James Scott Skinner

James Scott Skinner's tomb

James Scott Skinner (born August 5, 1843 in Banchory , † March 17, 1927 in Aberdeen ) was a Scottish composer , violinist , fiddler and dance teacher .

Life

James Skinner was born on August 5, 1843 in Arbeadie, in the parish of Banchory-Ternan, Aberdeenshire . His father, a dance teacher, died in 1845. At the age of seven, James Skinner received violin and cello lessons from his older brother Sandy. When he was eight, James played with Peter Milne (1824–1908) at local dance events. In 1855 he became a member of "Dr Mark's Little Men," a Manchester orchestra that performed across the UK. There he received six years of intensive musical training. There he learned to play classical music from the French violinist Charles Rougier .

In 1861 he returned to Aberdeen and took dance lessons from William Scott. He then earned his living as a dance teacher in the Aberdeen area. In 1862 he won a sword dance competition in Ireland, a year later he won a Strathspey and Reel competition in Inverness as a violin player . In 1871 he married Jean Stewart. In the same year his daughter Jeanie was born, in 1881 his son Manson. The family moved to Elgin , from where Skinner continued to give dance classes. The publication of the Elgin Collection (1884) was an ambitious venture with which he went deeply in debt. His wife fell ill and died on January 5, 1899. Skinner married Gertrude Mary Park on June 6, 1899, and she left him in 1909. In 1899 he wrote some of his best plays and made his first phonographic recording. He is one of the first Scottish musicians to make sound recordings. In 1904 he published his largest collection, "The Harp & Claymore Collection", edited by Gavin Greig .

He gave concerts until 1925. He died in Aberdeen on March 17, 1927.

Works

His first published composition, "Highland Polka," appeared in a magazine when he was 17. In total, more than 600 compositions were printed by him. Numerous longer publications appeared later:

• The Ettrick Vale Quadrille (1863)
• Twelve New Strathspeys (1865)
• Thirty New Strathspeys and Reels (1868)
• The Miller O'Hirn Collection (1881)
• The Elgin Collection (1884)
• The Beauties of the Ballroom (1884)
• A Guide to Fashionable Dancing (ca.1884)
• The Logie Collection (1888)
• A Guide to Bowing (1900)
• The Scottish Violinist (1900)
• The Harp and Claymore (1904)
• The People's Ball Room Guide (1905)

Skinner made over 80 sound recordings on cylinders and shellac records. A selection of the original recordings have been released on CD by Temple Records:

• J. Scott Skinner: The Strathspey King (2002)

Skinner's compositions still play a major role in Scottish and Irish folk music today. Most of the pieces are Strathspeys and Reels . The best-known pieces still played today include "The Bonnie Lass o 'Bon Accord", "The Iron Man" or "The Laird o' Drumblair".

Web links

• The Music of James Scott Skinner, University of Aberdeen
• James Scott Skinner in the musical Traditions Internet Magazine
• Scott Skinner - The Scottish Violinist ( last visited December 11, 2010 )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ballantyne, Pat The Harp & Claymore Collection .