Key signature: Dmajor
Submitted on August 19th 2003 by KeepFiddlin'.
This tune has been added to 167 tunebooks.
Also known as For A Lament Try Http://www.whitestick.co.uk/midi/gowlamnt.mid, Neil Gow's Lament (For The Death Of His Second Wife), Neil Gow's Lament For The Death Of His Second Wife, Neil Gows Lament For His Second Wife, Niel Gow's Lament For The Death Of His Second Wife, Niel Gow's Lament On The Death Of His Second Wife, Niel Gows Lament For The Death Of His Second Wife.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Niel Gow's Lament For His Second Wife
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
D/B,/|A,>B,D {DC}D>ED|EFA B2d|A>FD {EF}E>DE|{DE}FDB, B,2D/B,/|
A,>B,D {DE}D>ED|EFA d2c/B/|A>FD {=C}B,2 A,|B,D>D D2:|
(3A/B/c/|\d>fd {cd}ecA|{Bc}B/A/B/c/{Bc}d B/A/G/F/E/D/|{EF}E>DE {DE}F>ED|{D}FDB, B,2 (3A/B/c/|
d>fd {cd}ecA|B/A/B/c/{Bc}d B/A/G/F/E/D/|{EF}E>DE {DE}FDB,|A,<DD [D2A,2] (3A/B/c/|
{e}d>fd ecA|B/A/B/c/{Bc}d B/A/G/F/E/D/|F/D/A/F/d/A/ B/A/G/F/E/D/|{DE}FEE E2D/B,/|
A,B,D D>ED|EFA d2c/B/|A>FD {=C}B,2A,|B,<DD [D2A,2]|]
This is really supposed to be a "slow air" but it's got a jig time signature. It's a beautiful, sad tune.
# Posted on August 19th 2003 by KeepFiddlin'
Its not a jig!!!!
OH my goodness!! ive never heard of this being played as a jig! shockin!! Its a beautiful slow air that we play alot over here in Scotland. Neils Gow's second wife was actually his fiddle, which i think is really sweet!
# Posted on August 26th 2003 by scottishvoice
Niel Gow's lament for his second wife
Scottish tunes in 6/8 are not all 'jigs'. Apart from slow airs like this one (and it really is a lament for his second wife, who bore all his children including fiddler/composer Nathaniel), many are pipe marches.
# Posted on September 27th 2003 by Neil of Hereford
I know it's not supposed to be PLAYED as a jig!
Here in my section of America, it gets played as a air, too ... it just has a 6/8 time signature.
We played it in our local session as a tribute to the NASA astronauts who died on re-entry, and it was a popular tune for 9/11 ceremonies, too.
# Posted on October 7th 2003 by KeepFiddlin'
:o(
Call me a pedant, but according to the sleeve notes to 'Even Now', Gow's eight children all came from his marriage to his *first* wife ... but the tune is even so a lament for his second wife, who predeceased him by a couple of years.
# Posted on December 7th 2003 by nastyweegirl
This song is so beautiful on the harp, I found it today and have been playing it all the time.
Johnathan
# Posted on December 29th 2003 by Harper_Lad
Wives
To my knowledge, Gow had a 'legit' second wife (i. e.--not his fiddle), whose name was Margaret something....
# Posted on August 30th 2007 by cowsrhot
Gow's Wives
Both of Niel Gow's wives were called Margaret: Wiseman and Urquhart respectively. As nastyweegirl says, it was Gow's first wife Margaret Wiseman who bore his five children.
# Posted on August 30th 2007 by nigelg
Wives
Neil Gow was married twice, however I had the pleasure of being at Blair Castle recently where Neil Gow played frequently while alive and learned from the caretaker who a friend introduced me to that 'Neil Gow's Lament for the death of his Second wife' is actually a lament for his fiddle... which he'd dropped.
# Posted on January 26th 2008 by kiltedYank
Thank you KiltedYank!!! ~
Now it will mean that much more to me...
# Posted on January 26th 2008 by ceolachan
NOT A JIG!!!!!!!
Slow air played especially beautifully by Jenna Reid on 'Laughing girl'
# Posted on August 18th 2008 by da skaarf
A Nice Slow Air About His Wife
Nope - its not about his fiddle, its a nice slow air about his wife.
There are several decent versions on YouTube.
FYI - another tune- "Niel Gow's Wife" or "Niel Gow's Second Wife" is a strathspey probably erroneously attributed to Gow which was rumoured to be about his second "wife" the fiddle.
# Posted on February 9th 2009 by kpoots
Source of information...?
How are you able to state categorically that it's about his wife and not his fiddle?
# Posted on February 9th 2009 by Kenny
A Chord Setting for Neil Gow's Lament
I really enjoy playing this tune. Airs are usually played unaccompanied. And this tune just fine that way. However, I like to play with a backup player too.
So to that end I offer the following chordal setting for Drop-D or DADGad guitar players. Try this and let me know it works for you.
Note 1: the "D+F#" indicates put F# in the bass of the chord on the Drop-D or 6th string.
Note 2: the "Bdim" is a B diminished chord, admittedly more jazzy than Irish. I use it only once against a final long held high d-note in the 3rd to last measure of the tune. Guitar players- use the "inside" diminished chord position at 4th fret of D,-G#-B-f.
X: 1
T: Niel Gow's Lament For His Second Wife
Z: Suggested Chords for Drop-D or DADGad Guitar tuning
A: Charles Pool 2/23/2009
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
D/B,/|"D"A,>B,D "Bm" {DC}D>ED|"A"EFA "G"B2d|"Bm"A>FD "A"{EF}E>DE|"Em7"{DE}FDB, "G" B,2D/B,/|
"D"A,>B,D "Bm"{DE}D>ED|"A"EFA "G"d2c/B/|"D"A>FD "Bm"{=C}B,2 A,|"G"B, D3/2 "A"D3/2 "D"D3/2:|!
|:(3A/B/c/| "D"d>fd "A"{cd}ecA|"G"{Bc}B/A/B/c/ "Bm"{Bc}d B/A/G/F/E/D/|\
"Em7"{EF}E>DE "F#m"{DE}F>ED|"G"{D}FDB, "Bm"B,2 (3A/B/c/|!
"D"d>fd "A"{cd}ecA|"G"B/A/B/c/{Bc}d "Bm"B/A/G/F/E/D/|"Em7"{EF}E>DE "F#m"{DE}FDB,|\
"G"A,<DD "D"[D2A,2] (3A/B/c/|!
"D"{e}d>fd "A"ecA|"G"B/A/B/c/ {Bc}d "Bm"B/A/G/F/E/D/|\
"D"F/D/A/F/d/A/ "Bm"B/A/G/F/E/D/|"Em7"{DE}FEE "A"E2D/B,/|
|1 "D"A,B,D "D+F#" D>ED|"G"EFA "Bm"d2c/B/|"D"A>FD "Bm"{=C}B,2 "A"A,|"G" B, D3/2 D3/2 "D"[D3/2A,3/2]:|!
:|2 "D"A,B,D "D+F#" D>ED|"G"EFA "Bdim"d2c/B/|"D"A>FD "G"{=C}B,2A, |"Em7"B, "Em" D3/2 "A"D3/2 "D"[D3/2A,3/2]|]
# Posted on February 28th 2009 by troisrive
I go along with the Fiddle theory, after all, women are easy come by, but a good Fiddle ............
# Posted on February 28th 2009 by Ptarmigan