Flowers of Edinburgh is a traditional fiddle

Fiddle

The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...

 tune of Gaelic lineage, Irish and Scottish. It is also prominent in American fiddle

American fiddle

This page is about fiddle music in the USA. For other North American styles, see Fiddle#Fiddling_styles.American fiddle playing began with the early settlers who found that the small viol family instruments were portable and rugged. According to Ron Yule, "John Utie, a 1620 immigrant, settled in...

, Canadian fiddle

Canadian fiddle

Canadian fiddle is the aggregate body of tunes, styles and musicians engaging the traditional folk music of Canada on the fiddle. It is an integral extension of the Anglo-Celtic and Québécois Frenchfolk music tradition but has distinct features found only in the Western hemisphere Due to...

 and wherever old time fiddle

Old time fiddle

Old time fiddle is a genre of American folk music. "Old time fiddle tunes" may be played on fiddle, banjo or other instruments but are nevertheless called "fiddle tunes". The genre has European origins and traces from the colonization of North America by immigrants from England, France, Germany,...

 is cultivated.

History

According to a self-deprecating secondary report in "A Native’s Guide to Edinburgh" By Tom Mc Rae, "The stench from the loch permeated the old City and probably gave rise to the traditional tune “The Flowers of Edinburgh.” A more neutral perspective suggests that the tune "dates from near 1740, may have been written by Oswald though he didn't claim this."

Recordings

A few of the many notable recordings of a tune by this name:

• 50 Fiddle Solos by Aly Bain
• Father's Of The Newfoundland Fiddle Volume 1 by Rufus Guinchard
• Fiddle by Cape Breton Symphony
• Irish Folk The Collection Vol.2 by Various Artists
• Jefferson And Liberty by The Itinerant Band
• Rig-a-jig-jig: Dance Music Of The South Of England by Various Artists
• Rogha Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy 2007 by Various Artists
• Shetland Fiddle Music by School Of Scottish Studies, University Of Edinburgh
• Shetland Springs Fae Da Bonnie Isle by Gibbie Hutchison
• Souvenir Of Scotland by Hamish MacGregor And The Blue Bonnets
• Strict Tempo: Scottish Country Dance Music From The 1950's, Volume 1 by Adam Rennie And His Scottish Country Dance Quartet
• The Cat That Ate The Candle by John Carty And Brian McGrath
• The Devils Of Dublin by Celtic Music Society (East Rochester HS)
• The Fiddlesticks Collection by Jerry Holland
• Traditional Irish Fiddle Music by The Kilfenora Fiddle Ceili Band
• Vivacious by Samantha Robichaud

Other names

Blata Duin-Eudain, Knuckle Down, My Love Was Once A Bonnie Lad, My Love's Bonny When She Smiles On Me, To The Battle Men Of Erin, The Weobley Hankie Dance, The Weobley Hanky Dance.

See also

• Scottish fiddle
  Scottish fiddling
  Scottish fiddling, even to many an untrained ear, can be distinguished from other Celtic and folk fiddling styles by its particular precision of execution and energy in the delivery. The style has a very large repertoire consisting of a great variation of rhythms and key signatures, arguably more...
  
  
• Music of Ireland
  Music of Ireland
  Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland.The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th, and into the 21st century, despite globalizing cultural forces...
  
  
• Music of Scotland
  Music of Scotland
  Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, which has remained vibrant throughout the 20th century, when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music...
  
  
• Old Time Fiddle
  Old time fiddle
  Old time fiddle is a genre of American folk music. "Old time fiddle tunes" may be played on fiddle, banjo or other instruments but are nevertheless called "fiddle tunes". The genre has European origins and traces from the colonization of North America by immigrants from England, France, Germany,...
  
  

Videographic documentation

• Proper performance Ashley MacIsaac's February 20, 2010 concert in Victoria, with guests Qristina and Quinn Bachand. Also featuring Bryan Skinner on bodhran and Jason King on whistle.
• Sometimes played in D Major.Title: Flowers of Edinburgh & Spootiskerry - Ashley MacIsaac & The Bachands
• Dance tune. Lopez Island 2008