Musical miscellany: 118 Pianoforte Pieces, including the Scottish Airs in J Watts' Musical Miscellany and J. Walsh's Musical Miscellany, 1729 - 1736

Musical miscellany: 118 Pianoforte Pieces, including the Scottish Airs in J Watts' Musical Miscellany and J. Walsh's Musical Miscellany, 1729 - 36, transcribed by John Murdoch Henderson, 1952.

It seems likely that the original works referred to here by Henderson are The Musical miscellany: being a collection of choice songs, set to the violin and flute / by the most eminent masters, 6 vols. (London: John Watts, 1729 - 1731), and The British Musical Miscellany, or the Delightful Grove. Being a Collection of Celebrated English and Scotch Songs. By the Best Masters. Set for the Violin, German Flute, the Common Flute and Harpsichord, 6 vols. (London: Printed for ... I. Walsh, [1734-6]).

Though principally interested in the Scottish airs, Henderson has also copied and included in this miscellany, a few non-Scots airs of at least passing interest. (John Murdoch Henderson, GB 231 2437). This is one of several significant music manuscripts gifted by him to the University, and contains minor annotations, in his hand, throughout.

John Watts (fl 18th c) John Watts, music publisher, was in business in London in the early eighteenth century. His published works include The Musical miscellany: being a collection of choice songs, set to the violin and flute / by the most eminent masters, 6 vols. (London: John Watts, 1729 - 1731); Patie and Peggy: or the Fair Foundling, A Scotch Ballad Opera As it is Acted at the Theatre Royal in Drury-Lane, by His Majesty's Sevants (London: J. Watts, 1730); and Joseph Mitchell, The Highland Fair; or Union of the Clans. An Opera As it is Perform'd at the Theatre Royal in Drury-Lane, by His Majesty's Servants. Written by Mr Mitchell (London: J. Watts, 1731). No further details of his life and work have been established.

J. Walsh (fl 1695 - 1736) London publishers, J. Walsh and J. Hare produced a large volume of printed music throughout the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century, including several collections of dance music. They became noted for their annual collections of dance music, from c 1710, with publication of Nathaniel Kynaston's, Twenty Four New Country Dances for the Year 1711. With proper new Tunes, & Figures, or Directions to each Dance ... Dedicated to ... Henry Ld. Newport ... by ... N. Kynaston, etc (London: Printed for J. Walsh and P. Randall & J. Hare, [1710]); and in 1718 followed these with The Compleat Country Dancing-Master: containing Great Variety of Dances, both Old and New; particularly these perform'd at the several Masquerades: Together with all the Choicest ... Country-Dances ... With their Proper Tunes, and Figures ... to each Dance: The Tunes fitted to the Violin, or Haut-Boy, and most of 'em within the Compass of the Flute ... more correct than the former Editions; printed in the London Capital Character, etc (London: H. Meere, for J. Walsh and J. Hare, 1718; 2nd edn. 1719). Walsh's six-volume The British Musical Miscellany, or the Delightful Grove. Being a Collection of Celebrated English and Scotch Songs. By the Best Masters. Set for the Violin, German Flute, the Common Flute and Harpsichord was published, 1734 - 1736 (London: Printed for ... I. Walsh, [1734-6]).

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.

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

Gifted to the University in 1963, by John Murdoch Henderson

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

No copies known

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.

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Transcript of the Airs, Mainly Scots set for voice and published by J. Watts, London, in Patie and Peggy and in The Highland Fair, 1730 - 1731 (GB 231 2440).

John Murdoch Henderson (1902 - 1972) 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)

John Watts, The Musical miscellany: being a collection of choice songs, set to the violin and flute / by the most eminent masters, 6 vols. (London: John Watts, 1729 - 1731)

The British Musical Miscellany, or the Delightful Grove. Being a Collection of Celebrated English and Scotch Songs. By the Best Masters. Set for the Violin, German Flute, the Common Flute and Harpsichord, 6 vols. (London: Printed for ... I. Walsh, [1734-6]).

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