Daniel Dow facts for kids

Daniel Dow (1732 – 1783) was a talented Scottish musician. He was a great fiddler, a person who writes music (a composer), a teacher, and he even organized concerts! Daniel Dow was also one of the first musicians to publish music especially for the bagpipes. His name is sometimes written as Daniel and sometimes as Donald, both are correct ways to say his Gaelic name, 'Domhnull'.

About Daniel Dow

His Life Story

Daniel Dow was born in 1732 in a place called Kirkmichael, which is in Perthshire, Scotland. He later became a music teacher in Edinburgh. There, he taught many instruments, including the guitar.

In December 1774, Daniel Dow married Susanna Small from Dirnanean. They had four children together. Daniel Dow sadly passed away from a fever on January 20, 1783. He is buried in the Canongate Church in Edinburgh, Scotland.

After he died, a special concert was held to help his wife and children. This concert took place in St. Mary's Hall, where Daniel Dow had often performed his own concerts. His son, John, also grew up to become a fiddler, just like his father.

What He Created

Around 1775, Daniel Dow released a collection of his music. It was called "Twenty Minuets and Sixteen Reels." A minuet is a slow, graceful dance, and a reel is a lively folk dance.

In 1776, in Edinburgh, Dow published a very important collection of music. It was titled "Daniel Dow, A Collection of Ancient Scots Music." This book had 16 songs that could be played on the violin, harpsichord, or German Flute. This collection was special because it included old Scottish tunes that had never been printed before. These tunes included "ports," "salutations," marches, and piobrachs. A piobrach is a long, complex piece of music for the bagpipes. This made it one of the very first books to include music specifically for the bagpipes! It is still an important source for learning about traditional Scottish music.

Also in 1776, Dow published another collection called "Thirty Seven New Reels & Strathspeys." This music was for the Violin, Harpsichord, Piano Forte, or German Flute. This book was the first music collection ever to have the word "Strathspey" in its title. A strathspey is a Scottish dance tune, similar to a reel but slower.

Famous Music Pieces

Daniel Dow's most famous piece of music is called Monymusk. It's a type of dance tune known as a contra dance. It was first published in 1776 with a longer title: "Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk's Reel." The tune was probably named after Sir Grant's large estate near Monymusk, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

"Monymusk" is considered one of the greatest Scottish strathspeys. This tune has become very popular and is played everywhere in Scotland, Ireland, and North America.

Many of Daniel Dow's compositions were later given new names by other musicians, like Nathaniel Gow, when they included them in their own music collections.