In Scotland, the fiddle and cello reigned supreme as the dance band of choice in the golden age of Scottish music and dance—the second half of the 18th century and even well into the 19th.The famous dance fiddler Niel Gow (1727–1807), the doyen of Scottish fiddlers, was in great demand to play for village dances and society balls often with his brother Donald on cello. There are eyewitness accounts of the dancers having to leave the ballroom because of the excitement created by the musicians.

Scottish music publishers did a thriving business printing collections of reels, jigs, strathspeys, and other dance tunes that included not only the melody, but also a bass line for the cello, or “bowed bass” as it was known. The written bass line was often quite rudimentary, serving only as a guide; as the publishers often assumed that cellists would prefer to improvise their own accompaniments.

In our performances, cellist Natalie Haas and I take a fresh look at this old tradition. We have included new ideas, such as a more rhythmic approach—as in Haas’ use of “chopping”—and a more integrated sound achieved by swapping melody and accompaniment roles between the two instruments. In the example of “John MacDonald’s,” we also create more of a “setting” of the original melody by incorporating an introduction, interludes, and more contrapuntal ideas and melodic variation.

A Note on Melody

In traditional music, a major part of the character of the sound comes from the use of distinctive left-hand embellishments and bowing techniques. I think of these as idiomatically informed ways of entering and leaving notes as well as of spending time in them. The traditional fiddler or cellist should develop fluency in the fiddle language or dialect of choice—whether it is Scottish, Irish, jazz, or some other style. This is best done by listening to other musicians who have fluency and then imitating them, as one does when learning a language. Even within the Scottish fiddle genre one has to decide in which dialect to play—will it be the Gaelic inflections of the Western Isles and Highlands or the Doric sounds of the Northeast or the Baroque style of 18th-century Edinburgh?

To further understand the music, it is also extremely useful to know the associated dances whenever possible. Knowledge of the dancers’ needs will influence bowing choices and tempo. In arranging "John MacDonald's," Haas and I did not have any specific dance, region, or even time period in mind, but any performance will come alive when knowledge of that kind is incorporated.

One other note on the bowing of melody in general: I am unlikely to bow these tunes the same way twice in performance—it’s important to be playful and to offer variety in bowing. Carve out phrases that interrelate in a way that forms a bigger picture as you play through the tune. Repetition of a melodic idea does not imply repetition of a bowing solution.