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Light music for the Highland bagpipe, early 19th century strathspey and reel An Gille crubach and Dh'America gu'n teid sinn, played by Decker Forrest (audio clip)

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Postcard of Light music for the Highland bagpipe, early 19th century strathspey and reel An Gille crubach and Dh'America gu'n teid sinn, played by Decker Forrest (audio clip).
000-000-580-044-C
© National Museums Scotland

Light music for the Highland bagpipe, early 19th century strathspey and reel An Gille crubach and Dh'America gu'n teid sinn, played by Decker Forrest (audio clip)

Two dance music tunes in characteristic strathspey and reel time, from William Gunn's Caledonian repository of music, adapted for the bagpipes, published in Glasgow in 1848. The gracenoting is in a distinctive early style.

The tunes An Gille crubach anns' a Ghleann (the cripple lad of the glen) and Dh'America gu'n teid sinn (to America we shall go), are also familiar as Gaelic songs or puirt. This reflects strong links between the pipe and song repertoires, with melodies flowing freely from one to the other. Early pipe tunes often bear more than one title, and tunes were frequently renamed to reflect local aristocratic influence or patronage. An Gille crubach, for example, is also known as Miss Drummond of Perth. The tune Dh'America gu'n teid sinn (nowadays called Over the Isles to America) may be the piece alluded to by James Boswell in Skye in 1773, when he described a 'dance called America'.

William Gunn (1795 - 1867) was born in Kildonan, Scotland, and learned the trade of weaving. He began playing in the Highland Society's piping competitions, winning the 5th Prize in Edinburgh in 1824, having moved to Glasgow in about 1823. He set up business as a bagpipe maker about 1834 and, until 1850, he lived and worked at 48 Gallowgate in Glasgow. Latterly (until 1866), he lived and ran his business from 273 George Street. He died on 14 February 1867 aged 72.


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Online ID: 000-000-580-044-C
Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
Project: 0869: The Bagpipe Collection
Project description | View all records in project
Ref: National Museums Scotland  Sound Asset.13
Date: 1848 (date of publication of tunes)
Material:
Dimensions:
What: Early 19th century strathspey and reel
Subject:
Who: Decker Forrest (performer)
William Gunn (publisher of music collection)
Where: Scotland, Glasgow
Event:
Description: Light music for the Highland bagpipe, early 19th century strathspey and reel played by Decker Forrest.
References:
Translations:
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