. (by) A. Porteous Dancing Master arr(anged) by Gavin Greig. This version is almost identical to that published in the Harp and Claymore, differing only in a few bass notes. Skinner had also found out more about Porteous... |