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Cropie’s strathspey

By Alexander Givan

Also known as Mr Douglas Of Springwood Park.

There are 9 recordings of this tune.

Cropie’s has been added to 2 tune sets.

Cropie's has been added to 31 tunebooks.

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Two settings

1
X: 1
T: Cropie's
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
G>E|D<GG>E F>GA>F|G>Bd<B e2e>f|g>be<g d>gB<G|E<AA>F G>FE>D|
D<GG>E F>GA>F|G>Bd<B e2e>f|g>be<g d>gB<G|E>A G/F/E/D/ G2:|
G>B|e>fg>e a>ge>d|e/f/g f>e d2d>B|c>de>c B>cd>B|E<AA>F G>FE>D|
D<GG>E F>GA>F|G>Bd<B e2e>f|g>be<g d>gB<G|E>A G/F/E/D/ G2:|
2
X: 2
T: Cropie's
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
D<G G>E F>G A>F|G>B d>B e3 f|g>b e>g d>g B<G|E<A A>G G>F E>D|
D<G G>E F>G A>F|G>B d>B e3 f|g>b e>g d>g B<G|E>A G/F/E/D/ G4:|
|:e>f g<e a>g e>f|e/f/g f>e d3 B|c>d e<c B>c d<B|E<A A>G G>F E>D|
D<G G>E F>G A>F|G>B d>B e3 f|g>b e>g d<g B<G|E>A G/F/E/D/ G4:|

Six comments

Cropie’s Strathspey

This is a sweet old-fashioned tune penned by Peter Milne, one of Scot Skinner’s contemporaries: http://www.nigelgatherer.com/perf/fiddlers/pmiln.html My transcription of the tune is based on two marginally different versions recorded by Bruce MacGregor and another Scottish fiddler Patsy Reid. They both play it slow. Unlike many other strathspeys, this one is easy to play on the flute.

I should have posted this tune several weeks earlier. But learn it now for next year’s Burns’ Night.

X:11
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
T: Cropie’s Strathspey
K: G
D<G G>E F>G A>F | G>B d>B e3 f | g>b e>g d>g B<G | E<A A>G G>F E>D |
D<G G>E F>G A>F | G>B d>B e3 f | g>b e>g d>g B<G | E>A G/F/E/D/ G4 :|
|: e>f g<e a>g e>f | e/f/g f>e d3 B | c>d e<c B>c d<B | E<A A>G G>F E>D |
D<G G>E F>G A>F | G>B d>B e3 f | g>b e>g d<g B<G | E>A G/F/E/D/ G4 :|]

Re: Cropie’s

It is unlikely that this tune was “penned by Peter Milne” as it was in existence before he was born as “Mr Douglas of Springwood Park” by Alexander Givan (who was also responsible for the jig “Teviot Brig”). Givan died in 1803 and Milne was born in 1824.

Re: Cropie’s

An up-to-date link to the page mentioned above: http://www.nigelgatherer.com/perf/fiddlers/peter_milne.html

“Cropie’s Strathspey” is included in the collection Middleton’s Selection (1870), which was edited and arranged by Peter Milne. In the contents of that collection, the tunes composed by Peter Milne (some 15 tunes) are marked as such; “Cropie’s” is not one of them.

Alexander Givan (1752-1803) also composed the popular reel “Roxburgh Castle”, and from those three tunes (Teviot Brig, Mr Douglas of Springwood Park and Roxburgh Castle), it would appear that he is worth checking out further. Mary Anne Alburger (Scottish Fiddlers and their Music, 1996) refers vaguely to his publishing a collection, but I don’t know of it.

Re: Cropie’s

Mmmm? As the years speed by, my memory races towards a black hole in a distant far off galaxy, so I can’t quite remember where I first came across Alexander Givan and Mr Douglas of Springwood but, as I am a Kelsonian, I thought I should big it up for one of my own!
Thanks for the extra info, Nigel.