18th century British manuals include two Scotch Reveilles, which later are used in the American sequence and are included in the Buttrey MS.
I’ll discuss the Slow Scotch, Quick Scotch, and two other unidentified tunes in Buttrey that might be alternative Scotches.
The Scotch Revaley – or, A Scotch Reveille / The Slow Scotch
Comparison Of Fife Music
Buttrey’s Scotch Revaley is found in the back sections of two English tutors (Thompson [1759] and Longman & Broderip [1767]) listed as “A Scotch Reveille”. We also see it in Thomas Nixon’s MS (c. 1776) and “The Scotch Reveille”. It’s used in Woburn, Hulbert, Robbins, and Robinson as the Scotch Reveille before Points of War, and in nearly every later manual as the “Slow Scotch” near the beginning of the sequence. It’s also the Scotch Reveille Potter chooses to insert into his reveille sequence.
Comparison Of Drum Music
The drum beating, likewise, remains essentially unchanged from the British to American versions. The first British beating exists in YDA and is identical in Potter, with a subtle change in the final phrase of a 7-stroke roll to a 10-stroke roll. From the British to the American, the final phrase removes the 3-stroke ruffs and utilizes alternating drags. Otherwise, the music is identical.
Note, Ashworth and Rumrille do not include dynamics in the Scotch Reveille, but do include them in the Scotch Repeat, as shown in the music below; Potter includes a nominal amount of dynamics which are consistent with the opening dynamics in Ashworth. [Note: The fermata above notes in the YDA line indicate a poung stroke.]
For the rolls previous to the Scotch Reveille, Ashworth and Rumrille play one long roll before the Scotch Reveille and “the eight rolls” before the Scotch Repeat. While this roll isn’t defined, it’s possible that it’s the same as the one listed in Potter, as Potter has four rolls, two of which are essentially three rolls strung together.
Because of the length of the Scotch Reveille, the fife must play AABB AABB A. Though not explained in 18th or early-19th century manuals, this pattern is seen in mid-century American manuals and Tamplini’s Drum Major (c. 1850).
The 4th Revaley – or, The Scotch Repeat / The Quick Scotch
For a moment, we’ll skip Buttrey’s next tunes “The 2nd Revaley” and “The 3rd Revaley”.
Following those, Buttrey gives a tune referred to as the “4th Revaley.” The tune is the original Scotch Reveille placed in the Scotch duty section of British tutors.
This version appears in most of the earlier American sequences, though with some changes and variations. Rumrille’s “Scotch Repeat” reappears as B&E’s “Quick Scotch,” which is the only use of this tune in later manuals.
In the music below, Woburn has been transposed, to show how it compares to the British version and Rumrille’s version. Hulbert & Robbins were left untransposed, which roughly is the same as the Woburn original.
The American sequence shows a consistent use of two Scotch reveilles to end the sequence, which seems clear here in Buttrey’s sequence.
The 2nd Revaley and 3rd Revaley
Now, to return to Buttrey’s other two tunes: The 2nd and 3rd Revaleys. Unfortunately, as of yet, these two tunes are unidentified. But, based on Buttrey’s names and their placement in the sequence, we can make some inferences about their function.
As Alternative scotches
It’s possible that these two tunes are also Scotch Reveilles. Based on the naming, these reveilles come between two clearly identified Scotches. While Potter and later British manuals instruct the musicians to perform the Scotch Reveille as often as desired, there’s no indication that the tune can be varied. The early American manuals’ use of two different Scotch Reveilles suggests that this may have been an older tradition, perhaps where the “A Scotch Reveille” originates in the few tutors it appears.
By the mid-19th century, American manuals clearly indicate that “A Scotch” is more of a style than one or two specific tunes. While B&E includes the same Scotch Reveilles as Rumrille, B&E also has a list of alternative tunes that can be substituted at will. Other manuals have substituted the old Scotch reveille for “Fairy Dance” and Hart allows for several different Scotch tunes.
Buttrey may then include the 2nd Revaley and 3rd Revaley as alternative Scotches. Perhaps in the British reveille sequence the Drum Major could choose to end with one Scotch or with several Scotches played in sequence. (To note, because of the length of the drum beating, twice through the drum would be roughly four Scotches.)
Here are Buttrey’s 2nd Revaley and 3rd Revaley.
Can you identify these tunes? Please let me know.
as single drag quicksteps
Based on the names of the tunes, the above theory makes the most sense; however, based on the American sequence, these tunes might indicate Single Drag quicksteps.
The earliest American sequences (Hulbert and Robbins) place their Scotch near the middle. A 2/4 quickstep and the Dutch follow. The sequence then ends with the Scotch and Points of War. The interruption of the two Scotches in this manner might imitate Buttrey’s sequence.
Similarly, in Percival, he has a Single Drag (slow), the Dutch, Single Drag (quick), and then two Scotches. This similarly shows an American end with two Single Drags and two Scotches.
With the exception of the US Army manuals, the American sequences incorporate a quickstep; most often, two quicksteps. Whether or not Buttrey’s tunes are meant to be a quick and slow Single Drag is unclear, they could easily represent generic quicksteps.
Discovering the names and origins of these two tunes would significantly help us to solve this final issue. But, without knowing their names, we can still see how these tunes fit into existing rules within the American sequence.
Or, jump to the end of the discussion to see my conclusions about ‘The Origin of the English / American Reveille Sequence’.