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Description: | This tune was composed by John Riddle (sometimes Riddell, 1718-95), a blind fiddler from Ayr, who called it The Highway To Bourtrie Hill. It is thought that the collection in which it featured first appeared in 1766 (Alburger, Scottish Fiddlers and their Music), but Vickers' different title and quirky notation suggest that he got it from aural circulation. Vickers' version does not make much sense as it stands, but the published version makes it much clearer - Riddle has it in D minor with no flats (though some of the Bs may be better flat), and Vickers appears, as often, to take his key signature from the last note of the tune rather than from which notes are played sharp or flat. Once it is realised that it should be in D minor rather than major it becomes an attractive and playable tune.This tune forms part of the The William Vickers' manuscript, dated 1770. The Index to the manuscript shows that part of the book is now missing, but the very substantial surviving part contains 580 tunes, or 'Country Dances' as the author calls them. It is not easy to pinpoint Vickers's location as his name is not uncommon, but he may be the William Vickers who shows up in genealogical records as an 'Officer of Exise' [sic] in Newcastle. It is fairly safe to assume that the collection was made in North East England because although it contains a lot of Scottish and English tunes it has local material which is not found in other sources. ; 18th century tune book compiled by William Vickers | Rights holder: | rights holder : Society of Antiquaries | Temporal: | start=1761;end=1800; | Source: | Folk Archive Resource North East | Identifier: | farne:R0300904 | Go to resource |
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