Crawford of Balcarres manuscript

National Library of Scotland Acc.9769/Personal papers 84/1/6; formerly John Rylands Library, Manchester

written in 1692-4 in the household of Colin Lindsay, 3rd Earl of Balcarres, Fife, probably by his 4th wife Lady Margaret Campbell. The manuscript is still owned by the family but is deposited by them in the National Library in Edinburgh.

Editions

Spring M (ed.)
The Balcarres lute book (c1700)
The Music of Scotland series 02 (forthcoming)
An edition in 2 volumes, with introduction, transcriptions, critical commentary and annotated facsimiles, is in preparation. Originally due for publication in 2002/3, it has disappeared from Glasgow University web site and its current status is unknown.

Early Gaelic harp tunes in this source

f5v Port Atholl, John morrison's way, by mr Beck
Transcriptions: PDF tablature by Wayne Cripps; Ronn McFarlane, Highland King p.22 (tab) p.23 (staff)
f52r Port Atholl, mr Mclaughlands way, by mr Beck
Transcriptions: PDF tablature by Wayne Cripps
f77v Port Atholl, with 1st string tuned up half a note, mr lesslies way, wrong marked
f78r Port Atholl, with the 1st string, tuned up half a note, mr lesslies way, right marked
Other versions: as well as 4 settings in this book; Dow: Port Atholl; Bowie: Port Atholl
This is different from the tune titled ‘Port Atholl’ in Oswald & Bunting (that is Carolan's ‘Seabhac na hÉirne’)

f18r The Dukes Port mr Becks way
Other versions: Dow: Port Lennox; Bowie: Port Lennox. Also in the lost Blaikie ms of 1692.
Transcriptions: PDF tablature by Wayne Cripps

f47v-f48r The horsemans Port, mr Macklachlands way, by mr Beck
Transcriptions: Ronn McFarlane, Highland King p.42 (tab) p.50 (staff)
f20v-f21v The horsemans Port, or the Black and the brown, John Morisons way, by mr Beck
f22v-f23r The horsemans Port, or the black and the brown, jean burnetts way, by mr Beck
An adapted version of this tune can be heard on Alison Kinnaird, The Silver String

f24r Port Gordon, by mr Beck
Other versions: Bowie: Port Gordon; Maclean-Clephane: Port 2nd
Transcriptions: PDF tablature by Wayne Cripps
This is different from the tune titled ‘Port Gordon’ in Oswald, Dow, Bunting & Maclean-Clephane

f55r Da mihi manum, mr mclaughlans way, by mr Beck
Other versions: This old set of Da Mihi Manum also appears in Wemyss. The new set of Da Mihi Manum appears in Neal, Oswald, MacFarlane, Thumoth, Dow, & Bunting as well as many other 18th century Irish and Scottish mss and printed books.
Transcriptions: PDF tablature by Wayne Cripps; Ronn McFarlane, Highland King p.54 (tab) p.62 (staff)

What else is in this manscript?

The Balcarres lute book contains over 250 tunes, mostly English and French lute music with a good amount of Scottish music as well. Most of the Scottish material is Scots; there are only a handful of Gaelic pieces. Most of the pieces indicate who the setting was from; John McLauchlan was an Edinburgh violinist who died in 1701-2.

How to read the manuscript

Click here for some information on how to approach the music in the manuscript.

Simon Chadwick