The Skye Collection (book)
The famous Skye Collection, which first appeared in 1887 and was later reprinted in a smaller edition, has been out of print for many years. The title page indicates that it included "the best Reels & Strathspeys extant embracing over four hundred tunes collected from all the best sources, compiled and arranged for violin and piano by Keith Norman Macdonald." It is hoped that this new edition, which includes all the tunes from the earlier first and second editions, will meet the demand from Scottish music enthusiasts to have available again one of the outstanding collections of original airs.
Many of the tunes are originally for bagpipe, but all of the tunes have been presented here in piano arrangements with melody and accompaniment. Violinists or fiddlers, pipers, or other melody instruments may double the melody. The original compiler's 1887 preface is also included, which provides insights into the sources and proper interpretation of the tunes.