Niel Gow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Niel Gow
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Portrait of Niel Gow, 1787, by Sir Henry Raeburn
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| Background information | |
| Born | 1727 Strathbraan, Perthshire, Scotland |
| Died | 1 March 1807 (aged 79–80) Inver, Perthshire, Scotland |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Fiddle |
Niel Gow (born 1727, died 1807) was a very famous Scottish fiddle player and composer. He lived a long time ago, in the 1700s and early 1800s. Many people still play his lively dance music today!
Contents
Niel Gow's Early Life
Niel Gow was born in a place called Strathbraan in Perthshire, Scotland, in 1727. His parents were John Gow and Catherine McEwan. When Niel was just a baby, his family moved to Inver, which was also in Perthshire.
Becoming a Fiddle Player
Niel started playing the fiddle when he was very young. He was so good that people called him a "musical prodigy," meaning he had amazing talent for music at a young age. When he was 13, he got his first proper music lessons from a teacher named John Cameron.
Even though he was a natural musician, Niel first trained to be a weaver, someone who makes cloth. But he loved music so much that he eventually decided to become a full-time musician instead.
Winning a Music Competition
Niel quickly became known as the best fiddle player in Perthshire, an area famous for its musicians. When he was 18, he entered a music competition. The judge, a blind musician named John McCraw, gave Niel first prize. The judge even said he could tell Niel's unique playing style "among a hundred players"!
This win made Niel very popular. A powerful person called the Duke of Atholl became his supporter. This meant Niel was often hired to play music for fancy balls and dance parties held by rich families. Soon, he was famous all over Scotland for his fiddle playing.
Niel Gow's Musical Career
Niel Gow wrote, or is given credit for writing, 87 dance tunes. Many of these tunes are still very popular and are played today at Scottish country dances and ceilidhs (traditional Scottish parties with music and dancing). These tunes are a big part of Scottish folk music.
Sharing and Borrowing Tunes
It was common practice back then for musicians to use parts of older tunes or even whole tunes from other composers. Niel Gow did this sometimes too. About a quarter of the tunes he is credited with might have come from older songs or were similar to tunes already published. This was not seen as stealing at the time, and it did not hurt his good reputation. In fact, a famous artist named Henry Raeburn painted Niel's portrait several times!
One of Niel's tunes, Locherroch Side, was even used by the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns as the basis for his song, "Oh! stay, sweet warbling Woodlark, stay."
Niel's Name and Legacy
Niel Gow himself spelled his name Niel. However, sometimes people spell it Neil or Neal. To make it even more confusing, one of his grandsons, who was also a musician, spelled his name "Neil."
Today, there is an annual Niel Gow Fiddle Festival held in Dunkeld and Birnam, Scotland. This festival started in 2004 to celebrate Niel's life and music. It also helped raise money for a special memorial statue of him.
Niel Gow's Later Life
Niel Gow was married twice. His first wife was Margaret Wiseman. They had five sons and three daughters. Many of his sons, including William, Andrew, Nathaniel, and John, became fiddle players and composers just like their father. His son Nathaniel wrote almost 200 tunes himself!
After Margaret died, Niel married Margaret Urquhart from Perth in 1768. They had a very happy marriage until she passed away in 1805. Her death made Niel very sad, and he wrote one of his most famous tunes, "Niel Gow's Lament for the Death of his Second Wife," to remember her.
Niel Gow died in Inver on March 1, 1807, when he was around 79 or 80 years old.
Niel Gow's Memorial
Thanks to the efforts of the festival and fundraising, a memorial statue of Niel Gow was created by sculptor David Annand. The statue was finally put up and revealed in December 2020, honoring his lasting impact on Scottish music.
Interestingly, the 20th-century English composer David Gow is a descendant of Niel Gow. He even wrote a piece of music called Six Diversions on an Ancestral Theme to celebrate this family connection.
Niel Gow's Musical Contributions
Niel Gow created many wonderful tunes that are still enjoyed today.
Famous Compositions
Here are some of his well-known tunes:
- Admiral Nelson
- Niel Gow's Lament For the Death of His Second Wife
- Dunkeld Bridge
- Farewell to Whisky
- The Stool of Repentance
- The Duchess of Athole’s Skipper
- The Athole Volunteers March
- Miss Stewart of Grantully
- Highland Whisky
- Niel Gow’s Lamentation for James Moray, Esq., of Abercarney
- Major Graham of Inchbrakie
- Lady Ann Hope’s Favourite
Recordings of His Music
Many musicians have recorded Niel Gow's music. Here are a few examples:
- Quadriga Consort CD "By Yon Bonnie Banks" ORF Early Music Edition, Vienna 2007
- Scotland's Pete Clark: In the Footsteps of Niel Gow
- Even Now, The Music of Niel Gow by Pete Clark, Smiddymade, 1998
- Niel Gow’s Fiddle by Pete Clark & Muriel Johnstone, Inver 229, 2017
See also
- Scottish Baroque music
- Niel Gow's Oak
