Tom Cunningham

Duke Of Perth

This is a typical sequence of Scottish reel tunes with a traditional 'vamp' piano accompaniment. The tunes are arranged for two parts and nonsense sounds added for the words. This is based on the well-established practice known in Gaelic as puirt-a-beul (mouth-music) where dance music originally written for instruments is adapted for voices. This tradition is thought to have originated as a means whereby the Highland people perpetuated their favourite tunes after the banning of instruments following the Jacobite rebellion. The tunes used are: The Duke of Perth, Lady Mackenzie of Coul, Caddam Woods %26 Barren Rocks. Great fun!