Forneth House
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
"Forneth House", also known as "Forneith House" or "Mrs. Crawford's Favorite" is a Scottish<br> slow air or strathspey in 4/4 time and D Major. The parts are played AAB.<br> The tune was first published twice by Robert Petrie, originally in his First Collection (1790)<br> under the title "Forneth House" and again, this time claimed as his own composition in the<br> Third Collection (1800). This was perhaps due to its appearance the same year in Nathaniel Gow's<br> Fourth Collection (1800) where the melody appeared in a slightly different setting as<br> "Mrs. Crawford's Favourite Strathspey" with no attribution. The Gows must have known it was<br> composed by Petrie, for the London branch of the Gow publishing family (Nathaniel's brothers<br> Andrew and John) used the "Forneth House" title earlier in their Collection of Slow Airs<br> (c. 1795). Poet Robert Tannahill (1774-1810) composed a song to the "Forneth House" melody,<br> beginning "Now Winter, wi' his cloudy brow, is far ayont yon mountains."<br> In 1882-4, Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Forneth like this:<br> Forneth, a hamlet in Clunie parish, NE Perthshire, 6 miles W by S of Blairgowrie, under<br> which it has a post office. Forneth House, ½ mile nearer Blairgowrie, crowns a fine<br> elevation on the NW bank of the loch of Clunie and commands a beautiful prospect of the<br> lake, its islet and surrounding scenes.<br> It was printed in John Gow's A Favorite Collection of Slow Airs, Strathspeys and Reels (c. 1804),<br> Lerwick's The Kilted Fiddler (1985)<br> Petrie's Third Collection of Strathspey Reels and Country Dances (1790).<br> It was recorded by Abby Newton on Castles, Kirks and Caves (2001).<br> Some phrases in this tune remind me of "Scarborough Settler's Lament".<br>
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