Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Struan Robertson's Rant

strathspey

Key signature: Eminor

Submitted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan.

This tune has been added to 6 tunebooks.

Also known as Davie Rae, Robertson Rant, The Robertson Rant.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

A Lifelong Home by Alex Francis MacKay
Full Circle by Bill Lamey

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

X: 1
T: Struan Robertson's Rant
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: strathspey
K: Emin
|: (3AGF | E2 G>A B>AB<d | D2 F>E D/E/F/G/ A<F | E/E/E G>A B>AB<e | d>BA<F E2 :|
|: g>f | e>fg>e B>eg<e | f<dd>f a/g/f/e/ d<f | e>fg>e b>eg<e | d<BA>F E2 :|
|: (3cBA | G>BE>B G>Be>B | F>AD>A F>Ad>A | G>BE>B G>BE>g |[1 f<d (3agf e2 :|[2 f<da>f e2- ||
e>f | g>be>b g>bead>a f>ad<a | g>be>b g>be>g | f<da>f e2- e>f |
g>be>b gad>a f<a d2 | g>bf>a e>gd>F | d/^c/B/A/ d<F E2 |]

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

"Struan Robertson's Rant"

I'l add at least one more transcript later. In the meantime, here are some relatives already in the database ~

"The Red Haired Girl Of Tulloch"
Submitted on January 2nd 2005 by armandale.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/4043

"Cuckold Come Out Of The Amrey"
Submitted on April 29th 2007 by Dr. Dow.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/7116

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan

"Struan Robertson's Rant" - "The Athole Collection"

X: 2
T: Struan Robertson's Rant
T: The Robertson Rant
B: James Stewart Robertson's "The Athole Collection", 1884, page 104
U: T = !trill!
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: strathspey
K: GMaj
|: d/ |\
E/E/E {F/}G>A TB>AB<d | D/D/D TF>E D/E/F/G/ A<F |
E/E/E {F/}G>A TB>AB<e | {^c/}d>BA>F E/E/E TE3/ :|
|: g/ |\
e>f{f/}g>e b>e{f/}g>e | f<dd>f a/g/f/e/ {^c/}d>f |
e>f{f/}g>e b>e{f/}g>e | d>BA>F E/E/E E3/ :|
|: B/ |\
{F/}G>BE>B {F/}G>BE>B | F>AD>A F>AD>A |
{F/}G>BE>B {F/}G>BE>g | Tf>da>f e/e/e Te3/ :|
f/ |\
g>be>b g>be>b | f>ad>a f>ad>a |
g>be>b g>be>g | Tf>da>f e/e/e Te>f |
g>be>b g>be>b | f>ad>a f>ad>f |
g>bf>a e>f{^c/}d>f | {^c/}d/c/B/A/ {c/}d<F E/E/E E3/ |]

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan

K: Emin

A necessary correction to the above extraction from "The Athole Collection"...

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan

Discussion: can anyone identify a tune?

# Posted on January 28th 2012 by SionedMc
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/29225

This tune was submitted in part in answer to Sioned's question...

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan

David Glen's Collection of Highland Bagpipe Music

Sans gracing:

X: 1
T: Struan Robertson's Rant
S:David Glen's Book 4
M: C
L: 1/8
R: strathspey
K:HP
|:B/B/B d>e f>e f<a|A/A/A e>c A>B cA|B/B/B d>e f>e f<a|g/f/e a>c Bc d>B f>B dB|c<A A>c e/d/c/B/ A>c|B>c d>B f>B d>B|a>f e>c Bf B<f d>f B>d|c>e A<e c>e A>e|d>f B<f d>f B>d|c>A e>c Bd c>A B<B f2||

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by Weejie

HP sauce! A nice one... Curious though - AABBCD ~ and especially D... :-/ Tell us more if you can...

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan

That's exactly how it appears in Glen's. Obviously the gracing makes a difference.
I could give you a history of the Struan Robertsons - but much of that is legend.

The gracing for those interesting runs in the last part:

{g}d/4{G}d3/4f {g}B/4{G}B3/4f {g}d/4{G}d3/4f {g}B/4{G}B3/4f|
{g}c/4{A}c3/4e {g}A/4{G}A3/4e {g}c/4{A}c3/4e {g}A/4{G}A3/4e|

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by Weejie

I love it, thanks Weejie. Someday, to raise my appreciation, I'll have to chase up a decent practice chanter and give it a go. A well played scurl, from a distance, over in the next field, has never failed to make me pensive and raise emotions... ;-) ( ~ and near at hand too, with a few valued recordings of marvelous pipers, in part thanks to recommendations by folks on site here...)

