OT: 23 February 1901 – Keith N. MacDonald – “Puirt-a-Beul ‘Mouth Tunes’ or ‘Songs for Dancing'” [Mus]

The Oban Times, 23 February, 1901

Puirt-A-Beul

“Mouth-tunes,” or “Songs for Dancing.”

By Dr. Keith N. MacDonald

” ‘S ann an Ìle Bhòidheach” is a very old pipe-reel seldom played at the present day, unless under some modern name.  Many of these pipe-reels are so old that their names, if they ever had any, died with their authors, so that in some of the older books they were simply styled “Ruidhle Phìob,” or pipe-reel.  The modern composers — barring a musician like Scott-Skinner — have not come within sight of the ancient authors.

In the following case the wooer had no shoes, apparently, to enable him to come up to the scratch; so little black Duncan had for the time to remain in the background.