The Breast Knot
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
"The Breast Knot", also known as "Bonny Breast Knot", "Bonny Breist Knots",<br> "Ladies Briest Knot/Lady's Breast Knots", "Looking Glass", "The Snood",<br> "The Pennsylvania Fifers" (Pa.), "Daddy Shot a Bear" (Pa.) or "Jaybird" (Pa.) is an English<br> reel or country dance tune (2/2 time) in D Major. It is known in England and Northumberland<br> and some variations have been found in Pennsylvania.<br> The parts are played AAB (Barnes) or AABB (Kennedy, Raven).<br> The country dance "Bonny Breast Knots" has been known since about 1770, according to<br> Flett & Flett (1964) and long had a special place at Scottish weddings. Up until about<br> 1900 in Roxburghshire and West Berwickshire, Scotland, it was always performed as the<br> first dance after the wedding supper, with the bride and groom leading off with the best<br> man and bridesmaid. <br> There are versions of "Bonny Breast Knot" from Sussex and from Devon, both dissimilar to<br> each other.<br> There are some similarities between this tune and "The Lass of Gowrie".<br> It was printed in Aird's Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 1 (1782),<br> Barnes' English Country Dance Tunes (1986) and Kennedy's Fiddlers Tune Book vol. 1 (1951) and<br> Raven's English Country Dance Tunes (1984). <br> The Pennsylvania titles "Jaybird", "The Pennsylvania Fifers" and "Daddy Shot a Bear" are<br> printed in Bayard's Dance to the Fiddle ... (1982).<br> It was recorded by Kirkpatrick & Hutchings on The Compleat Dancing Master (1973).<br>
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