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"The Fiddler's Morris", also known as "Hilland Tune", "There was a Lad was born in Kyle",
"The White Cockade", "O an ye were dead guidman", "I Wish that You were Dead Good Man",
"O Gin Ye were Dead Gudeman", "Watson's Scots Measure" or "A Highland lad my love was born" is an
English country dance tune in cut time in F Major. The parts are played AB.
"Fiddler's Morris" was first published by Henry Playford in the 11th edition of his Dancing Master (1701) and was retained in the series through the 18th and final edition of 1728. The piece was also published by the Walshes (John Walsh and his namesake) commencing with The Compleat Country Dancing Master of 1718. The latter editions of the Dancing Master were issued by John Young, heir to the Playford publishing concerns, who also republished Henry Playford's A Collection of Original Scots Tunes from the year 1700. In that collection "Fiddler's Morris" appears under the title "Hilland Tune" by which title it also was printed in London publisher Daniel Wright's Aria di Camera (1727). The tune was known in Scotland as "O an ye were deid, guidman" and was the indicated tune for poet Robert Burns's song "There was a lad was born in Kyle." O an ye were deid, guidman,James C. Dick in Songs of Robert Burns notes that the first part of the tune resembles the second phrase of "The Duke of Buccleugh's Tune" in Playford's Apollo's Banquet 6th Edition (1690). Cognates to "Fiddler's Morris" are to also found in Scottish collections under the title "Watson's Scots Measure" (c.f. David Young's Macfarlane Manuscript of 1741, William McGibbon's Third Collection and Alexander McGlashan's Scots Measures (1781). It was printed in Neal, Carey and Toye's The Espérance Morris Book (1910), Elias Howe's Musician’s Omnibus Nos. 6 & 7 (1880-1882), Moffat & Kidson's Dances of the Olden Time (1912), John Walsh's Complete Country Dancing-Master, Volume the Fourth (1740) and Barlow's The Complete Country Dances from Playford's Dancing Master (1985). |