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan

My greatest appreciation there are the pipers of Cape Breton, dance-centric and not so tied to the tyranny of the many grace heavy collections... But, my heart responds to a wider field of stimulus... :-) However, I do prefer things less prescriptive and uniform and more inspired...

http://www.piobaireachd.co.uk/

I take it that David Glen was publishing from the 1870 through to the first decade of the 20th Century?

A Collection of Ancient Piobaireachd, Book 4
Compiled and Arranged by David Glen
With Historic Biographic and Legendary Notes
Regarding the Tunes by Fionn - 1896

"Legendary Notes"?

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan

Struan Robertson's Rant

The trouble with what I call "minorish" tunes is that there are many that sound very similar. However, there a couple of tunes in this case which are of interest.

This tune is in the collection of Alexander "King" McGlashan (1740-1797):

X:946
T:Davie Rae
S:McGlashan's Collection (1778)
Z:Nigel Gatherer
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Em
F | E/E/E GA B>ABd | D/D/D dF D/E/F/G/ AF | E/E/E GA B>ABd | eBdF E/E/E E :|
f | e>fge b>fge | f>edg a/g/f/e/ df | efge bfge | dBAF E/E/E E
f | e>fge b>fge | f>edg a/g/f/e/ df | efge bfge | dBAF E/E/E E2 |
|: G>BE>B G>BE>B | F>AD>A F>AD>A | G>BE>B G>BE>G | f>e^df e/e/e e2 :|
g>be>b g>be>b | f>ad>a f>ad>a | g>be>b g>be>g | f>e^df e/e/e e2 |
g>be>b g>be>b | f>ad>a f>ad>a | b>fg>e f>de>^c |d/^c/B/A/ dF E/E/E E2 ||

And a pipe tune found in the Skye Collection:

X:947
T:Red Haired Girl of Tulloch, The
S:Skye Collection (1887)
N:Transposed from Bm for comparison
Z:Nigel Gatherer
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Em
E<EG>A B>AB<d | D<DF>E D>FA>F | E<EG>A B>AB<^c | d>BA>F E<E B2 :|
G>BE>B G<BE>B | F<AD>A F<AD>A | G<BE>B G<BE>B | d>BA>F E<E B2 |
G>BE>B G>BE>B | F>AD>A F>AD>A | E<EG>A B>AB<^c | d>BA>F E<E B2 ||

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by nigelg

This tune is not from the Piobaireachd collection. It is from David Glen's Collection of Highland Bagpipe Music:

"David Glen’s Collection of Highland Bagpipe Music appeared in 17 parts between 1876 and 1900 and contained nearly 1,100 pieces of light music, both old and new"

http://www.pipetunes.ca/composers.asp?pg=Details&composerID=147

You'll find them at Ceol Sean.

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by Weejie

Thanks all, appreciated...

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan

WOW! Weejie, I love the link, especially the pictures and text...

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan

A treasure trove, and the transcriptions you've both given as well. I look forward to more reads from that site, thanks.

All that pre-turned and bored woodstock curing there around him, amazing ~
http://www.pipetunes.ca/myimages/Image/composers/Glen-in-shop1910-600.jpg

And there it is again on the back table of that workshop ~
http://www.pipetunes.ca/myimages/Image/composers/Alexander-Glen-and-son-Davi.jpg

And more ~
http://www.pipetunes.ca/myimages/Image/composers/Glen-with-Apprentice-600.jpg

Amazing...

Back to the Glen collections, what is meant by "Tunes by "FIONN""?

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan

"what is meant by "Tunes by "FIONN""?"

It's just the way the cover has set the text. It reads:

"Historic, biographic and legendary notes to the tunes by 'Fionn' "
These notes appeared in the later editions (if you call 1904-7 "later"). "Fionn" must have been considered an expert.

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by Weejie

"Fionn" was Henry Whyte.

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by Weejie

This Henry Whyte (1852 - 1913):

http://www.archive.org/details/celticlyrecollec06whyt

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by Weejie

Thanks Weejie... I'd been dipping in and out as I chased up other chores and almost burnt dinner... ;-)

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan

"Davie Rae"

I like McGlashan's take on it Nigel. I love that ^d...

# Posted on January 29th 2012 by ceolachan