The Auld Toon Of Ayr (Mitchell)
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
The Auld Toon Of Ayr (S4x32) A thirty-two bar Strathspey for four couples in a longwise set, John W Mitchell, Whetherly Book 12, 1983.On the second chord second and fourth couples cross to the opposite side.
1-4 Half reels of four on the sides of the set.
5-8 Fourth and third couples dance right hands across in a wheel, second and first couples do the same.
9-12 Third and second couples dance left hands across in a wheel. Meanwhile first man, followed by his partner, casts up to the top and crosses to the opposite side and fourth man followed by his partner casts off to the foot and crosses to the opposite side.
13-16 Half reels of four on the sides of the set.
17-20 Fourth and second couples dance half rights and lefts, giving right hands on the sides to commence; third and first couples do the same.
21-24 All join hands on the sides and set twice.
25-28 Eight hands round to the left in a circle.
29-30 Each man turns the lady on his left once round with two hands.
31-32 All continue the circle to the left. Finish in the order 2, 4, 1, 3.
Repeat with new top couple.
(Dance crib compiled by Alison Mitchell, under the CCA NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, 2023)
Dance Information
Also see the dance Auld Toon Of Ayr (Burrage) by Priscilla Burrage.Recommended tune: The Auld Toon of Ayr.
"The Auld Toon of Ayr" is a strathspey tune for the violin that has been passed down through generations of Scottish musicians. The tune is also known as "Auld Toun o' Ayr" and is one of the most popular traditional tunes in Scotland.
The tune is believed to have originated in the town of Ayr, which is located on the west coast of Scotland. It is a lively and upbeat tune that is typically played at a moderate tempo. The tune is written in the key of D major and is characterized by its use of dotted rhythms and syncopation.
"The Auld Toon of Ayr" has been transcribed and published in several collections of Scottish music. One of the earliest known publications of the tune was in "Middleton's Selection of Strathspeys, Reels etc. for the Violin" in 1870. The tune has since been included in many other collections of Scottish music, including "The Athole Collection" and "The Skye Collection".
The tune has been performed by many notable musicians over the years, including the Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and the Irish fiddler Kevin Burke. It has also been arranged for other instruments, such as the bagpipes and the guitar.
The Auld Toon Of Ayr - From Page 19 Of 'The Glen Collection Of Printed Music, Middleton's Selection Of Strathspeys, Reels, Etc. For The Violin', c. 1884
Published in The Whetherly Book Of Scottish Country Dances Number 12, reproduced here under this Creative Commons Attribution - NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Image from (cropped) National Library Of Scotland, licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0.
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