J. Murdoch Henderson
Encyclopedia
J. Murdoch Henderson was a Scottish
fiddle
r, composer, and music critic.
John Murdoch Henderson was born in New Deer
, Scotland, and became a mathematics teacher in Aberdeen
. A childhood accident (he broke both wrists) hampered Henderson's playing, but he took an interest in the interpretation of fiddle music
and recorded much of the information he found. He published The Flowers of Scottish Melody in 1935, which contained 130 tunes, including 40 original contributions. The collection was reprinted by The Buchan Heritage Society in 1986. Later, he edited and published The Scottish Music Maker (1957), which preserved a number of melodies by James Scott Skinner
that may otherwise have been lost (Alburger, 1983).
One of Henderson's greatest influences was James F. Dickie, a renowned fiddler from Old Deer. Dickie's son-in-law, James Duncan, was the founder of the Buchan Heritage Society, and was largely responsible for the republication of The Flowers of Scottish Melody. Two of Henderson's best known compositions are named after Dickie - the reel
James F. Dickie and the strathspey
James F. Dickie's Delight.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
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...
r, composer, and music critic.
John Murdoch Henderson was born in New Deer
New Deer
New Deer is a settlement in Aberdeenshire, North East Scotland that lies in the valley of Deer. It was founded after monks from Deer Abbey, Old Deer built a chapel at Auchreddie, which translates as "field of the bog myrtle". Around 1507 the register of Deer Abbey lists its lands in the "new...
, Scotland, and became a mathematics teacher in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
. A childhood accident (he broke both wrists) hampered Henderson's playing, but he took an interest in the interpretation of fiddle music
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...
and recorded much of the information he found. He published The Flowers of Scottish Melody in 1935, which contained 130 tunes, including 40 original contributions. The collection was reprinted by The Buchan Heritage Society in 1986. Later, he edited and published The Scottish Music Maker (1957), which preserved a number of melodies by James Scott Skinner
James Scott Skinner
James Scott Skinner was a Scottish dancing master, violinist, fiddler, and composer.Skinner was born in Banchory, near Aberdeen. His father was a dancing master on Deeside. James was only eighteen months old when his father died. When James was seven, his elder brother, Sandy, gave him lessons in...
that may otherwise have been lost (Alburger, 1983).
One of Henderson's greatest influences was James F. Dickie, a renowned fiddler from Old Deer. Dickie's son-in-law, James Duncan, was the founder of the Buchan Heritage Society, and was largely responsible for the republication of The Flowers of Scottish Melody. Two of Henderson's best known compositions are named after Dickie - the reel
Reel (dance)
The reel is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type. In Scottish country dancing, the reel is one of the four traditional dances, the others being the jig, the strathspey and the waltz, and is also the name of a dance figure ....
James F. Dickie and the strathspey
Strathspey (dance)
A strathspey is a type of dance tune in 4/4 time. It is similar to a hornpipe but slower and more stately, and contains many dot-cut 'snaps'. A so-called Scotch snap is a short note before a dotted note, which in traditional playing is generally exaggerated rhythmically for musical expression...
James F. Dickie's Delight.