Daniel Dow

Dow was born 1732 in Kirkmichael, Perthshire, Scotland and became a music teacher in Edinburgh where he taught, among other instruments, the guitar.^[2] In December 1774 at Kirmichael, Perthshire he married Susanna Small of Dirnanean.^[1] The couple had four children.^[1] Dow died of a fever on 20 January 1783 and is buried in Canongate Church, Edinburgh, Scotland.^[1]

A concert to benefit his widow and children was given shortly after his death in St. Mary's Hall, Niddry's Wynd, where Dow had often given his own concerts over the years.^[1] His son John also became a fiddler.^[3]

About 1775 he issued a collection of "Twenty Minuets and Sixteen Reels".^[3]

In 1776 in Edinburgh, Dow published "Daniel Dow, A Collection of Ancient Scots Music", a collection of 16 songs for the violin, harpsichord or German Flute.^[4] This collection included never before printed historical compositions consisting of ports, salutations, marches or piobrachs,^[4] making it one of the first publications to include music specifically for the bagpipes. It is one of the important sources of traditional Scottish music.^[5]

Also in 1776, Dow published Thirty Seven New Reels & Strathspeys for the Violin, Harpsichord, Piano Forte or German Flute.^[2] This is the first collection of music to include the word "Strathspey" in its title.^[1]

Dow's most famous composition is Monymusk, a contra dance originally published in 1776 under the title of Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk's Reel.^[6] The tune was likely named after Sir Grant's estate near Monymusk, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.^[6] The composition is considered one of the great Scottish strathspeys.^[7] The piece has become ubiquitous in Scotland, Ireland, and North America.^[8]

Many of Dow's compositions were renamed by Nathaniel Gow and others when including them in their own collections.^[9]