About this tune

James Scott Skinner composed Angus Campbell as a reel to follow in medley his well-known strathspey, Laird o’ Drumblair. The reel can be regarded as a musical variation of the strathspey. Its probable first publication was in Skinner’s Harp & Claymore (1903-4), and it was re-published in Skinner’s more widely circulated work, The Scottish Violinist (c. 1910). Skinner recorded the tune several times between 1899 and 1922.

Angus Campbell has been circulating on PEI for at least a few generations. Observe that the melody for the high-turn has undergone a subtle evolution in both the Attwood O’Connor and Dennis Pitre renditions. In short, these versions both feature strong a E-major (V-chord) arpeggio in the second phrase instead of the B-minor (II-chord) arpeggio from Skinner’s original version.

Notation for this tune as played by Francis MacDonald is in Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island.