Miss Rattray reel

This is an old traditional Scottish tune I learned from Shetland fiddler Fionn MacArthur. It dates from the 1800’s or earlier.

Another version of this tune was posted a few months ago:
https://thesession.org/tunes/7524

It was also posted as the 3rd and 4th parts of The Flood on the Holm https://thesession.org/tunes/1041 - a 6 part reel put together by John Doherty, made up of three older reels (which, according to the comments to that tune, are all Scott-Skinner compositions, thus dating from late C19th or early C20th).

This tune appears in ‘The Skye Collection’ first published 1887. This is pretty much the way it appears in the book. The tune you refer to is likely be a version of this rather than the other way round. It is in common with the syle of tune from that period whereas Robbie Hannan’s has a more modern arrangement.

As I pointed out in the comments to “Flood on the Holm”, the Miss Rattray reel is not part of that tune at all, with all the parts being clearly lifted from Scott’s Skinner tunes.

Not “Rattrey,” of course.

Thanks slainte, I’ve corrected the title.

“The Athole Collection” ~ 1884
Compiled by James Stewart Robertson

“The Skye Collection of the Best Reels & Strathspeys” ~ 1887
Compiled by Keith Norman MacDonald

As usual, identical transcriptions… An earlier publication of this was in “The Dance Music of Scotland”, 1851, by J.T. Surrene…

Bogman’s transcript is basically copied from “The Skye Collection”, page 34… The only difference are the lead-ins and that the B-part is fully written out, rather than as 1st and 2nd endings ~

X: 1134
T: Miss Rattray
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: D Major
|: (3A/B/c/ |
d2 AG FDDF | GEEA FDDA | d2 AG FDDg |[1 fdec d2 d :|[2 fdec d2 dA ||
defg affa | beed cAAc |[1 defg affa | beec d2 AB :|[2 BGGB FDDg | fdec d2 d |]

B-part is fully written out in the collections mentioned, I did the reduction of the B-part to 1st and 2nd endings…

Key signature: D Major
Submitted on July 22nd 2007 by JACKB.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7524

This is the ‘other’ transcript linked to above, 32 measures, given as JACKB’s transcription of Robbie Hannan’s playing. I find it odd, not comfortable. This transcript, wherever taken from, makes more sense to me as a better dance tune, 16 measures. It just sings and is more in agreement with itself than the Hannan one given… The differences in the B-parts are considerable.

I hope this one doesn’t go “POOF!”, as in my ears it is the better transcription…