Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Blithe And Cheerie

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

BLITHE AND CHEERIE (J8x32) 3C (4C set) Robert M Campbell Glasgow Assembly and other SCDs

1- 8 1s cross RH and cast 1 place, cross LH and 1L casts up as 1M casts down both to face 1st corners
9-16 Chain Across:
 9-12 1s change places RH with 1st corners, corners change places LH with partners
 13-16 1s change places RH with middle person (1M+3M and 1L+2L), 1s pass RSh to lines across facing 2nd corner (position)
17-24 1s repeat 9-16 starting 1M+2M and 1L+3L changing places LH. Bars 23-24: 1s dance LSh round each other to face 2nd corners
25-32 1s dance reels of 3 on opposite sides (start passing 2nd corner RSh) and 1s end crossing LH to 2nd place own sides. 213

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)


Dance Information

Also see the dance Blythe And Cheerie by Maggie and Duncan Keppie.

The title of this dance, Blythe and Cheerie, comes from the Tullochgorum - Song written by the Scottish poet, songwriter, minister and historian the Rev. John Skinner in 1776.

O Tullochgorum's my delight,
It gars us a' in ane unite,
And ony sumph that keeps a spite,
  In conscience I abhor him;
For blithe and cheery we'll be a',
  Blythe and cheery, blythe and cheery,
  Blythe and cheery we'll be a',
  And make a happy quorum;
For blythe and cheery we'll be a',
As lang as we hae breath to draw,
And dance, till we be like to fa',
  The Reel o Tullochgorum.

The words to the song were written to the Strathspey tune, Tullochgorum, which is said to have been derived from an older Scottish song tune, printed in Craig's Collection in 1730.

Regarding the spelling of Blithe and Blythe, it is noteworthy that I and Y were interchangeable into Middle English, but after that orthographic rules were put into place, and Y was only used in certain cases.

Tullochgorum Song - Information Video

Tullochgorum
Tullochgorum, From Inglis Collection Of Printed Music, Composite Music Volume, Page 49, c. 1842


Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Tullochgorum article on Wikisource.
Image copyright https://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/archive/100194957 under this Creative Commons Licence 4.0.

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