Wednesday 10 April 2019
Tune of the Day: Miss Wardlaw's Reel
Traditions English tune
John Watlen attributes this tune to a “Mr. Clarkson” in his Celebrated Circus Tunes (Edinburgh, 1791), in which volume the melody first appears. The collection's title refers to Edinburgh's Royal Circus, an extension of Phillip Astley's London-based Royal Circus. The venue featured equestrian acts, acrobatics, songs, dance and pantomime. The composer attribution may refer to John Clarkson or John Clarkson Jr., both Edinburgh dancing masters and musicians.