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Heilan’ Donald Kissed Kitty strathspey

Also known as 42nd Highlanders, Highland Donald, Highland Donald Kiss’d Kitty, Highland Donald Kissed Kitty, Wha Saw The Forty-Second, Wha Wouldna Fecht For Charlie, What Wad’na Fect For Charlie?, Will You Go And Marry Ketty.

There are 3 recordings of this tune.

Heilan' Donald Kissed Kitty has been added to 16 tunebooks.

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One setting

1
X: 1
T: Heilan' Donald Kissed Kitty
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:d | "G"B<G G>A B>A B<g | B<G G>A B<d "D7"A>c |
"G"B<G G>A B>A B<d | "C"e<g "G"d<g B<g "D7"A :|
|: c | "G"B<d de/f/ g>f e<d | B<d de/f/ g>B "D7"A>c |
"G"B<d de/f/ g>f e<d | "C"e<g "G"d<g B<g "D7"{B}A :|

Four comments

This tune is not at all bad. Why not tell us a bit about it?

Heilan Donald Kissed Kitty

R: strathspey
B: Hunter "The Fiddle Music of Scotland"
Z: John Chambers <jc:trillian.mit.edu>
A: Early Wood by Calum Stewart

Heilan Donald Kissed Kitty

Better late than never, javivr!

This is an old Scottish tune with lots of family members. In Stewart’s Collection of 1761 there is an antecedent, "(Will You Go and) Marry Ketty" - a title which crops up in subsequent publications, including Gow (Beauties of Gow vol.1, 1819). Possibly a more common version is a march-type tune called "Wha Wadna Fecht for Chairlie" (after a Jacobite - or faux Jacobite - song), also known as "Wha Saw the 42nd?" and "Wha Saw the Tattie Howkers?". It’s also known in English Morris Dance circles as "The March Past". There is a tune in the session.org called "Highland Donald" (https://thesession.org/tunes/6960) which is unrelated to this tune.

Re: Heilan’ Donald Kissed Kitty

There is a reel setting of this strathspey, with the parts in reverse order, in Koehler’s Violin Repository, Book 1st, page 11, entitled "Nothing will ye tak’, man".