>Oh, well as I am on the subject, another question for the
>masses...why are strathspeys wanted on the harp -they were not to my
>knowlege played on harp but written for fiddle. (My historical bias
>is flashing crimson!) Oh well, I am not really a diehard purist-a
>strathspey sounds good on a harp, I guess.
To the best of my knowledge, the first use of the word Strathspey
occurs in Zachary Boyd's The Flowers of Zion (1653) where it is
written that the king danced to a strathspey. To me, this would
probably indicate that the strathspey was played by a consort
not by a solo instrument, andZ this usage does not indicate
that the form or even the name was a recent innovation. It is unwise
to draw conclusions on the basis of lack of information. If there
were strathspeys and if there were harps, it is probable that the
two met by and by. An English poet once wrote: "And what were the
songs the sirens sang?"...any guesses? :-)
Ed Margerum
emargerum@mecn.mass.edu