I have to report that the LM tune in Fr Gordon`s manuscript is not known to our Banchory fiddlers. The former leader of the Strathspey and Reel has hunted without success in his stacks of tunes.
I`ve also had a look in the Scottish Music Index - Scottish Fiddle Tunes of the 18th and 19th Century. It`s similar to the Hymn Tune Index in providing a search by incipit, or rather by the first two bars. Indeed it`s better than HTI in providing a search by the second bar as well as the first. But there are also difficulties, like that only the beat notes are used, not the intermediates.
The SMI let me search the printed output of William Marshall - over 100 tunes in four collections - but nothing resembled your tune for Iam lucis orto sidere. Well that`s if I am understanding the notation properly.
I wonder if you have tried Ian Russell and the fiddle experts at his Elphinstone Institute, Shelagh.
Hello from a recent discoverer of this site. My field of research is Scottish Rc music, late 18th to earlyish 19th cent.Is there anyone else with similar interests? More specifically I have found an... more
Dear Shelagh, I presume your MS was related in some way to NE Scotland. Just possibly, some details about the forces required could help, like was there an instrumental line? RC chapels in the NE... more
Thanks for reply. Happy Mary is included in 'Sacred Music Calculated For Small Choirs' ed Rev George Gordon, pub about 1830. I can send a sibeliused version. It has an organ part and is in four... more
Shelagh has now emailed me a TIFF file of Happy Mary, with a suggestion she thinks it is a version of the Hilton/Farrant anthem "Lord for thy tender mercies sake". It certainly is, with what I feel... more
Shelagh: I`ve had a look at the interesting article to which Tim helpfully drew attention, and wonder if your request back in 2010 brought any answers on the identity of the LM tune for Iam lucis... more
Hello Yes, I did tentatively identify the fiddle melody from an 18th century collection at the SCA in Edinburgh. Annoyingly I don't have a note of it here, but will dig it out. If any of your... more
Thanks for looking. I did try the Elphinstone people without success. The SCA have a large collection of fiddle tunes and I intend to try these; will report back. Maybe GG wrote it himself?