A Collection of Favourite Tunes with New Variations for Violin and German Flute

Scope and Content

Transcript of Joshua Campbell's A collection of favourite tunes with new variations: adapted for the violin and German-flute with a bass for the violoncello and thorough-bass for the harpsichord (Glasgow: Printed for the author, and sold at all the music shops in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Ready sculpt., [ca. 1785]), made by John Murdoch Henderson, 1952. The collection, which comprises dance music, mainly Scots, has been copied with keys and metres in easy order, with alterations in later Urbani edition shown in blue pencil.

This is one of several significant music manuscripts gifted to the University by John Murdoch Henderson, and contains minor annotations, in his hand, throughout. These include a reference to James Aird, Glasgow, pp 81 (48 pieces) [ 18th century].

Administrative / Biographical History

Joshua Campbell (fl c 1762 - c 1800) Joshua Campbell (fl c 1762 - c 1800) was a musician and music teacher in Glasgow. He is known to have published 3 music collections, A collection of favourite tunes with new variations: adapted for the violin and German-flute with a bass for the violoncello and thorough-bass for the harpsichord (Glasgow: Printed for the author, and sold at all the music shops in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Ready sculpt., [ca. 1785]); A collection of the newest and best reels and minuets: with improvements adapted for the violin or German flute, with a bass for the violoncello or harpsichord (Glasgow: J. Aird, ?1788); and A collection of new reels and Highland strathspeys : with a bass for the violoncello or harpsichord (Glasgow: J. Campbell, ?1786). This last work was re-printed c 1795, as A Collection of new Reels and highland Strathspeys, with a bass for the violoncello or harpsichord, by J. Campbell, a number of which are his own compositions (Glasgow: Printed for the Author, [1795?]), and again, c 1800, when it appeared as A Collection of New Reels & Highland Strathspeys with a Bass for the Violoncello or Harpsichord. Book ist. The Bass's of this Collection are corrected by P. Urbani (Edinburgh: Urbani & Liston, [1800?]).

For further details see The Glen Collection of Scottish Dance Music (Highland Music Trust, 2001).

John Murdoch Henderson (1902 - 1972) John Murdoch Henderson, son of Charles Henderson, farmer, and Mary Jane Murdoch, was born in New Deer on 31 March 1902, and graduated from the University of Aberdeen, MA 1926. He taught for several years in the south of Scotland, before returning to Aberdeen where he taught science and mathematics at Frederick Street, and latterly, Ruthrieston School. A gifted composer, and an authority on Scottish fiddle music, he wrote The Flowers of Scottish Melody: A First Companion to the Scottish Violinist and Pianist (Glasgow: Bayley & Ferguson, 1935), and arranged J. Scott Skinner's The Scottish Music Maker Skinner: a choice selection of strathspeys, Scots reels, schottisches, double jigs, waltz tunes, song airs, pastorals, marches, quicksteps, hornpipes ... arranged for the violin (Glasgow: Bayley & Ferguson, 1957). He was also a prolific collector of music for the fiddle and pipes, and during his life made several significant manuscript deposits to the University of Aberdeen.

His printed music collection was bequeathed to the National Library of Scotland in 1975/6, and duplicates from this collection transferred to Aberdeen University, where they form the University's John Murdoch Henderson Collection. A further collection of his papers was deposited more recently in the North East Folklore Archive, Aden Country Park, Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, by his family. See Related Units of Description for further details.

Arrangement

Single item

Access Information

Open, subject to signature accepting conditions of use at reader registration sheet

Acquisition Information

Gifted to the University in 1963, by John Murdoch Henderson

Other Finding Aids

Very brief collection level description available on Aberdeen University Library Catalogue, accessible online http://www.abdn.ac.uk/diss/library/

Alternative Form Available

No copies known

Conditions Governing Use

Subject to the condition of the original, copies may be supplied for private research use only on receipt of a signed undertaking to comply with current copyright legislation.

Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the Head of Special Libraries and Archives (e-mail: speclib@abdn.ac.uk ) and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. Where possible, assistance will be given in identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Appraisal Information

This material has been appraised in line with normal procedures

Accruals

No accruals expected

Related Material

John Murdoch Henderson Collection (University of Aberdeen, Special Libraries collection: ref. Hend inst (instrumental); and Hend voc (vocal)). Originally bequeathed to the National Library of Scotland in 1975/6, duplicates of items already in stock came to the University of Aberdeen and helped create this Collection. The collection was accumulated between 1908-1960, with a contents date range of 1780-1935. Composers represented range from Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) to Joshua Campbell (fl. 1762). Famous Scottish composers feature strongly as with Nathaniel Gow (1763-1831), son of Neil Gow (1727-1807), Robert Mackintosh (1745-1807), and J. Scott Skinner (1843-1927). Music from the Highlands, mainly for the fiddle and some for the bagpipe are well represented in the Collection, with famous Scottish composers for the fiddle forming a core of the musical volumes. Scots songs, particularly those from the Jacobite era, feature strongly in the vocal arrangement of the Collection. Works in English and Gaelic are also represented.

John Murdoch Henderson Collection (North East Folklore Archive, Aden Country Park, Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, Scotland UK AB42 5FQ: http://www.nefa.net/index2.htm). This collection, which includes several untitled manuscripts, original copies of 19th century fiddle and pipe tune publications, posters advertising local shows and dances in the early 1900s and several photographs from Henderson's own album, was deposited in the North East Folklore Archive in November 1999, by his family.

Papers of John Murdoch Henderson, c 1920 - 1972 (National Library of Scotland Manuscripts Division: ref. MSS 21669 - 713)

Bibliography

Joshua Campbell, A collection of favourite tunes with new variations: adapted for the violin & German-flute with a bass for the violoncello and thorough-bass for the harpsichord (Glasgow: Printed for the author, and sold at all the music shops in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Ready sculpt., [ca. 1785])

Additional Information

Unknown