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Lucy Campbell strathspey

Also known as Lady Louden, Miss Lucy Campbell.

There are 24 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

Lucy Campbell has been added to 2 tune sets.

Lucy Campbell has been added to 35 tunebooks.

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Two settings

1
X: 1
T: Lucy Campbell
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amix
f|"A"e<Ae>c e<Ae>c|e<Ae>c "Bm"f>BB>f|"A"e<Ae>c "Em"e>f{f}g>e|"F#m"a/g/f e>c "A"e<AA:|
|:f|"A"{f}a>fe>c "Em"e>f{f}g>e|"A"a/g/f e>c "Bm"f>BB>f|"A"{f}a>fe>c "Em"e>f{f}g>e|"F#m"a/g/f e>c "A"e<AA:|
|:B|"A"A>Bc>A c<ec>B|A>Bc>e "Bm"f>BB>c|"A"A>Bc>A c<ec>A|"F#m"a/g/f e>c "A"e<AA:|
|:f|"A"e<ac>a e<ac>a|e<ac>e "Bm"f>BB>f|"A"e<ac>a "Em"e>f{f}g>e|"F#m"a/g/f e>c "A"e<AA:|
# Added by Tate .
2
X: 2
T: Lucy Campbell
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amix
f|"A"e<Ae>c e<Ae>c|e<Ae>c "Bm"f>BB>f|"A"e<Ae>c "Em"e>f{f}g>e|"F#m"a/g/f e>c "A"e<AA:|
|:f|"A"{f}a>fe>c "Em"e>f{f}g>e|"A"a/g/f e>c "Bm"f>BB>f|"A"{f}a>fe>c "Em"e>f{f}g>e|"F#m"a/g/f e>c "A"e<AA:|
|:B|"A"A>Bc>A c<ec>B|A>Bc>e "Bm"f>BB>c|"A"A>Bc>A c<ec>A|"F#m"a/g/f e>c "A"e<AA:|
|:f|"A"e<ac>a e<ac>a|e<ac>e "Bm"f>BB>f|"A"e<ac>a "Em"e>f{f}g>e|"F#m"a/g/f e>c "A"e<AA:|
|:f|"A"e/e/A e>c e/e/A e>c|e/e/A e>c "Bm"f>BB>f|"A"e/e/A e>c "Em"e>f{f}g>e|"F#m"a/g/f e>c "A"e<AA:|
|:f|"A"a/a/f e>c "Em"e>f{f}g>e|"A"a/g/f e>c "Bm"f>BB>f|"A"a/a/f e>c "Em"e>f{f}g>e|"F#m"a/g/f e>c "A"e<AA:|
|:B|"A"A/A/B c>A c<e{cd}c>B|A/A/B c>e "Bm"f>BB>c|"A"A/A/B c>A c<e{cd}c>A|"F#m"a/g/f e>c "A"e<AA:|
|:f|"A"e/e/a c>a e/e/a c>a|e/e/a c>e "Bm"f>BB>f|"A"e/e/a c>a "Em"e>f{f}g>e|"F#m"a/g/f e>c "A"e<AA:|
# Added by Tate .

Nine comments

Lucy Campbell

This is a pipe strathspey that is rather well known in Cape Breton. Some fiddlers play it twice through, others only once. If you do play it twice through, try adding some variations, like the ones in setting two.

Posted by .

Miss Lucy Campbell

This tune also goes by the name of Miss Lucy Campbell, and is different from the Irish reel named Lucy Campbell, which is rarely, if ever, heard in Cape Breton. If you were to ask any Cape Breton fiddler to play Lucy Campbell, they would more than likely play this strathspey.

Posted by .

Cutting Up

The “variations” in setting two are examples of what is know as “cutting up a strathspey.” I’d first heard Andrea Beaton cut up this tune, and I decided to cut it up wherever possible, creating some fun but tricky bowing.

Posted by .

Lucy Campbell (strathspey)

Hamish Moore recorded a similar Cape Breton version of the tune on the small pipes. It’s within the pipe scale!

Niel Gow

This is a Niel Gow tune, and it would appear it was written specifically written for the pipe scale. I have read in highland pipe books that this is considered a competition strathspey, like other 4-part strathspeys, such as Maggie Cameron.

Posted by .

Lady Louden

I just realized that the strathspey “Lucy Campbell” is exactly the tune pipers call “Lady Louden”. Cape Breton fiddlers also have a “Lady Louden” in both strathspey and reel versions. However, those are in C major, have but two parts, and the strathspey, at least, sounds somewhat more classicized. The reel especially is often called “Blind Nora O’Neill”, “Blind Norry’s” or a variation of this, and the strathspey sometimes gets those appellations also.

Re: Lady Louden

“Louden” is also spelled “Loudon”, depending on the source.

Re: Lucy Campbell

Yes, Daniel, I know this as Lady Louden.

Re: Lucy Campbell

In Donegal, this tune is most definitely the inspiration behind the highland known as “Moneymusk” or “Money Musk”, https://thesession.org/tunes/1387
It was recorded by Altan on ‘The Blue Idol’ album, as well as Oisin Mac Diarmada’s album ‘Ar an Fidil’. My heart lies in Donegal, but I must say, I love the Cape Breton approach to a strathspey so much. The punchiness and trills, the variations, the grit… Scott Skinner, I believe, apparently once said “a strathspey is the greatest piece of showmanship a fiddler can perform.” Depends on the tune, right?! haha.