Bill Sutherland’s march

This transcription is a personal take on the tune. I ‘ll alsotranscribe Will Atkinson’s take on it as well and add it later, if Nicholas doesn’t get there first. 😉 It is lovely and I had started transcribing it when I started having problems with audio… I’d been using various different hardware and software set-ups and have to dig deep to reconfigure things so I can listen to Will’s take again. But, as this is ‘Adam Rennie Appreciation Week’, impatience won out you have my rendition first… Oh yes, and I’ll add another…

X: 1
T: Bill Sutherland’s March
C: Adam Rennie
R: march
S: Barbara McOwen
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: D Major
Bc |:
d2 F2 A2 F2 | d2 F2 A3 F | d2 A2 BAGF | G2 E2 E3 F |
G2 E2 B2 E2 | G2 E2 B4 |[1 gfed cded | c2 A2 B2 c2 :|
[2 cBAB cdec | d4 d2 |]|
fe |:
d2 f2 gfed | d2 f2 f3 e | d2 f2 gfed | c2 e2 e2 AB |
c2 A2 e2 A2 | c2 A2 e4 |[1 gfed cded | c2 A2 B2 c2 :|
[2 gfed cdec | d4 d2 ||

Oops! ~ the above transcription is actually M: 4/4

I finally found the problem and finished the transcription of Will Atkinson’s take on this lovely tune. He plays it more like a schottische, with a definite swing, as he likes to do… It is lovely and I would much rather give you his take on it than mine, and that is now the ‘original’ transcription… My bit of play with it will follow…

X: 1134
T: “Bill Sutherland’s March”
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: march / barndance / schottische
K: Dmaj
|: B>c |
d2 F2 A3 F | d2 F2 AB/A/ FE | D3 A B>AGF | G2 E2 E2 E>F |
GA/G/ E2 B2 E2 | G3 E B4 |[1 g>fed cded | c2 A2 B2- :|[2 cBAB c>dec | d2 d2 d2 |]
|: g/f/e |
d2 f2 g>fed | d2 f2 A2 fe | d2 f2 g2 f/e/d | c2 e2 A2 A>B |
c2 A2 e3 A | c2 A2 e4 |[1 g>fed cdf/e/d | c2 A2 f2 :|[2 gfed c>dec | d2 d2 d2 |]

“Box and Fiddle”
http://www.boxandfiddle.com/adam_rennie.htm

“Adam Rennie was born at Kemnay, Aberdeenshire, in 1897 ~ In 1916 Adam joined the 5th Gordon Highlanders ~

Then came the fateful day of July 28th at Soissons where Adam suffered a severe wound in the leg. He lay for two days until he was picked up and taken prisoner by the Germans. The French Red Cross found him in 1919 and, after a series of transfers across Europe, he wrote home for cigarettes and caused a sensation in his family as he was thought to be dead. Back in London he had to have a leg amputated and altogether spent a year in various hospitals. ~

Adam’s crowning success came in 1932 at the Perth Musical Festival where his distinction in Scottish music was fittingly recognised by the presentation of Niel Gow’s fiddle, probably the most famous in Scotland.

Later Adam became a member of the greatly loved Angus Occasionals and made his first broadcast with them in 1943.

Adam formed his Quartet in 1949 and they made their first broadcast on 8th December, 1949, on the old Home Service. ~

The Quartet, after successful radio broadcasts, attracted the attention of the recording companies and they made recordings for PYE (NIXA) and the Parlophone Company, which were all released as 78s and one small 7“ EP (extended playing) disc. The band were also in great demand south of the border and they once did a one thousand mile round trip which took them to Chelmsford, Essex to play for the Chelmsford Farmers Bachelor’s Ball in January, 1952. ~

Their final performance was at the Coupar Angus Scottish Country Dance Club in March 1958. Adam retired from business and moved to the Muirton House, Blairgowrie, and died in February, 1960.“

Box and Fiddle January, 1987

“ ~ Adam was a stickler for tempo, Alex said, and if he felt it needed adjustment after the opening chord he would stamp his ‘wooden leg’ on the stage until the band modified the speed to his liking.“ ~ Charlie Todd

The dances for these tune forms are very similar, so the idea that one tune might take on the characteristics of more than one form, or dance, is no sin and not unusual… Another common move for marches is into being played as polkas…

Composed by Robert / Bobby Brown

“He was a button accordionist in Adam Rennie’s Quartet.”
# Posted on May 7th 2007 by nigelg

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on November 12th 2004 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/3860

A favorite of ours - we play it dot-less for a Dashing White Sergeant, preceded by the original tune and followed by Caddam Wood.

“Caddam Woods” ~ polka
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on February 13th 2003 by geoffwright.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1438

“Silver Wings Polka”
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on May 5th 2007 by nicholas.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7144

“Elizabeth Donald / Donald’s Jig”
Key signature: G Major ~ & A in ‘Comments’
Submitted on May 6th 2007 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7146

“Mrs. Grace Bowie” ~ jig
Key signature: A Major
Submitted on May 6th 2007 by nigelg.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7147

“The Merry Maids Polka”
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on May 7th 2007 by nigelg.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7155

“Innes Russell Of Perth’s Strathspey”
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on May 10th 2007 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7176

“Reverend Peter Fenton” ~ 4/4
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on May 10th 2007 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7180

“Sir Torquil Monroe” ~ jig
Key signature: A Major
Submitted on May 11th 2007 by nigelg.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7183

“Kinclaven Brig” ~ 4/4
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on May 11th 2007 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7189

S: Will Atkinson, harmonica
S: CD - “An Audience with the Shepherds”, track 15, the first of three tunes -
“A Trip to Bavaria” / “Bill Sutherland’s” / “Kenmay House”
https://thesession.org/recordings/5211

The same as X: 4 but in D Major…

https://raretunes.org/adam-rennie/
Listening to this recording of the man himself, where his tune for Bill Sutherland is described as a reel and played at breakneck speed (although a lot of that - and the raised pitch - may be to do with the limitations of fitting a full set onto one side of a 78rpm record) I am amazed that it has been so transformed here as to accommodate dotted rhythms and triplets and be described as almost any other dance form, far less a march. So much for the folk process! Surely Adam Rennie played his own tune as a 2/4 reel, which fits with the other tunes in the “Trip to Bavaria” dance set?